What does the Bible have to teach about the common belief in the power of the so-called evil eye? We might expect it to say something due to the pervasive feeling about magic in the Mediterranean area during that time period. For example, J.S. Wright says, “Magic abounds in Gk. mythology. Among those accredited with supernatural powers were the Telchines, smiths who lived on the island of Rhodes who had the evil eye and who bear a resemblance to the dwarfs and gnomes of north European mythology...The most renowned enchantress of antiquity was Medea who also had the evil eye...”
One of the anonymous scholars writing in The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery states, “Nowhere is [the] view of the magical power inherent in the observer's eye more evident than in the almost universal belief in the power of the evil eye. Some people, it was thought, could bring about calamity by casting a spell with 'an evil eye.' The expression of jealous sentiments or even compliments were viewed as harboring vengeful spirits that would subsequently destroy what had been admired. In accordance with this outlook, the phrase 'evil eye' in Scripture is usually rendered conceptually as 'jealousy.' The literal phrase 'Is thine eye evil because I am good?' (Mt 20:15 AV) becomes 'Do you begrudge my generosity?' (RSV).” In that manner, “Some magical phrases almost escape detection.”
Deuteronomy 15:9-10
Baker: “The [later] rabbis did not add significantly to the wide range of usage of the nom. forms of this root [ra'a = evil] already evident in the OT; in fact, they seemed to use it in all of its riches. Instead of the heart being grudging (Deut 15:10), a later idiom spoke of the illiberal eye. There also developed the idea of the evil eye, defined as bewitchment.”
“A potential creditor might be unwilling to make a loan to a poor man because of the proximity of the year of release [when all debts were forgiven]...The only way in which to avoid such a situation was to inculcate a generous attitude toward the man...” (Craigie)
Deuteronomy 28:54, 56
The King James Version renders these verses as, “His eye shall be evil toward his brother” and “her eye shall be evil toward the husband...” The context of these words involves a prophecy of a coming time of siege against the people of Israel in which food shall be so scarce that people will horde what little they have and not even share it with their closest relatives.
Isaiah 29:20
“Eyes picture the presence or absence of evil in a person...Isaiah refers to evil people as those with 'an eye for evil' (Isa 29:20).” (DBI) Obviously, this does not refer to some sort of magical curse, but just the evil tendencies of some people.
Proverbs 23:6
NRSV translates the meaning of this verse as, “Do not eat the bread of the stingy; do not desire their delicacies.”
Waltke: “A begrudging host (lit. 'evil eye' > 'stingy') is the opposite of the generous person (lit. 'good eye'; see 22:9; cf. Deut. 15:9; Sir. 14:10).”
Proverbs 28:22
“He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.” (KJV)
“The miser is in a hurry to get rich and does not know that loss is sure to come.” (NRSV)
This is another example of the difference between reading a literal rendering which is highly misleading and one in which the underlying idiom is translated so that its underlying meaning can be properly understood.
Matthew 5:29
Banwell states, “Mt. v. 29 preserves the Hebraic notion of the almost self-contained function of the organ [e.g. 'eyes'].” That verse reads, “And if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.” He notes that the phrase “an evil eye” occurs in Proverbs 27:6 and Matthew 6:23.
Matthew 6:23 // Luke 11:34
“In view of the recognized meaning of the 'bad eye' to denote selfish greed or meanness, it seems likely that this saying is meant to indicate that one indication of a person's spiritual health is their generosity or lack of it in the use of their material possessions.” (France)
Matthew 20:15
This verse occurs at the end of the Parable of the Vineyard Laborers. Again, compare the literal translation of the Greek words (“Or is the eye of you evil because I am good?”) with a modern rendering such as the Jerusalem Bible (“Why be envious because I am generous?”)
Acts 13:9
“Only in Acts 13:9 is the look directly incorporated in a context of cursing. It is not stated or implied, however, that anything like an evil eye is employed in the curse.” (Liefeld) The context of this verse involves Paul looking “intently” at the magician Elymas before bringing a curse of blindness upon him.
Galatians 3:1
Despite the above event, “The notion of the 'evil eye' that is common throughout most religious traditions is notably absent from the Bible (though Gal 3:1 may be a veiled reference).” [That verse reads “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”] Belief in the 'evil eye' was criticized by preachers in the early church.” (DBI)
I searched commentators on Galatians to see if anyone else related this verse to the “evil eye,” with the following results:
Stott feels that the primary meaning has to do with satanic activity. However, he adds, “It is possible that Paul is is making a further allusion to their having been bewitched. He seems to be asking how some sorcerer could have put them under the spell of the evil eye, when before their very eyes Christ has been portrayed as crucified.”
Guthrie says that “while we cannot suppose that the apostle had any acquaintance with contemporary magic, the word [i.e. bewitched] is vividly appropriate...He can only suggest somewhat ironically that they must be under some adverse magic.”
“One would think they had been charmed or bewitched. Naturally the apostle does not mean this in the literal sense.” (Ribberous)
“Baskaino (here only in the NT) means 'fascinate' (from the cognate Lat. fascino) or 'bewitch' (originally by means of the evil eye). The other meaning, 'envy' (cf. Deut. 28:56), is not relevant here. Translate: 'who has hypnotized you.' Their new behavior was so strange, so completely at odds with the liberating message which they had previously accepted, that it appeared as if someone had put a spell on them.” (Bruce)
Martyn states: “Paul believes that in order fully to identify the Teachers' seductive wiles he must reach into the vocabulary of magic, for these people are not only frightening the Galatians, they are also leading them astray by casting a spell over them. This is the only place in his letters at which Paul uses the verb baskaino, 'to bewitch,' 'to put the evil eye upon,' ...indicating that they are damaging the minds of the Galatians.”
Thus, we see that there is really not one of the above references which unambiguously states that there is such a magical thing as the “evil eye.”
Early Christian History
Bringing this quick review up to the post-biblical period, there is some interesting information found in a recent article in Biblical Archaeology Today by Megan Nutzman.“The church historian Eusebius wrote around 315 CE [i.e. AD] that Christians would 'not allow their sick even to do what is exceedingly common with non-Christians, to make use of charms written on leaves or amulets. Later in the fourth century John Chrysostom regularly admonished his congregation in Antioch against the use of amulets.” Such magical devices were hung around the neck and inscribed in various ways or contained appropriate OT passages to guard against harmful forces such as the evil eye. It is felt that these may have been worn in analogy to the phylacteries worn by practicing Jews, but in any case they were certainly frowned upon by early church leaders as smacking of superstitious beliefs.
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