H5869a H5869a
Eye: in the evaluative idiom 'in the eyes of' (judgment/opinion); the physical organ of sight; outward appearance or visible surface.
The Hebrew noun ayin ('eye') is one of Scripture's most versatile words, but when preceded by the preposition le- or be- it overwhelmingly serves an evaluative metaphor: 'in the eyes of' someone means 'in someone's judgment or estimation.' This idiomatic use accounts for the vast majority of its 872 occurrences in this form — Noah 'found favor in the eyes of the LORD' (Gen 6:8), and what is 'evil in the eyes of the LORD' recurs like a refrain through Judges and Kings. Remarkably, Spanish en los ojos de, French aux yeux de, and German in den Augen preserve this metaphor with near-identical body-part idioms, while Arabic في عيون and Hindi की दृष्टि में confirm the cross-linguistic naturalness of the eyes-as-judgment metaphor. The literal body-part sense and the rarer 'appearance' meaning round out a compact but important semantic profile.
1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) — The evaluative-metaphorical idiom 'in the eyes of X' or 'before the eyes of X,' meaning 'in X's judgment, opinion, or estimation.' This dominant sense (734 occurrences) encompasses the formulaic 'to find favor in the eyes of' (Gen 6:8; 19:19), the Deuteronomistic refrain 'he did evil in the eyes of the LORD,' and all constructions where 'eyes' stand for perspective or approval. Spanish en ojos de, French dans les yeux de, German in den Augen, Arabic في عيون, and Hindi की दृष्टि में all preserve the body-part metaphor, making this one of the most stable cross-linguistic idioms in the biblical corpus. 734×
AR["في-عَينَي","فِي-عَيْنَيْ","فِي-عُيُونِ"]·ben["-চোখে","চোখে"]·DE["in-Augen-von","in-den-Augen"]·EN["in-eyes-of","in-the-eyes-of"]·FR["dans-le-yeux-de","dans-yeux-de"]·heb["ב-עין","ב-עיני"]·HI["अअनखो-मे","आँखों-में","दृष्टि-में","नज़र-में","नज़र-मेइन","में-आँखों"]·ID["di mata-","di-mata"]·IT["agli-occhi-di","in-il-occhi-di","in-occhi-di"]·jav["ing-mripat","ing-paningal","ing-paningaling","ing-paningalipun","wonten-ing-mripat","wonten-ing-mripatipun","wonten-paningal-ipun","wonten-paningalipun"]·KO["-의-눈에","-의-눈에서","~의-눈에","눈-에","눈들-에","눈에","눈에서","에-눈-에","에-눈들","에-눈에"]·PT["aos-olhos","aos-olhos-de","em-olhos-de","nos-olhos-de"]·RU["в-глазах","в-очах"]·ES["en-ojos-de","en-ojos-de-"]·SW["kumbe","kwenye-macho-ya","macho","machoni","machoni-mwa","machoni-pa","majibu-yako","mbele-ya"]·TR["gözlerinde","gözlerinde-","gözlerine","gözünde"]·urd["آنکھوں-میں","میں-نظر","میں-نظروں","نظر-میں","نظروں-میں"]
Gen 6:8, Gen 19:14, Gen 21:11, Gen 28:8, Gen 31:35, Gen 33:8, Gen 33:15, Gen 34:18, Gen 38:7, Gen 38:10, Gen 39:21, Gen 41:37 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. eye (literal body part) — The literal physical organ of sight — eyes that see, weep, grow dim with age, are lifted up in prayer, or serve as anatomical referents. With 127 occurrences, this includes Leah's 'tender eyes' (Gen 29:17), Israel's eyes growing 'heavy with age' (Gen 48:10), and the lex talionis formula 'eye for eye' (Exod 21:24). Korean 눈, Hindi आँख, Arabic عين, and Swahili macho all render this with straightforward body-part terms. The distinction from sense 1 is that here the eyes function as physical organs rather than metaphors for judgment — though the boundary is sometimes exegetically debated. 127×
AR["[عُيونُكُمْ]","أَعْيُنُنَا","أَعْيُنِنا","عَيْنُنا","عُيونُنا","عُيُونَنا","عُيُونُنَا","وَ-عَينَي","وَ-عَيْنا","وَ-عُيُونُ","وَعَيْنَا","وَعُيونُ"]·ben["আমাদের-চোখ","আমাদের-চোখের","আর-চোখ","এবং-চোখ","ও-চোখ","কিন্তু-চোখ","চোখ-আমাদের","দরিদ্রদের"]·DE["Auge","und-Augen-von","und-die-Augen","unser-Auge","unser-Augen"]·EN["[eyes-of-you]","and-eyes-of","and-the-eyes-of","but-eyes-of","our-eye","our-eyes"]·FR["et-mes-yeux","et-yeux","et-yeux-de","oeil","œil"]·heb["ו-עין","ו-עיני","עין-נו","עינינ-ו","עינינו","עינכם"]·HI["[तुम्हारी-आँखें]","आँखें-हमारी","आँखों-हमारी","आँखों-हमारी-के","और-आँखें","और-आँखों-की","और-आंखें","हमारी-आँखें","हमारी-आँखें।","हमारी-आंखें"]·ID["Dan-mata-mata","dan-mata","dan-mata-mata","mata-kami","mata-kita","matamu","tetapi-mata"]·IT["e-occhi-di","e-occhio","occhio"]·jav["Lan-mripat","Lan-mripatipun","[ketib]","lan-mripat","lan-mripat-saking","lan-netra","lan-paningal","mripat-kawula","mripat-kita","nanging-mripat","paningal-kawula-sedaya"]·KO["[너희의-눈들이]","그러나-눈들은","그리고-눈들-은","그리고-눈들-이","그리고-눈들은","그리고-눈들을","그리고-눈들이","눈들-우리의-가","눈이","우리-눈들-이","우리-눈을","우리-눈이","우리-의-눈-이","우리의-눈","우리의-눈들이"]·PT["E-olhos-de","[olho-vosso]","e-olhos-de","nosso-olho","nossos-olhos","olhos-nossos","os-nossos-olhos"]·RU["[глаз-ваш]","И-глаза","а-глаза","глаз-наш","глаза-наши","глазами-нашими","и-глаза","и-очи"]·ES["Pero-los-ojos-de","Y-ojos-de","[ojos-de-vosotros]","nuestro-ojo","nuestros-ojos","ojos-de-nosotros","ojos-nuestros","y-los-ojos-de","y-ojos-de","y-ojos-de-"]·SW["[jicho-lenu]","lakini-macho-ya","macho-yetu","na-macho","na-macho-ya"]·TR["Ve-gözleri","fakat-gözleri","gozlerimizi","gözlerimiz","gözlerimiz-bizim","gözlerimizin","ve-al","ve-gozleri","ve-gözleri","ve-gözlerini"]·urd["[تمہاری-آنکھیں]","آنکھیں-ہماری","آنکھیں-ہماری-سے","اور-آنکھوں کو","اور-آنکھیں","ہماری-آنکھوں-نے","ہماری-آنکھوں-کے","ہماری-آنکھیں"]
Gen 29:17, Gen 45:12, Gen 48:10, Exod 10:5, Exod 10:15, Exod 21:26, Exod 21:26, Num 15:39, Num 22:5, Num 22:11, Deut 7:16, Deut 11:7 (+38 more)
3. appearance, visible surface — Outward appearance or visible surface — a metaphorical extension where 'eye' means 'what the eye perceives,' used for describing the look or visible aspect of something. Only 11 occurrences, concentrated in descriptions of manna ('its appearance was like the appearance of bdellium,' Num 11:7) and Ezekiel's visions ('like the appearance of fire,' Ezek 1:4, 27; 8:2). The construction ke-ein ('like the eye/appearance of') functions as a simile marker. Spanish como apariencia de, French comme l'apparence de, and German wie das Aussehen von all shift from 'eye' to 'appearance' vocabulary, confirming that translators recognize this as a distinct semantic extension. 11×
AR["كَ-عَيْنِ","كَعَيْنِ","كَـ-عَيْنِ","كَـ-مَنْظَرِ","مَنْظَرِهَا","وَ-عَيْنُهُ"]·ben["-দেখতে-মতো","-যেন","এবং-তার-চেহারা","চেহারার-মতো","তার-রং","দৃশ্যে-মতো","যেমন-চোখ"]·DE["sein-appearance","und-sein-appearance","wie-Auge","wie-appearance-von"]·EN["and-its-appearance","its-appearance","like-appearance-of"]·FR["comme-appearance-de","comme-oeil","et-son-appearance","son-appearance"]·heb["ו-עיני","כ-עין","כ-עיני","עיני"]·HI["और-उसकी-आंख","जैसा-","जैसी-आंख","जैसी-दिखती","जैसे-दृष्टि"]·ID["dan-rupanya","penampilannya","seperti","seperti-kilau","seperti-penampakan","seperti-rupa"]·IT["come-aspetto-di","come-occhio","e-suo-aspetto","suo-aspetto"]·jav["kados-mripat","kados-rupa-nipun","kados-warna","katingal-panjenenganipun","lan-warna-nipun"]·KO["같으니라-빛에","같이-모양","그것-의-모습","그리고-그것의-모양은","모양-같은"]·PT["aparência-sua","como-aparência-de","e-aparência-seu"]·RU["вид-свой","и-вид-её","как-вид"]·ES["como-apariencia-de","como-aspecto-de","como-ojo-de","su-aspecto","y-su-aspecto"]·SW["kama-mwonekano","kama-mwonekano-wa","mwonekano-wake","na-mwonekano-wake"]·TR["-e-benzer-görünümü","gibi","gibi-görünüşlü-","görünüşü","görünüşünü","gözü","ve-görünümü","ve-parlıyorlardı"]·urd["اور-اُس-کی-شکل","رنگ-اپنا","شکل-کی-طرح","عنبر-کی-مانند","مانند"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. עַ֫יִן n.f. Gn 3:7 and (Zc 3:9; 4:10 AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 75) m. eye (ancient Sem. word; √ and relation to ii. ע׳ unknown; NH id.; Ph. ען; 𝔗 עֵינָא, עַיְינָא; Palm. עינא, Zinj. sf. עיני, עינך; Syriac ܥܰܝܢܳܐ; Assyrian ênu, enu, TelAm. sf. inaya and (appar. Can. gloss) ḫinaya; Arabic عَيْنٌ; Ethiopic ዐይን );—abs. ע׳ Ex 21:4 +, cstr. עֵין v 26 +; sf. עֵינִי Gn 44:21 + (2 S 16:12 read עָנְיִי Vrss…