ophthalmos denotes the bodily organ of sight and, in figurative clauses, perception or moral orientation.

The term most often names physical eyes, whether seeing, being opened or blinded, lifted upward, or used in bodily comparisons. It also occurs in figurative statements about understanding, moral desire, or what is perceived, including the “eyes of your heart” and eyes closed against seeing.

1. Physical organs of sight · dominant

   The noun identifies bodily eyes in actions of seeing and impaired or restored sight. In John 9:11, the accusative plural form occurs where clay is applied and the man then receives sight; in Acts 9:8 and Acts 9:18, the genitive plural forms occur in the account of Saul being unable to see and then regaining sight. The same bodily reference appears in John 17:1, where Jesus lifts up his eyes, and in Matthew 5:38, where the APB renders the reciprocal injury clause “an eye for an eye.”

   John 9:11Acts 9:8Acts 9:18John 17:1Matthew 5:38Luke 6:41
2. Figurative capacity for perception · common

   Plural forms are used figuratively where seeing is paired with understanding, recognition, or turning. In Acts 26:18, the accusative plural occurs in the clause “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light”; in John 12:40, blinded eyes are set alongside a hardened heart and failure to understand. Ephesians 1:18 explicitly joins the accusative plural to “your heart,” with the APB rendering “the eyes of your heart enlightened.”

   Acts 26:18John 12:40Ephesians 1:18Luke 24:16Luke 24:31Acts 28:27
3. Eyes in evaluative or desire-laden expressions · occasional

   The noun occurs in expressions that describe a person's orientation or another's gaze rather than a simple act of seeing. In 1 John 2:16, the genitive plural stands in “the desire of the eyes”; in 2 Peter 2:14, the accusative plural occurs in the description “eyes full of an adulteress.” In 1 Peter 3:12 and Hebrews 4:13, plural forms are used for the Lord's eyes in clauses about the just and about all things being laid bare.

   1 John 2:162 Peter 2:141 Peter 3:12Hebrews 4:13Mark 7:22

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the noun with “eye” or “eyes” in bodily clauses, including sight, blindness, and healing. In figurative clauses it retains the same imagery in phrases such as “the eyes of your heart” and “the desire of the eyes”; These English expressions are read as renderings of their clauses rather than fixed equivalents.