H8109 H8109
eyelids, the protective coverings that guard and close the eyes
This term denotes eyelids, understood as the guards or protectors of the eyes. The etymology connects to the root for 'guard,' viewing eyelids functionally as protective shutters that shield the eye. The word appears in Psalm 77 where the psalmist describes his distress—God holds his eyelids open, preventing sleep. The poetic image powerfully conveys insomnia driven by spiritual turmoil: even the natural protective mechanism of the eyelids, designed to close in rest, cannot function when God keeps them open. The term's connection to guarding emphasizes the eyelid's protective function, making their forced openness especially distressing.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Eyelids, conceptualized as guards or protectors of the eyes, appearing in a description of sleepless distress. Psalm 77:4 laments: 'You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.' The construct phrase 'eyelids of my eyes' (lit. 'guards of my eyes') emphasizes their protective function. God's holding them open represents divine prevention of sleep's relief—the psalmist cannot even blink or close his eyes to rest. The Spanish 'vigilias-de' (watches of) and German 'closing' suggest translation difficulty, while French 'garde' (guard) maintains the root's meaning. The image powerfully conveys spiritual anguish that overrides physical need. 1×
AR["أَجْفَانَ"]·ben["পাহারা"]·DE["von-closing"]·EN["from-closing"]·FR["garde"]·heb["שמורות"]·HI["शेमुरोत"]·ID["penjaga-penjaga"]·IT["[שמרות]"]·jav["tugu-jaga"]·KO["지키는-것들-을"]·PT["abertas"]·RU["веки"]·ES["vigilias-de"]·SW["kope-za"]·TR["açık"]·urd["پلکوں-کو"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שְׁמֻרָה] n.f. eye-lid (from its guarding the eye);—pl. cstr. שְׁמֻרוֹת עֵינָ֑י ψ 77:5.