The Hebrew yeqar means preciousness, honor, glory, high value, or costliness. It describes things or persons held in the highest esteem — precious stones, a king's honor, or the incomparable worth of wisdom. The verbal root yaqar (H3365) means to be rare, prized, or precious.
In Proverbs, wisdom is declared more precious (yeqar) than rubies (Proverbs 3:15). In Psalm 49:8, no ransom is precious enough to redeem a soul from death — only God can do that. Zechariah 11:13 uses it ironically as the 'goodly price' thrown to the potter. This word reminds believers that worth is not defined by market forces but by God's valuation — and that what God calls precious (a crushed spirit, Psalm 51:17; the death of His saints, Psalm 116:15) often surprises human expectation.