Evil Eye

2023-06-08

In the Bible, an evil eye is not magical powers and curses like the world would say. Let us look at what it means.

One definition is here: “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee” (Deuteronomy 15:9). An evil eye is to have evil thoughts toward another person to preserve your own goods. In this case, it is to not lend before the Sabbath year. This is grotesquely affirmed in Deuteronomy 28:53-57.

Of such a person, you would not want to receive food or anything else from him, since he loves his possessions. “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee” (Proverbs 23:6-7).

Such a person also will do anything to gain riches. “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22).

Our Lord implies the same thing in Matthew 6:19-24:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:19-24)

The Lord affirms this again with the story of the laborers hired throughout the day who all received a penny. The householder in the parable said to the laborers, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” (Matthew 20:15).

From here, we see that the evil eye is covetousness at the expense of another person.