The part of the body designed for seeing. In Scripture eyes are often associated with light, watchfulness or spiritual understanding, whereas blindness may be a metaphor for darkness, ignorance of God or rebellion against him. The eyes of God watch over all his creation.
Eyes are part of the physical body
Deuteronomy 28:65; Job 11:20, Job 31:16; Psalm 69:3
Eyes may represent the whole person
Eyesight is a vital sense
Matthew 6:22 See also Psalm 54:7; Proverbs 20:12; Lamentations 4:17; Matthew 11:5 parallel Luke 7:22; Matthew 20:33 parallels Mark 10:51, Luke 18:41; Acts 28:27; 1 Corinthians 12:17
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
Eyes may have a powerful emotional effect
You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.
Eyes reflect character, feelings and emotions
Malice: Psalm 35:19; Proverbs 6:13, Proverbs 10:10, Proverbs 16:30; Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 21:4; Mark 3:5 anger; Mark 10:21 love; Psalm 88:9; John 11:33–35; 2 Peter 2:14; 1 John 2:16
God's eyes are upon all his creation
God is aware of everything
Job 34:21 See also 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 94:9, Psalm 139:16; Proverbs 15:3; Amos 9:8; Habakkuk 1:13; Zechariah 3:9, Zechariah 4:10; Hebrews 4:13
For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.
God watches over his people with care
Psalm 34:15 See also Deuteronomy 11:12; 1 Kings 8:29, 1 Kings 9:3; Psalm 1:6, Psalm 121:3–5; Proverbs 22:12; 1 Peter 3:12
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
God's eyes symbolise his assessment of human behaviour
Genesis 6:8 See also Exodus 15:26; Judges 2:11; 1 Kings 15:5; 2 Corinthians 8:21
Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Human eyes may symbolise spiritual vision
God opens eyes in a spiritual sense
Psalm 119:18 The “opening of eyes” is an important biblical metaphor for revelation; Ephesians 1:18 See also Numbers 24:3–4; 2 Kings 6:17; Ezra 9:8; Isaiah 35:5, Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 6:22–23 parallel Luke 11:34–36; Acts 26:18; Hebrews 11:27
Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
Human eyes should be directed towards God
Psalm 34:5, Psalm 123:1–2 Lifting one's eyes towards God is an important biblical image of prayer. See also 2 Chronicles 20:12; Psalm 25:15, Psalm 27:4; Isaiah 40:26; John 17:1; Acts 7:55; 2 Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 12:2
Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
Human eyes will ultimately see God
Job 19:25–27 See also Isaiah 33:17; John 17:24; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 22:4
But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!
Eyes are a channel of temptation
Matthew 4:8–9 parallel Luke 4:5–7 See also Genesis 3:6; Numbers 15:39; Joshua 7:21; 2 Samuel 11:2; Psalm 119:37; Ecclesiastes 2:10, Ecclesiastes 6:9; Matthew 5:28–29; 1 John 2:16
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.”
Eyes should be guarded against evil
Job 31:1; Proverbs 4:25 See also Psalm 101:3; Isaiah 33:15–16 The direction of human eyes is a matter of choice.
“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
Closing one's eyes may symbolise indifference to God and his will
Matthew 13:15 See also Isaiah 6:10; Proverbs 28:27; Ezekiel 22:26; Matthew 23:16–17; John 9:41
For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.