The Apple of My Eye

Scripture: Proverbs 7:2 – “…keep my commandments and live; keep my teachings as the apple of your eye…” (NRSVUE)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the apple of my eye”? It is an idiom, a phrase whose meaning is independent of its words, like “full of beans” or “kick the bucket.” The apple of my eye is something or someone who is especially dear to me. But what does this have to do with apples or eyes and what do apples and eyes have to do with each other? I did a little research, and I learned that the apple of the eye is the pupil. Both “apple” and “pupil” can be derived from the Old English word arppel. Perhaps this is because they are both round and potentially reflective of light such that you can see your reflection in them. I’m not sure about that last one. That must be a pretty shiny apple.

So, we have a playful way to describe the pupil. How do we get to the idea of the apple of your eye being something dear to you? That comes from the Bible. In several places in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word meaning pupil that that has been rendered as “apple” into our English translations may mean “little man of the eye”, also because you can see your reflection in it. In each case, the apple of the eye is something that is close to you, something internal to you, perhaps even something essential to you. In Psalm 17:8, the psalmist cries to God, “Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…” We are supposed to be close to God, protected like in the darkest, inmost, invisible parts of God. The phrase is a sign that God loves us intimately and deeply and inseparably.

In Proverbs, we are taught that we should keep the commandments of God just as close to us, in the apples our eyes, the fingers on hands, and the centers of our hearts. Then we shall be shielded from the folly that might destroy us.

It is nice to know little details about words, but to me the use of “apple of your eye,” in Proverbs has a deeper meaning. Indeed, to know God’s commandments and to hear God’s word in our lives should be essential to our being. We should value the truth of God about all other things. It should be especially precious and loved by us.

But what I think separates the apple of the eye from fingers and hearts is that the apple of the eye, the pupil, is what we use to see. Without the light coming into it, we are blind. Through our shiny pupil, others can see themselves reflected back, so if we are models of piety, they can see their own potential for faith. And the fact that we use this confusing idiom means that sometimes we cannot truly make sense of the world unless someone teaches us. Without God, many things in the world just don’t make sense. But when we have it, things come into focus.

What is the apple of your eye? What is the thing or person you love in the innermost part of your being? And where is God in that love? Let your relationship with God help you to see and love more and more each day.

Prayer: God, help me see as you do, let me keep your truth close to me, and love me like the apple of your eye. Amen.