I posted this a while ago on Facebook and am now copying it here.
Today I learned something about the “apple of God’s eye”. This is another fine example of coloquial Hebrew being translated into coloquial English and thereby missing the depth of meaning and beauty contained in the original language.
First read these scriptures.
Deut 32:He found him (in context – Israel) in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.
Now let me tell you that a better translation than “the apple of His eye” is “the reflection in His eye” . Think about that. This is idiomatic Hebrew but the meaning is deep. To be a reflection in someone’s eye you need to be up very close. Try it on a loved one! Really close! Probably at the point where it is almost too difficult to focus! That’s how close the Lord is to His people. They are the reflection in His eye. And it also implies how He wants us to be equally close to Him; so close we can each see our reflections in His eyes.
Now read the scriptures again.
