chamudot (ḥămûdôt, חֲמוּדוֹת): from the root that means to desire, to take delight in. It is Strong’s H2530.

The Phrase

In Daniel 9:23, Gabriel tells Daniel ki ḥămûdôt atah: “you are precious.” In 10:11 and 10:19 the messenger calls him ish ḥămudôt, literally “a man of desirable things.” The plural works as an intensifier, so “greatly desired,” “highly treasured,” or “precious in the extreme.”

Where It Repeats

• Daniel 9:23. Gabriel brings the answer to Daniel’s prayer: “you are greatly loved.”
• Daniel 10:11. The messenger calls Daniel “a man greatly loved” while he is trembling.
• Daniel 10:19. The same words again, with “fear not” attached, and Daniel is strengthened.
• Daniel 10:3 and 11:38. The same word is used for “pleasant bread” Daniel gave up while fasting and for “pleasant things.”

The Same Root Elsewhere

• Exodus 20:17. It is the word behind “covet” (lo tachmod).
• Genesis 3:6. It describes the tree as “desirable” for gaining wisdom.
• Psalm 19:10. God’s words are “more to be desired than gold.”

What It Says

That root normally describes what a person wants. Here, heaven is the one doing the wanting. God looked at an old man in sackcloth and ashes and said, in effect, you are the one I desire. The question I started with was about value, and this word is probably the closest Hebrew gets to answering it.