Quick Definition
ὀφθαλμός, οῦ, ὁ n.m. the eye
Strong's Definition
from 3700; the eye (literally or figuratively); by implication, vision; figuratively, envy (from the jealous side-glance)
KJV Usage: eye, sight
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -οῦ | ἀντοφθαλμέω · μονόφθαλμος · ὁράω · ὀφθαλμοδουλία
8.23 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
eye eye, normally including the eyelids In a number of languages an important distinction is made between the eyes consisting of the eyeballs and the eyes covered or partially covered by the eyelids. In MAT 9:29 and MAT 20:34, Jesus apparently touched the eyelids, not the eyeballs.
MAT 5:29 · MAT 5:38 · MAT 5:38 · MAT 6:22 · MAT 6:22 · MAT 7:3 · MAT 7:3 · MAT 7:4 · MAT 7:4 · MAT 7:5 · MAT 7:5 · MAT 9:29 · MAT 9:30 · MAT 13:15 · MAT 13:16 · MAT 17:8 · MAT 18:9 · MAT 18:9 · MAT 20:33 · MRK 8:18 · MRK 8:25 · MRK 9:47 · MRK 9:47 · LUK 2:30 · LUK 4:20 · LUK 6:20 · LUK 6:41 · LUK 6:41 · LUK 6:42 · LUK 6:42 · LUK 6:42 · LUK 6:42 · LUK 10:23 · LUK 11:34 · LUK 11:34 · LUK 16:23 · LUK 18:13 · LUK 24:16 · LUK 24:31 · JHN 4:35 · JHN 6:5 · JHN 9:6 · JHN 9:10 · JHN 9:11 · JHN 9:14 · JHN 9:15 · JHN 9:17 · JHN 9:21 · JHN 9:26 · JHN 9:30 · JHN 9:32 · JHN 10:21 · JHN 11:37 · JHN 11:41 · JHN 17:1 · ACT 9:8 · ACT 9:18 · ACT 9:40 · ROM 11:8 · ROM 11:10 · 1CO 2:9 · 1CO 15:52 · GAL 4:15 · 2PE 2:14 · 1JN 1:1 · 1JN 2:11 · REV 1:14 · REV 2:18 · REV 3:18 · REV 4:6 · REV 4:8 · REV 5:6 · REV 7:17 · REV 19:12 · REV 21:4
24.16 · Sensory Events and States · See
seeing, sight (a figurative extension of meaning of ὀφθαλμός[a] ‘eye,’ 8.23) the capacity to see
MAT 21:42 · MRK 12:11 · ACT 1:9 · 1CO 12:16 · 1CO 12:17 · 1CO 12:21 · GAL 3:1 · HEB 4:13 · 1PE 3:12 · 1JN 2:16 · REV 1:7
32.24 · Understand · Capacity for Understanding
to be able to understand, to come to perceive, understanding (a figurative extension of meaning of ὀφθαλμός[a] ‘eye,’ 8.23) capacity to understand as the result of perception In both LUK 19:42 and EPH 1:18 ὀφθαλμός designates a faculty of understanding and is not a reference merely to perception. In EPH 1:18 καρδία denotes the mind (see 26.3), so that the phrase ‘the eyes of the mind’ really means ‘the capacity for understanding which the mind has.’
LUK 19:42 · JHN 12:40 · ACT 26:18 · ACT 28:27 · ROM 3:18 · EPH 1:18
88.165 · Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior · Envy, Jealousy
Collocation: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός
jealous(y) (an idiom, literally: evil eye) a feeling of jealousy and resentment because of what someone else has or does It is also possible to understand ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός in MAT 20:15 as meaning ‘stinginess’ (see 57.108). See also 23.149.
57.108 · Possess, Transfer, Exchange · Give
Collocation: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός
stingy, miserly (an idiom, literally: evil eye) to be stingy It is also possible that ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός in MAT 20:15 is to be understood in the sense of ‘jealous’ (see 88.165). See also 23.149.
23.69 · Physiological Processes and States · Sleep, Waking
Collocation: ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ βεβαρημένοι · ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ καταβαρυνόμενοι
to have become very sleepy, to be very sleepy (idioms, literally: their eyes were weighed down) to become excessively or exceedingly sleepy In some languages the equivalent of ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ βεβαρημένοι (or καταβαρυνόμενοι) would be ‘they could no longer keep their eyes open’ or ‘they could not drive sleep away.’
27.50 · Learn · Be Willing To Learn
Collocation: καμμύω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς
to refuse to learn, to refuse to recognize (an idiom, literally: to close the eyes) to be unwilling to learn and to evaluate something fairly In a number of languages there is a problem involved in a literal rendering of ‘to close the eyes,’ since this may be understood in a strictly literal sense or as denoting death.
32.25 · Understand · Capacity for Understanding
Collocation: τυφλόω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς
to cause to not understand, to make unable to comprehend (an idiom, literally: to blind the eyes) to cause someone to no longer have the capacity for understanding Though in some languages there is a close relationship between the eyes and comprehension, in many languages it is simply impossible to use the idiom ‘to blind the eyes’ in speaking of ‘causing someone not to understand.’ The problem becomes particularly difficult in speaking of ‘darkness blinding the eyes’ as in 1JN 2:11. People can understand how ‘bright light would blind the eyes,’ but it would be strange indeed to think of ‘darkness’ having such an effect. In the context of 1JN 2:11, the darkness is, of course, not literal darkness but a state of sinfulness. Therefore, in some languages it may be necessary to translate ‘their sinfulness has made it impossible for them to understand’ or ‘because they sin, they cannot understand.’
1 1CO 12:17 It would, of course, be possible to interpret ὀφθαλμός in 1CO 12:17 as meaning simply ‘eye,’ and therefore one might translate ‘as if the whole body were an eye.’ But the following terms such as ἀκοή (24.53) and ὄσφρησις (24.71) indicate quite clearly that it is the sensory faculty or capacity which is involved.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ὀφθαλμός, -ov, ὁ, [fr. τ. dm to see; allied to ὄψις, ὄψομαι, etc.; Curtius § 627], Sept. for py, [fr. Hom. down], the eye: Mt. v. 38; Mk. ix.47; Lk. xi. 34; Jn. ix. 6; 1 Co. xii. 16; Rev. vii.17; xxi. 4, and often; pum) ὀφθαλμοῦ, 1 Co. xv. 52; of ὀφθαλμοί pov εἶδον (see the remark in γλῶσσα, 1), Lk. ii. 30; ef. iv. 20; x. 23; Mt. xiii. 16; 10Co.ii.9; Rev.i.7; [ἀνέβλεψαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί Mt. xx. 34 RG]; ἰδεῖν τοῖς ὀφθ., Mt. xiii. 15; Jn. xii. 40; Acts xxviii. 27; ὁρᾶν τοῖς ὀφθ. (see dpaw, 1), 1 Jn. i. 1; ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθ. desire excited by seeing, 1 Jn. ii. 16. Since the eye is the index of the mind, the foll. phrases have arisen: ὀφθ. σου πονηρός ἐστιν, i. 6. thou art envious, Mt. xx. 15; ὀφθ. πονηρός, envy, Mk. vii. 22 (yy yr, an envious man, Prov. xxiii. 6; xxviii. 22; cf. Sir. xxxiv. 13; JNA JPY Apr, thine eye is evil toward thy brother, i. e. thou enviest [grudgest] thy brother, Deut. xv. 9; ὀφθ. πονηρὸς φθονερὸς ἐπ᾽ ἄρτῳ, Sir. xiv. 10; μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθ. Tob. iv. 7; the opposite, ἀγαθὸς ὀφθαλμός, is used of a willing mind, Sir. xxxii. (xxxv.) 10, 12); on the other hand, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός in Mt. vi. 23 is a diseased, disordered eye, just as we say a bad eye, a had finger [see πονηρός, 2 a. (where Lk. xi. 34)]. κρατεῖν τοὺς 6p. τοῦ μή κτλ. [A. V. to hold the eyes i. 6.1 to prevent one from recognizing another, Lk. xxiv. 16; ὑπολαμβάνω τινὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθ. τινος, by receiving one to withdraw him from another's sight [A. V. received him out of their sight], Acts i. 9. Metaph. of the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing: ἐκρύβη ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθ. σου, hid from thine eyes, i.e. concealed from thee [ef. B. 320 (274) ], Lk. xix.42; διδόναι τινὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν, to cause one to be slow to understand, Ro. xi. 8 [ef. B. 267 (230)]; τυφλοῦν τοὺς ὀφθ. τινος, Jn. xii. 40; 1 Jn. ii. 11; σκοτίζονται of ὀφθ. Ro. xi. 10; πεφωτισμένοι opOarμοὶ τῆς διανοίας [cf. B. § 145, 6], Eph. i. 18 Rec.; τῆς καρδίας (as in Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 36, 2), ibid. GLT Tr WIL; ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τινος (73 .}}3 [ef. B. § 146, 1 fin.]}), in the judgment [ef. our view] of one, Mt. xxi. 42; Mk. xii. 11; οὐκ ἔστι τι ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθ. Twos, to neglect a thing (cf. our leave, put, out of sight), Ro. 111. 18; γυμνόν ἐστί τι τοῖς ὀφθ. τινος (see γυμνός, 2a.), Heb. iv. 13; of ὀφθ. τοῦ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους (sc. ἐπι- [or ἀπο-] βλέπουσιν, which is added in Ps. x. (xi.) 4), are (fixed) upon the righteous, i. 6. the Lord looks after, provides for them, 1 Pet. iii. 12. Other phrases in which ὀφθαλμός occurs may be found under ἀνοίγω p. 48°, ἁπλοῦς, διανοίγω 1, ἐξορύσσω 1, ἐπαίρω p. 228", καμμύω, μοιχαλίς a., προγράφω 2.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ὀφθαλμός ophthalmos 100x
an eye, Mt. 5:29, 38; 6:23; 7:3, 4, 5; ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, an evil eye, an envious eye, envy, Mt. 20:15; Mk. 7:22; met. the intellectual eye, Mt. 13:15; Mk. 8:18; Jn. 12:40; Acts 26:18
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ὀφθαλμός, -οῦ, ὁ,
[in LXX chiefly for עַיִן;]
the eye (as in cl., chiefly pl.): Mt 5:38, Mk 9:47, Lk 6:41, Jo 9:6, al.; τοὺς ὀ. ἐξορύθσσειν (fig.), Ga 4:15; ἐπᾶραι, Lk 6:20, Jo 6:5; ἀνοῖξα, Ac 9:40; id., of restoring sight, Mt 20:33, Jo 9:10, al.; ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ, I Co 15:52; by anthropom., of God, He 4:13, I Pe 3:12; pleonastically (cf. Thackeray, Gr., 42 f.), εἶδον οἱ ὀ. μου, Lk 2:30 (similarly, Lk 4:20 10:23, Jo 12:40, I Co 2:9, I Jo 1:1, Re 1:7). Metaph. (as otherwise in cl.; v. LS, s.v.); of ethical qualities: ὀ. πονηρός (meton., for envy; cf. Heb. עַיִן רַע, Pr 28:22; cf. Si 14:10 34:13), Mt 6:22, 23, Mk 7:22, Lk 11:34; ἁπλοῦς, Mt 6:22, Lk 11:34; ἐπιθυμία (q.v.) ὀφθαλμῶν (cf. Ec 4:8, Si 14:9), I Jo 2:16; ὀ. μεστοὶ μοιχαλἰδος, II Pe 2:14;
of mental vision: Mt 13:15, Mk 8:18, Lk 19:42, Jo 12:40, Ro 11:8, Ga 3:1, Eph 1:18, al.; ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς seq. gen. (on the absence of the art., v.Bl., § 46, 9n; M, Pr., 81), Mt 21:42, Mk 12:11.
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ὀφθαλμός is naturally common in personal descriptions, e.g. P Ryl II. 1594 5 (A.D. 31-2) οὐ(λὴ) ὑπ᾽ ὀφθίαλμὸν) δεξιόν, Ρ Leid λάμποντες ἐν ταῖς κόραις τῶν ἀνθρώπων, of a god's eyes. The phrase eto, domzine, ut eum ant<e> oculos habeas tanguam me, in a Latin letter of recommendation on papyrus, P Oxy I. 328 (ii/a.p.), may be paralleled from such passages as P Par 634 (B.c. 164) (=P Petr III. p. 22) avr ὀφθαλμῶν [θεμένου]ς, ‘keeping it before your eyes” (Mahaffy), P Tebt I. 2818 (c. B.c. 114) ὅπως Kal ot λοιποὶ προοφθάλμως λαβόντες τὴν] ἐσομένην ὑπὸ σοῦ μισοπόνηρον ἔπίστα[σιν, ‘in order that the rest may obtain a conspicuous illustration to show how you will suppress wrongdoing ’’ (Edd.), BGU II. 3627. 8 (A.D. 215) mpd ὀφθαλμῶν θέμενος [τ]ὰ κελευσθέντα ὑπὸ Αὐρηϊλίου] ᾿Ιταλικοῦ, and from the inscrr. Sy// 226 (= %495)!2° (c. B.c. 230) τὰ δεινὰ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ποιούμενος παρεκάλει πάντας τοὺς ἰσχύοντας βοηθῆσαι, OG/S 210° (A.D. 247-38) πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχουσι τὰ περὶ τούτου κελευσθέντα. There is no need, therefore, to scent a Hebraism in the expression, as Deissmann (LAE p- 184) points out. The phrase ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς occurs only in the later historical books of the LXX, and is not found in the NT: see Thackeray G7. i. p. 43. A fragmentary official letter, belonging to Ptolemaic times, published in P Par
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmos) — eye. ὀφθαλμός, ὁ, (ὄπωπ-α, ὀφ-θῆναι, see at {ὄψ} B) eye, used by [Refs 8th c.BC+] mostly in plural; ὀφθαλμοὶ δ᾽ ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν.. ἀτρέμας ἐν βλεφάροισι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the plural continued most common, but the dual also occurs, as in [Refs 5th c.BC+] before one's eyes, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν, ὁρᾶσθαι, etc.,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρᾶν, νοεῖν, to see before one's eyes,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔχειν ἐν ὀ. to have before one's eyes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ἐν ὀ. what is before one's eyes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὀ. δὴ γελοῖον what was ridiculous to the eye, [Refs]; ἐπίπροσθε τῶν ὀ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; γενέσθαι τινὶ ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν to get out of any one's sight, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγειν τινί to tell one to one's face, opposed to εἰς οὖς, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τυράννου κατ᾽ ὀ. κατηγορεῖν to accuse him to his face, [Refs 5th c.BC+], by eye, [Refs]; eyes were painted on the bows of vessels, βλοσυροῖς κατὰ πρῷραν ὀφθαλμοῖς οἷον βλέπει [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; whence the joke in [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. στέρησις ὀφθαλμῶν temporary loss of sight, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II. in singular, the eye of a master or ruler, πάντα ἰδὼν Διὸς ὀ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀκοίμητος ὀ., of God, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; so a king is called ὀ. οἴκων [Refs 4th c.BC+]; and in Persia ὀφθαλμὸς βασιλέως the king's eye was a confidential officer, through whom he beheld his kingdom and subjects, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; compare οὖς.
III. the eye of heaven, ἑσπέρας ὀ., νυκτὸς ὀ., of the moon, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also οὐράνιος ὀ., of the sun, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
IV. the dearest, best, as the eye is the most precious part of the body, hence of men, ὀ. Σικελίας, στρατιᾶς, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, light, cheer, comfort, μέγας [γ᾽] ὀ. οἱ πατρὸς τάφοι [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. eye or bud of a plant or tree, [Refs 7th c.BC+]
VI. a surgical bandage covering one or both eyes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
VII. Architecture texts, in dual, the disks forming the centres of the volutes of an Ionic capital, [Refs]