Another interpretation: "Precious in the eyes of God." It is likened to a king who sent a skilled charioteer who served him well and completed his time, and then gave him another chariot. Those who did not want him to leave them would ridicule him for being replaced, while those who knew he would come to them would ridicule him for being about to lead them well. Similarly, when the righteous depart from the world, the creatures of the world are saddened by their departure because, as long as they were among them, they would ward off calamities from coming to the world.
But the ministering angels rejoice when the righteous come and rule among them. When a righteous person departs from the world, three groups of ministering angels come to meet him. One says (Isaiah 57:2) "He enters into peace; they rest in their beds--those who walk in uprightness." The second one says, "They shall rest on their beds."
And the third one says, "He walks in his uprightness." And when the wicked pass from the world, three bands of destroying angels come to meet them. One band says, "There is no peace." (Isaiah 48:22) And one says, "The Lord has said, 'Evil shall slay the wicked.'" And one says, "He shall lie down in sorrow." (Isaiah 50:11)