EYE. Every one knows what the Eye is. The Hebrews call fountains, Eyes; and give the same name to colours. And the Eye, or colour of the manna was as the Eye, or colour of bdellium. By an evil Eye in Hebrew is meant, envy, jealousy, stinginess, mistaken parsimony. To lay their Eyes on any one, signifies, to look favourably upon him, to have a regard for him and his interests. The Eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, Psal. xxxiv. 15. He favours them, and heaps blessings on them. To find grace in any one’s Eyes, Ruth ii. 10, &c. to win his friendship and good graces. The Eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters, Ps. cxxiii. 2. Servants have always their Eyes fixed upon the hands of their masters, to observe their least motions, and obey the least signal. Their Eyes were opened, Gen. iii. 7. They began to comprehend what before they did not comprehend. The wise man’s Eyes are in his head, Eccles. ii. 14. He knows where he goes, and what he has to do: he does not act by chance. The Eye is not satisfied with riches, Eccles. iv. 8. Covetousness is insatiable, &c. The Eye of the soul in a moral sense signifies the intention, the desire. To find favour in any one’s Eyes, to be good or pleasing in another’s Eyes, are expressions very common among the Hebrews, and are clearer than any explanation we can give of them.
Gen. xliv. 21.To set one’s Eyes upon any one, to do him service, to favour him extremely, or barely to see him with friendship. Joseph ordered his brethren to bring his younger brother Benjamin to him, that he might set his Eyes upon him. God threatens to set his Eyes upon the Israelites for evil, and not Amos ix. 4. Ps. xxxiv. 16. Amos ix. 8. Ps. xxxii. 8.for good. Ponam oculos meos super eos in malum, & non in bonum. The Psalmist says, that the Eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. He promises to fasten his Eyes upon his friends; firmabo super te oculos meos. Nebuchadnezzar recommends it to Nebuzaradan that he would set his Eyes upon Jeremiah, and permit him to go where he pleased. But sometimes expressions Jerem. xxxix. 12. xl. 4.of this kind are taken in a quite opposite sense, for the severity of revenge: for example; Behold the Eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Ezek. v. 11. viii. 18. & passim.This likewise is a very common expression, Mine Eye will not spare, neither will I have pity. Probably, because the Eye upon these occasions is the organ which shews compassion or fury, vengeance or pardon; gentleness or severity: thine Eyes look gently, or angrily upon me.
To be Eyes to the blind, or to serve Job xxix. 15.them instead of Eyes, is sufficiently intelligible. The Persians called those officers of the crown, who had the care of the King’s interests, and the management of his finances, the King’s Eyes.
Job xxxi. 1.I have made a covenant with my Eyes, not even to look upon a maid: a very expressive Eph. vi. 6.pressive way of speaking, the force whereof would be impaired by any explanation.
Eye-service is peculiar to slaves, who are Coloss. iii. 22.governed by fear only. Servi ad oculum.
1 John ii. 16.The lust of the Eyes, or the desire of the Eyes, comprehend every thing that curiosity, Ezek. xxiv. 6, 21, 25.vanity, the love of the creatures, or the love of pleasure, seeks and pursues after; the attractions of what is good, beautiful, agreeable, magnificent, and pleasing; in a word, every thing that the Eyes can present to men given up intirely to their passions.
The abomination of the Eyes. In Ezekiel, Cast ye away every man the abomination Ezek. xx. 7, 8.of his Eyes. Let not the idols of the Egyptians seduce your Eyes; but they would not abandon these abominations of their Eyes. They did not every man cast away the abominations of his Eyes. Solomon says, that he had denied himself Eccles. ii. 10.nothing of all which his Eyes desired.
The height or elevation of the Eyes is taken for pride. Extollentiam oculorum meorum ne dederis mihi, Ecclus. xxiii. 5.
Gal. iv. 15.The women tinged their Eyes with antimony. See above ANTIMONY.
St. Paul says, that the Galatians would willingly have plucked out their Eyes for him, when he began to preach the Gospel to them; expressing barely in the way of exaggeration their zeal, affection, gratitude, and devotion to him. In a contrary sense, the Israelites, transported with passion, said to Moses, Wilt thou put out the Numb. xvi. 14.Eyes of these men?
The Hebrews call the apple of the Eye, the black daughter of the Eye. Let not the Lament. ii. 18.apple of thine Eye cease weeping. To keep any thing as the apple of the Eye, to keep Deut. xxxii. 10.it with particular care. He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine Eyes; injures me in that which is most dear to me.