It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of God watching over humankind (or divine providence). In the modern era, the most notable depiction of the eye is the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the United States one-dollar bill.

Imagery of an all-seeing eye can be traced back to Egyptian mythology and the Eye of Horus. Buddhist texts like the Mahaparinibbana Sutta also refer to Buddha as the "Eye of the World" (although no imagery is used). It is frequently used to depict the image of God in Caodaism.

In Medieval and Renaissance European iconography, the Eye (often with the addition of an enclosing triangle) was an explicit image of the Christian Trinity. Seventeenth-century depictions of the Eye of Providence sometimes show it surrounded by clouds or sunbursts.