pa.qach denotes opening eyes for sight, perception, or directed attention, and in one passage concerns opened ears.

The dominant usage concerns eyes being opened so that someone sees, whether a well, a surrounding scene, blindness being reversed, or a newly perceived condition. Other passages use open eyes in appeals for God to see or in descriptions of watchful attention; Isaiah 42:20 extends the wording to ears.

1. Opening eyes for sight or perception · dominant

   Qal imperatives and narrative forms occur where eyes are opened so that seeing follows: in Genesis 21:19 the APB renders that God opened her eyes and she saw a well, and in 2 Kings 6:17 it renders the request to open the young man's eyes followed by his seeing the hills around Elisha. Niphal forms in Genesis 3:7 and Isaiah 35:5 describe eyes being opened, respectively followed by awareness of nakedness and applied to the blind.

   Genesis 21:19Genesis 3:72 Kings 6:172 Kings 6:202 Kings 4:35Isaiah 35:5
2. Opening eyes toward a matter · common

   Several Qal imperatives ask God to open his eyes and see: 2 Kings 19:16 joins this request to hearing Sennacherib's words, while Daniel 9:18 joins it to seeing the desolations and the city. Jeremiah 32:19 describes eyes as open to all human ways, and Zechariah 12:4 has a first-person imperfect in the declaration that God will open his eyes upon the house of Judah.

   2 Kings 19:16Daniel 9:18Isaiah 37:17Jeremiah 32:19Zechariah 12:4Job 14:3
3. Opening ears · rare

   In Isaiah 42:20, a Qal infinitive absolute occurs in the clause that the APB renders, “though ears are opened, he does not hear.” The verse applies the opening language to ears rather than eyes.

   Isaiah 42:20

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term in clauses as “open” or “opened” with eyes, especially where seeing follows. It also renders the surrounding clauses with “set your eyes” in Job 14:3 and “ears are opened” in Isaiah 42:20.