Bible study (Zech 2:8)

Very interesting reading! taken from Israel Today:
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How many times have you heard it said, “Whoever touches Israel touches the apple of God’s eye?” This oft-repeated quote is based on Zechariah 2:8: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.’”

Because many English translations write “His” with a capital letter, the logical conclusion is that the reference is to God’s eye. But in the original Hebrew, two legitimate possibilities exist. The Stone edition of the Tenach (Old Testament) translates the second part of the verse as follows: “…for whoever touches you touches the pupil of his own eye.” Equally accurate, this translation opens the door to a whole different understanding of this Scripture.

In their Biblical commentaries, Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch and Professor Arnold B. Ehrlich believe that rather than referring to God’s eye, the “eye that has been touched” (Hebrew, aino) belongs to the one doing the touching (hanoge’ah).

Understood in this context, the one touching [harming] Israel damages his own eye so at the very least, he can no longer see clearly. His perception has diminished, physically, mentally and theologically. And if the damage is severe, he may have even blinded himself so he can no longer distinguish truth from non-truth.

The implications can be far-reaching, distorting his ability to think clearly, impairing his discernment and even undermining the righteous foundation of his own life. This applies particularly to those who want to proclaim the truth to others. They become the blind leading the blind.