The Final Opinion
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful ones. Psalm 116:15 Robert Alter
Precious – John Hartley expresses our common assumption about the term yāqor in this verse.
Life is valued very highly in the ot. David would not kill Saul even when he had the upper hand because he valued his life (I Sam 26:8–11, 21; II Kgs 1:13f.). An adulterous woman is most damaging because she claims the most precious aspect of a man, his life (Prov 6:26). God also protects and delivers his people from oppression and violence because he values their blood (Ps 72:14). Man’s life exceeds the value of his ability to redeem himself. He does not have the money, nor can he offer himself, for he is a sinner (Ps 49:7f [H 8f.]). Consequently God alone can redeem man, and out of love he will provide the redemption necessary, even at great cost (Isa 43:14).[1]
Consider the general background for the root:
The root and its derivatives are employed 65 times. It comes from a Semitic root which conveys the idea of “heavy,” “honor,” “dignity.” An object is considered precious or valuable either because of its intrinsic worth or its rarity.[2]
But when we read David’s statement here, we are surprised, perhaps even shocked. According to this psalm, death has value. In fact, the death of God’s faithful followers is treasured. I thought God was the God of life, not death. I would have concluded that the death of His followers would be a tragic event, not a treasured one. I expected to read, “Agonizing in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful ones.” How is it conceivable that death is cherished?
The answer, of course, is that it is not the action of dying that is in view here, but rather the summation of a life lived in honor of God. The death of the faithful is merely the termination of a long history of obedience. Dying is still tragic. Death is still the enemy of the living God. But the end of a life of faithfulness is significant because it completes a life of trust. It’s not death that is lauded. It’s the life that comes before death. In the Greek world, how you died was the key to eternity. In the Hebrew world, how you lived was the key. Death merely ended a long relationship with the God of Israel. And that long relationship God counts as valuable.
The explanation might be theologically satisfying, but it still leaves me emotionally unresolved. Why? Because it forces me to ask, “Will God find my death precious?” “Has my life been a journey of obedience?” “What will He say when that time comes for me?”
Topical Index: death, precious, yāqar, Psalm 116:15
[1] Hartley, J. E. (1999). 905 יָקַר. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., pp. 398–399). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Ibid.
