A Case of the Evil Eye: Qohelet 4:4-8‪.‬

The evil eye--the belief that spiteful looks can damage one's health, fertility, or property--is common in many cultures even today. (1) It was prevalent throughout the ancient Near East (2) and is frequently mentioned in rabbinic literature. (3) There is no direct proof that the Israelites were concerned about the power of the evil eye in biblical times, but 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.). (4) 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." (5) 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). (6) 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 its strong and persistent hold in Mediterranean and Near Eastern societies, it would be odd indeed if this 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. I. TRACES OF THE EVIL EYE IN BIBLICAL LITERATURE