Go to Related Reading
About this book

KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

About this book

Incantation against the Evil Eye

KTU 1.96

The eye goes and […]
It sees its brother, how fair its brother is […]⁠
how handsome. It devours his flesh⁠
without a sword, it drinks his blood
without a cup. It turns back the eye
of the sorcerer, the eye of the sorceress, it turns back
the eye of the warrior, the eye of the assembly,
the eye of the gatekeeper. The eye of the gatekeeper
to the gatekeeper let it return. The eye of the assembly
to the assembly let it return. The eye of the warrior
to the warrior let it return. The eye of the sorcerer
to the sorcerer let it return. The eye of the [sorceress]
to the sorceress let it [return] […]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.96:2 and Deuteronomy 15:9

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

Deuteronomy uses the evil-eye language known at Ugarit for refusing aid to the poor, making selfishness toward a neighbor a danger within the community.

Passages

KTU 1.96:2

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
The eye goes and […] It sees its brother, how fair its brother is […] how handsome. It devours his flesh without a sword, it drinks his blood without a cup. It turns back the eye of the sorcerer, the eye of the sorceress, it turns back the eye of the warrior, the eye of the assembly, the eye of the gatekeeper. The eye of the gatekeeper to the gatekeeper let it return. The eye of the assembly to the assembly let it return. The eye of the warrior to the warrior let it return. The eye of the sorcerer to the sorcerer let it return. The eye of the [sorceress] to the sorceress let it [return] […]
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Deuteronomy 15:9

Hebrew Bible
7 If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition. 8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite and you do not lend him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be regarded as having sinned. 10 You must by all means lend to him and not be upset by doing it, for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

References

“... The “Eye” of line one (‘nn) stands as a synecdoche for the entire Evil-Eyed person, as lines 2–12 make clear. This same pars pro toto usage appears in other Mesopotamian incantations and also in later biblical Evil Eye texts as well (Prov 23:6 [HT]; Sir 14:10). The Evil Eye/Evil-Eyed person can strike not only external enemies but also a “brother,” a member of one’s own social group. This is a theme also found in Greek and Roman sources and numerous biblical Evil Eye texts (Deut 15:7–11; 28:54–57; Sir 14:8; Tob 4:5–19; Matt 6:22–23/Luke 11:34–35; Matt 20:1–15). The “loveliness” of the brother is thought to attract the attention of the Evil Eye (lines 2–3). This notion that beauty and handsomeness arouse an Evil Eye remains for centuries a regular feature of the Evil Eye belief complex. The damage caused by the Evil Eye here is gruesome: the devouring of a neighbor’s flesh and blood. Deuteronomy 28:54–57 presents an equally gruesome biblical scenario involving the devouring of placenta by the Evil-Eyed husband and Evil-Eyed wife. ...”
John Hall Elliott, Beware the Evil Eye: The Evil Eye in the Bible and the Ancient World, Volume 1: Introduction, Mesopotamia, and Egypt (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2015), PDF 84.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

KTU 1.96:2 and Deuteronomy 15:9

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library