This saying expresses the idea, common in other sayings in the Eastern Mediterranean region, that nothing on earth escapes the observation of the watchful eyes of the Lord.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place”: “The eyes of the Lord” is not to be understood as referring to eyes separate from the Lord, but rather as the watchful presence of God; we may express this as “The Lord is everywhere” or “The Lord sees everywhere.”

“Keeping watch on the evil and the good”: This line does not contrast with line 1 but rather extends and completes it. “Keeping watch” means that he is “observing,” “keeping an eye on.” In some languages this is best expressed as “spying on.” “The evil and the good” are not only abstract qualities but also, and mainly, people who behave in those ways. Therefore we may need to translate, for example, “Keeping his eyes on those who do bad deeds as well as those who do good deeds,” or simply “He sees good people and bad people too.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .