Very often, many phrases are automatically used by us, moreover, if you delve into their original meaning, it is not easy to find it. An interesting example of this is the origin of the phrase "cherish like the apple of an eye."
Expression source
Like many other sayings and well-established phrases in Russian speech, the expression "to cherish like the apple of an eye" has its origin in the Christian Holy Scriptures - the Bible. We find this expression in the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 32. The chapter is a poetic text - the song of Moses, and is replete with various artistic images typical of this genre.
In the context of the entire chapter, it is about how the Lord carefully protects His people: “In the wilderness He found this people, in the midst of a howling void, in the wilderness. He protected him, took care of him, like the apple of his eye on the shore”(Deut.32: 10). A similar expression is found in the Psalter: “Keep me as the apple of your eye, and hide in the shadow of Your wings” (Ps.16: 8).
Historical meaning of expression
First of all, it should be noted that the apple is an Old Slavonic word meaning - the pupil. In the Holy Scriptures, images characteristic of a person are often attributed to God. The eyes in the biblical sense are often identified with a lamp for the body, leading it on the path of life (Matt. 6:22), with a water source flowing out during weeping (Lamentations 1:16), eyes blind from old age are compared to a dying lamp.
A man in the ancient world fought for survival with the elements of nature, and for this he needed good health, above all good eyesight. A person deprived of sight became absolutely helpless. Therefore, people have always kept their eyes from various dangers in the form of sandstorms, from the enemy's weapons, etc.
Among Middle Eastern cultures, such as the Philistines, Amorites, Babylonians, the practice of gouging out the eyes of prisoners of war or as a criminal punishment for criminals was common. Thus, a person devoid of eyes not only lost strength, but also suffered severe torment. So, the famous biblical character - the hero Samson, the Philistines gouged out his eyes, and he was already able only to perform the functions of a draft animal, to rotate a millstone in a circle.
Figurative meaning
The metaphorical meaning of this expression is that many things in a person's life need especially careful protection, and they must be protected as carefully and carefully as their own eyes. For the biblical context, this means that a person gives God the qualities of His caring and guardianship over a righteous person, transferring to God the image of a thrifty caring for his own eyes. For a modern person, this image of the eye pupil remains a symbol of the frugality of something most precious.
