The apple of my eye

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings - Psalm 17.8

The phrase ‘apple of my eye’ is ancient. Most people think that Moses coined in about 1500 BC. Shakespeare also used the phrase in Midsummer Night’s Dream. The literal translation from Hebrew means ‘the little man of my eye.’ It references the tiny reflection of yourself you can see in someone else’s eye.

This fascinating phrase also refers to the pupil of the eye and the pupil of the eye is connected to the word for pupils in the classroom.

So when we use the ‘apply of your eye’ we are talking about something that is precious and special to the beholder.

When I think of the phrase I think primarily of a parent speaking of a child or a grandparent of a grandchild. It could even include students as the apples of a teacher’s eye. It is someone you love deeply and are proud of.

And that is the context here. The prayer is that we would the apples of God’s eye. That in His sight we are precious and special and something to be proud of. We are God’s ‘peculiar people’ as the wonderful old King James translation put it.

Let’s pray that we would indeed be the apples in God’s eye. We are precious in His sight and we ought to be extra grateful that He holds is in such a special position.

Think about ‘apple of my eye’ feeling for our children or grandchild and remember that we are the apple of God’s eye just like they are too us.

Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.