Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. – Proverbs 7:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 19, 2025): Proverbs 7

Phrases are wonderful things. Most of the time, we read them without considering their meaning. And sometimes, the meaning can change over time. Every time I see an English phrase in the Bible, I wonder about its original meaning, including the phrase used here, "apple of your eye." The English usage of the phrase extends back to an English translation of the Latin book "Cura pastoralis" (The Book of Pastoral Rule). "Cura pastoralis" is a treatise that expounds on the task set before the clergy and was written by Pope Gregory I shortly after he was elected as Pope in 590 C.E. The translation, and the first appearance in English of the phrase "the apple of my (your) eye," is attributed to King Alfred the Great (849-899). And in English, the apple of your eye is something that you cherish. But the earliest appearance of the phrase in English was written almost 2000 years after King Solomon used it in Proverbs. So, a huge question, at least for me, is: does it mean the same thing in Hebrew as it does in English?

The simple answer to the question is maybe. In Hebrew, the "apple of my eye" is literally the "pupil of my eye." That black spot in the middle of your eye was called the apple. And it was understood that without the apple, sight was impossible. Anything that threatened the pupil or the apple of the eye threatened the individual's vision, but it also threatened the person's ability to live.

Solomon is writing to his son, and, by extension, to his other children and to all who would read his proverbs. The wise King tells them that keeping the commands in this document is like protecting their sight. The only way you can see the world as it is is by keeping these commands and understanding the world through these proverbs. The phrase "and you will live" relates directly to guarding the apple or pupil of your eye. Sight and the eye were considered required for life.

Of course, that also means that that kind of sight is also to be cherished, because without it, life doesn't continue, or it becomes an inferior copy of what it could be.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 8