Biblical Lexicon

H0380 H0380

Prep-b | N-msc | 6× in 2 senses

The pupil of the eye, used figuratively for something precious ('apple of the eye'); also the darkest part of night.

A diminutive noun literally meaning 'little man' — from the tiny reflection one sees in another's pupil — used in two vivid ways. First, as the 'apple of the eye' (Deut 32:10; Ps 17:8; Prov 7:2), it expresses tender care and preciousness: God guards Israel as the pupil of his eye. Second, it denotes the blackest hour of night (Prov 7:9; 20:20), the deep darkness where the adulteress prowls. Spanish 'niña del ojo' preserves the 'little girl/doll' etymology beautifully, while the darkness sense shifts uniformly across languages to words for blackness and obscurity.

Read in Bible → Strong's / BibleHub Blue Letter Bible

Senses

1. pupil of the eye (apple of the eye) — The pupil of the eye, the dark center that reflects a miniature image of the onlooker (hence the diminutive 'little man'). Used exclusively in figurative contexts of preciousness: God kept Israel 'as the apple of his eye' (Deut 32:10), the psalmist pleads 'keep me as the apple of the eye' (Ps 17:8), and the sage urges guarding wisdom 'as the apple of your eye' (Prov 7:2). Spanish 'niña del ojo' and French 'pupille' both preserve the anatomical image underlying the idiom of cherished protection. 3×

PROPERTIES_RELATIONS › Nature, Class, Example › Geography and Space

AR["كَحَدَقَةِ", "كَـ-حَدَقَةِ"]·ben["চোখের-তারার-মতো", "মণির-মতো", "যেমন-মণি"]·DE["[כאישון]", "wie-der-apple-von", "wie-pupil-von"]·EN["as-the-apple-of", "like-pupil-of"]·FR["comme-pupil-de", "comme-pupille"]·heb["כ-אישון"]·HI["जैसे-पुतली", "जैसे-पुतली-", "पुतली-की-तरह"]·ID["seperti-biji", "seperti-biji-", "seperti-biji-mata"]·IT["[כאישון]", "come-as-il-apple-di", "come-pupil-di"]·jav["kados-manukan", "kados-mripat", "kados-wong-ireng"]·KO["같이-눈동자(접)", "눈동자-같이", "눈동자-처럼"]·PT["como-a-menina", "como-menina-de"]·RU["как-зеницу", "как-зрачок"]·ES["como-la-niña-de", "como-pupila-de"]·SW["kama-mboni-ya"]·TR["bebeği-gibi-", "gibi-bebeğini"]·urd["-پتلی-کی-مانند", "جیسے-پتلی"]

Deut 32:10, Ps 17:8, Prov 7:2

2. blackness, darkness (of night) — The blackest part or depth of night, extending the 'pupil' image to temporal darkness — the darkest hour. In Prov 7:9, the young man meets the adulteress 'in the pupil of the night and darkness' (בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה), and in Prov 20:20, a son who curses his parents has his lamp extinguished 'in the pupil of darkness' (בֶּאֱשׁוּן חֹשֶׁךְ). The multilingual evidence consistently shifts from eye vocabulary to darkness vocabulary — Spanish 'en lo oscuro,' English 'in blackest' — confirming this as a distinct metaphorical extension. 3×

NATURAL_WORLD › Physical Events and States › Darkness and Gloom

AR["(في-حَيْنِ)", "[فيحين]", "فِي-سَوَادِ"]·ben["অন্ধকারে", "অন্ধকারের"]·DE["[(באשון)]", "[[באישון]]", "[באישון]"]·EN["(in-blackest)", "[in-blackest]", "in-the-blackness-of"]·FR["dans-pupille"]·heb["(ב-אשון)", "[באישון]", "ב-אישון"]·HI["(अंधकार-में)", "[अंधकार-में]", "अंधेरे-में"]·ID["(dalam-kegelapan)", "[dalam-kegelapan]", "di-kegelapan"]·IT["in-(in-blackest)", "in-[in-blackest]", "in-in-il-blackness-di"]·jav["ing-wanci", "ing-wong-ireng"]·KO["(어둬움-의-눈동자-에)", "[어둬움-의-눈동자-에]", "눈동자-에"]·PT["(em-escuridão-de)", "[em-menina]", "na-menina-da"]·RU["[ктив:в-зрачке]", "в-кромешной", "во-мраке"]·ES["(en-lo-oscuro-de)", "[en-la-pupila]", "en-oscuridad-de"]·SW["katika-giza", "katika-giza-la"]·TR["(karanlığın-ortasında)", "[karanlığın-ortasında]", "karanlığında"]·urd["پتلی-میں", "گھپ-اندھیرے-میں"]

Prov 7:9, Prov 20:20, Prov 20:20

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† אִישׁוֹן n.[m.] pupil of eye (cf. DlHA 9 PrätLOPh, Feb. 1884, but also Ar. إِنْسَانٌ العَيْنِ, & NöZMG 1886, 739)—א׳ all cstr.—א׳ עַיִן Dt 32:10 Pr 7:2; א׳ בַּת־עַיִן ψ 17:8 (in all, sim. of preciousness); = middle, midst of night בְּא׳ לַיְלָה וַאֲפֵלָה Pr 7:9; בְּא׳ חֹשֶׁךְ 20:20 Kt i.e. in deep darkness (Qr בֶּאֱשׁוּן v. Now).