Hebrew word · H6079

עַפְעַף

ve'af'apeinu

eyelid

"Eyelid," almost always in the plural, and in poetry meaning "glance, gaze, look." It often pairs with "eyes" in parallel lines. Its origin is uncertain; a link to ʿûp, "to fly, flutter" ("the flutterers") is often suggested but not proven.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) eyelid

1a) eyelid

1b) of dawn, rays of sun (fig.)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 4:25

Range of meaning

"Eyelid," almost always in the plural, and in poetry meaning "glance, gaze, look." It often pairs with "eyes" in parallel lines. Its origin is uncertain; a link to ʿûp, "to fly, flutter" ("the flutterers") is often suggested but not proven.

Against the English

KJV "eyelids" is literal but sounds odd today, as if the lids themselves were looking. Modern versions rightly use "gaze." Neither one keeps the overtones the word has in Proverbs: the seductive, roving or haughty glance.

How it drifted

Literal "eyelids" in KJV/YLT leaves modern readers with a strange physical picture, when Hebrew poets used the word for the look a person directs.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 6:25: "do not let her capture you with her eyelids" (the seductress). Prov 30:13: "how lofty their eyes, their eyelids lifted up" (pride). Ps 11:4: "his eyelids test the children of man" (God's searching gaze). Prov 6:4: "no slumber to your eyelids." Jer 9:18 [9:17 Heb]: "our eyelids flow with water."

From the study of Proverbs 6:25

Range of meaning

Eyelid. Always plural or dual in use ('eyelids'). It stands for the eye's movement and glance, and poetically for the first rays of dawn ('the eyelids of the dawn', Job 3:9; 41:18). BDB links it to the root 'uf, 'to fly, flutter', which would suggest the fluttering lid. That derivation is likely but not certain.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB keep 'eyelids.' BSB and NIV turn it into 'eyes.' ESV has 'eyelashes' and NLT 'coy glances.' 'Eyes' loses the particular picture: lowered and lifted lids, a sidelong look, the signal of a glance.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 4:25: the father told the son, 'let your eyes look straight ahead, your eyelids (af'appekha) straight before you.' Ps 11:4: God's 'eyelids test' humankind. Prov 30:13: a generation whose 'eyelids are lifted up' in arrogance. Eye-painting with kohl, a dark eye cosmetic, is known in Israel and the wider ancient Near East (2 Kgs 9:30; Jer 4:30; Ezek 23:40). This verse does not mention paint, so a link to cosmetics is possible background, not a stated point.

From the study of Proverbs 30:13

Range of meaning

Eyelid, and in poetry the eye or gaze itself. It almost always appears in the pair form and often stands parallel to "eyes." A few passages may suggest the flashing or beam of the eye.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV and NASB keep "eyelids." BSB, NIV and NLT say "glances," which is clearer but loses the physical picture.

How it drifted

A modern reader may picture wide-open eyes, as in surprise, when reading "eyelids lifted up." The Hebrew image is a raised and superior gaze.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 4:25 sets eyes and eyelids in parallel for looking straight ahead. Proverbs 6:25 warns against being captured by a woman's eyelids, so the lids were understood as communicating. In Psalm 11:4 God's eyelids test humanity. Sirach 26:9 likewise pairs raised eyes and eyelids as signs of character. Ugaritic has a related word in descriptions of eyes, though its exact sense is debated.

Where it appears

Job · 3

  1. Job 3:9 בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־ on [the] eyelids of

    May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.

  2. Job 16:16 עַפְעַפַּ֣י eyelids my

    My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes;

  3. Job 41:18 כְּעַפְעַפֵּי־ [are] like [the] eyelids of

    His snorting flashes with light, and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 11:4 עַפְעַפָּ֥יו eyelids his

    The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.

    Here: A doubled word, probably from a root meaning 'to flutter.' The picture is eyes narrowing to look hard at something. It turns plain seeing into close scrutiny.

  2. Psalm 132:4 לְֽעַפְעַפַּ֥י to eyelids my

    I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

Proverbs · 4

  1. Proverbs 4:25 וְ֝עַפְעַפֶּ֗יךָ and eyelids your

    Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

    Here: "And your eyelids": a poetic pair for "eyes," meaning the glance or gaze itself. Eyelids narrow, flutter and aim the look. Elsewhere in Proverbs the seductress "captures you with her eyelids" (6:25), so the word suggests the wandering, flirting or proud glance this verse is meant to discipline.

  2. Proverbs 6:4 לְעַפְעַפֶּֽיךָ׃ to eyelids your

    Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.

    Here: A poetic word for eyelids, maybe from a root for fluttering. It pairs with "eyes" here. Drooping lids are the first sign of drowsiness, so the image moves from full sleep down to the first heaviness of the eyelids.

  3. Proverbs 6:25 בְּעַפְעַפֶּֽיהָ׃ with eyelids her

    Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

    Here: 'With her eyelids': her glances, the way she lowers and raises her eyes, her looks that invite. Her eyelids are the trap that catches him.

  4. Proverbs 30:13 וְ֝עַפְעַפָּ֗יו and eyelids its

    There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—

    Here: "And its eyelids." This is the poetic partner of "eyes," sharpening the picture to the lid raised in a superior stare. Its ending rhymes with the word for eyes, ʿênāyw.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 9:18 וְעַפְעַפֵּ֖ינוּ and eyelids our

    Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.