Evil Eye

The evil eye-the belief that spiteful looks can damage one's health, fertility, or property-is common in many cultures even today. It was prevalent throughout the ancient Near East and is frequendy mentioned in rabbinic literature. While it is often repeated that there is no direct proof that the Israelites were concerned about the power of the evil eye in biblical times, there can be no doubt they too sought means to defend themselves against all kinds of threatening evil powers. Two silver amulets found in a burial cave in Ketef Hinnom in Jerusalem attest to the apotropaic function of the blessing of the priests (Num 6:24-26) in Judah at the end of the First Temple period (ca. sixth century B.C.E.). According to the preamble to the blessing, the amulets protected their owners against "the Evil" qualified by the definite article: "May he [or she] be blessed by God, the rescuer and the rebuker of the Evil." (Compare "the Evil" in the Sermon on the Mount!). Later, the midrash explicitly connects the apotropaic character of the priestly blessing with the evil eye: "When Israel made the Tabernacle the Holy One, blessed be He, He gave them the blessing first, in order that no evil eye might affect them. Accordingly it is written: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee' (Num 6:24), namely, from the evil eye" (Num. Rab. 12.4; Pesiq. Rab. 5). Given the evidence for the existence of the belief in the evil eye in the surrounding cultures, the acknowledgment of it in rabbinic sources and perhaps the New Testament, and its strong and persistent hold in Mediterranean and Near Eastern societies, it would be odd indeed if it were not an integral part of the worldview of the ancient Israelites in biblical times, one of various forms of magical powers to be reckoned with.

If your eye is X (haplous), you will be full of light If your eye is evil (ponerous), how great the darkness Evil eye - looking at someone in envy, jealousy, miserliness, i.e. the desire to TAKE. This is an extremely powerful influence in every society. Who would not want protection? Hebrew, Greek and English societies all have this. but apparently only the Hebrew language has the opposite - GOOD eye - looking at someone with the desire to GIVE. What Jesus is saying is so simple and so basic. If you are looking at others in terms of what you can give them (GENEROSITY), you are walking in God's ways. If you look in terms of what you can take (GREED), you are not. Just look at the references to eyes in the OT Proverbs "He who has the eye of goodness is he who shares his bread with the poor." Even in modern Hebrew the idiom of having a "good eye" is said about someone who is generous.

I have a new question, closely related to this of 9 years ago. That is: why do translators not translate ra ayin, evil eye, 'literally' in passaged like Proverbs 23:6, Proverbs 28:22, and others? I seem to come across many instances where mention of ayin (eye) is not translated, but instead one gets terms like envy being used. It's as if translators (including of the septuagint?) wanted to undo evil eye beliefs? Yet, if evil eye is a local problem, then the Bible addressing it directly could be very helpful. (I am drawing on the book Death by Envy, by Aquaro (2004), quite a fascinating read.)