<P> as well as in Zechariah 2: 8 </P> <P> For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye . </P> <P> The original Hebrew for this idiom, in all but Zechariah 2: 8, was' iyshown' ayin (אישון עין), and can be literally translated as "Little Man of the Eye ." This is a reference to the tiny reflection of yourself that you can see in other people's pupils . Other KJV translations of the word' iyshown include dark and obscure, as a reference to the darkness of the pupil . </P> <P> This Hebrew idiom is surprisingly close to the Latin version, pupilla, which means a little doll, and is a diminutive form of pupus, boy, or pupa, girl (the source also for our other sense of pupil to mean a schoolchild .) It was applied to the dark central portion of the eye within the iris because of the tiny image of oneself, like a puppet or marionette, that one can see when looking into another person's eye . In the Old Babylonian period (c. 1800 - 1600 BC) in ancient Mesopotamia, the expression "protective spirit of the eye" is attested, perhaps describing the same phenomenon . </P>

Where does the saying apple of my eye come from