Jerome : Verse 18. "For Thine own sake, O my God, incline Thine ear and hear; open Thine eyes and behold our desolation..." This appeal is couched in anthropomorphic language (anthropopathos), with the implication that whenever our prayers are heard, God seems to incline His ear; and whenever God deigns to have regard to us, He appears to open His eyes; but whenever He turns His face away, we appear to be unworthy of attention either from His eyes or His ears. — St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER NINE