This post was last updated on April 3, 2026

Day 9 (Year 2)

Thinking They Could See, Yet Actually Blind

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” (Genesis 3:7 NASB)

The word translated as “opened” is the Hebrew paqach, which was translated as “to be brightened” in the Chinese Union version. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened. This was the first consequence of “certain death,” of which they had been warned. Yet the interpretations of this verse are varied. They appeared to gain the ability to discern good and evil; however, the discernment from sin is fundamentally different from the discernment of God. When their eyes were opened, they did not merely see, but became naturally inclined to resonate with evil desires. It is suggested that this represents evil entering into their hearts through the devil, and the eyes attuned to resonate with evil were opened. Conversely, for sinners to be saved, we must change our mistaken desires and correct every false form of discernment in accordance with the Word of God.

Another interpretation holds that the opening of the eyes carries a spiritual meaning—that the divine glory surrounding them disappeared after they violated God’s command, causing them to see themselves as naked. As a result, bodily attraction, including sexual attraction, has come to exercise a powerful hold over many people. For the human body, when not understood and used in the light of God’s glorious presence, can easily become a tool for various sins. Their eyes being opened meant they saw everything and all dimensions of existence with the lens stripped of God’s glory, and were even drawn toward false segmentations.

I believe the two interpretations above are not in conflict. A further interpretation may also be added that the evil eyes opened had led them down the path toward death, while their spiritual eyes became blind. The power of death lies in its capacity to produce mistaken desires within a person, even causing them to love the things that lead to death, to follow the devil’s choices, to prize what the body gains, and to despise all that purely belongs to God. It becomes difficult for sinners to perceive His spiritual world, while it is all too easy to perceive the world of evil spirits with illusions. In short, those who disobey God’s commands blind their spiritual eyes with the opened evil eyes heading toward death.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you feel that some of your preferences or interests are mistaken in God’s eyes and urgently need to be corrected? If so, what would the steps of correction look like?

2) Are the eyes of your spirit in good condition? Do you long to see God and His spiritual world?