'Precious' in the Bible

Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and articles of clothing, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and her mother.

The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.

And of Joseph he said,“Blessed by the Lord be his land,With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,And from the deep water that lies beneath,

With the precious fruits of the sun,And with the precious produce of the months.

“With the best things of the ancient mountains,And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,

With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,And the favor and goodwill of Him who dwelt in the bush.Let these blessings come upon the head of Joseph,And upon the crown of the head of him who was distinguished [as a prince] among his brothers.

Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord under the supervision of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread.

Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Hear me, I have played the fool and have done a very great wrong [to you].”

Now behold, just as your life was precious in my sight this day, so let my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may He rescue me from all distress.”

And he took the crown of their king from his head; it weighed a talent of gold, and [set in it was] a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought the spoil out of the city in great amounts.

So she came to Jerusalem with a very large caravan (entourage), with camels carrying spices, a great quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about everything that was on her mind [to discover the extent of his wisdom].

She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again did such an abundance of spices come in [to Israel] as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood (sandalwood) and precious stones.

So Ahaziah again sent a captain of a third fifty with his fifty [fighting men]. And the third captain of fifty went up and came bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him [for compassion] and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of your servants, these fifty, be precious in your sight.

Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.”

Hezekiah listened to and welcomed them and [foolishly] showed them all his treasure house—the silver and gold and spices and precious oil and his armory and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house (palace) nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

David took the crown of their king from his head and found that it weighed a talent of gold and that there was a precious stone in it; so it was set on David’s head. He also brought a very great amount of spoil (plunder) out of the city [of Rabbah].

So with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, silver for the things of silver, bronze for the things of bronze, iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, as well as onyx stones and stones to be inlaid, stones of antimony (a brittle, silvery-white metal) and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance.

Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

And he adorned the house with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim.

When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She was accompanied by a very large number of attendants, with camels bearing spices (balsam oil) and a large amount of gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was on her mind.

Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very large amount of spices (balsam oil) and precious stones; there was no such spice [anywhere] like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

The servants of Huram and those of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought almug trees and precious stones.

When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including equipment, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away; so much that they spent three days gathering the spoil.

Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, in addition to fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

Now Hezekiah had immense wealth and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of delightful articles,

Now at the turn of the year [in the spring], King Nebuchadnezzar sent word and had him brought to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

All those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with valuable things, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering.

also 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold.

There were curtains (draperies) of fine white and violet linen fastened with cords of fine purple linen to silver rings and marble columns. The couches of gold and silver rested on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious colored stones.

And make the Almighty your goldAnd your precious silver,

“He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks;And his eye sees every precious thing.

“It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir,In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

He will redeem their life from oppression and fraud and violence,And their blood will be precious in His sight.

They concoct crafty schemes against Your people,And conspire together against Your hidden and precious ones.

Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the LordIs the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting],Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,Coming down on the beard,Even the beard of Aaron,Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!How vast is the sum of them!

We will find and take all kinds of precious possessions,We will fill our houses with spoil;

She is more precious than rubies;And nothing you can wish for compares with her [in value].

For on account of a prostitute one is reduced to a piece of bread [to be eaten up],And the immoral woman hunts [with a hook] the precious life [of a man].

The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey,But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].

A bribe is like a bright, precious stone in the eyes of its owner;Wherever he turns, he prospers.

There is gold, and an abundance of pearls,But the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all].

There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future],But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

And by knowledge its rooms are filledWith all precious and pleasant riches.

An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her?Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.

A good name is better than precious perfume,And the day of one’s death better than the day of one’s birth.

“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates,[A paradise] with precious fruits, henna with fragrant plants,

(The Bridegroom)“I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride;I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words].I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;I have drunk my wine with my milk.Eat, friends;Drink and drink deeply, O lovers.”

“His head is like [precious] gold, pure gold;His hair is [curly] like clusters of datesAnd black as a raven.

“His mouth is full of sweetness;Yes, he is altogether lovely and desirable.This is my beloved and this is my friend,O daughters of Jerusalem.” Cross references: Song of Solomon 5:1 : John 16:33 Song of Solomon 5:2 : Job 11:13-15 Song of Solomon 5:3 : Is 32:9; Heb 3:15 Song of Solomon 5:8 : Ps 63:1 Song of Solomon 5:9 : John 10:26 Song of Solomon 5:10 : Ps 45:2; John 1:14 Song of Solomon 5:16 : Ps 92:15; Col 1:15 end of crossrefs

Therefore the Lord God says this,“Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone,A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed.He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].

Hezekiah was pleased and showed them his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his entire armory and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his area of dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

“Because you are precious in My sight,You are honored and I love you,I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life.

“And I will make your battlements of rubies,And your gates of [shining] beryl stones,And all your [barrier] walls of precious stones.

Therefore, thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah],“If you repent [and give up this mistaken attitude of despair and self-pity], then I will restore you [to a state of inner peace]So that you may stand before Me [as My obedient representative];And if you separate the precious from the worthless [examining yourself and cleansing your heart from unwarranted doubt concerning My faithfulness],You will become My spokesman.Let the people turn to you [and learn to value My values]—But you, you must not turn to them [with regard for their idolatry and wickedness].

Moreover, I will hand over all the riches of this city, all the result of its labor, all its precious things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, and take them away and carry them to Babylon.

In the days of her affliction and homelessnessJerusalem remembers all her precious thingsThat she had from the days of old,When her people fell into the hand of the adversary,And no one helped her,The enemy saw her,They mocked at her downfall.

The adversary has spread out his handOver all her precious and desirable things;For she has seen the [Gentile] nations enter her sanctuary (the Jerusalem temple)—The ones whom You commandedThat they should not enter into Your congregation [not even in the outer courts].

All her people groan, seeking bread;They have exchanged their desirable and precious things for foodTo restore their lives.“See, O Lord, and considerHow despised and repulsive I have become!”

The [noble and] precious sons of Zion,[Once] worth their weight in fine gold,How they are regarded [merely] as earthen jars,The work of a potter’s hands!

There is a conspiracy of her [false] prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured [human] life; they have taken [in their greed] treasure and precious things; they have made many widows among her.

Dedan traded with you in saddle blankets for riding.

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah [in Arabia], they traded with you; they paid for your wares with the choicest of all kinds of spices and all kinds of precious stones and gold.

“You were in Eden, the garden of God;Every precious stone was your covering:The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond;The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper;The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald;And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and your sockets,Was in you.They were preparedOn the day that you were created.

Out of one of them (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) came forth a rather small horn [but one of irreverent presumption and profane pride] which grew exceedingly powerful toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land (Israel).

Also he will carry off to Egypt their [Syrian] gods with their cast images and their precious and costly treasure of silver and of gold, and he will refrain from waging war against the king of the North for some years.

Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold and silver, with precious stones and with expensive things.

He will have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Ethiopians will follow in his footsteps.

For behold, they will go away because of devastation and destruction;Egypt will gather them up, Memphis will bury them.Weeds will take over their treasures of silver;Thorns will grow in their tents.

For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes),An east wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the Lord rising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will become dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.

Because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried My precious treasures to your temples and palaces,

Plunder the silver!Plunder the gold!For there is no end to the treasure—Wealth from every precious object.

I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable and precious things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory and splendor,’ says the Lord of hosts.

And the Lord their God shall save them on that dayAs the flock of His people;For they are like the [precious] jewels of a crown,Displayed and glittering in His land.