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 Proverbs 23:6

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

Summary

Proverbs 23 shares an Ugaritic incantation's fear of the evil eye, where the eye devours even a brother's flesh and blood, warning that a stingy host's invitation can hide hostility.

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

Proverbs 23:6

Hebrew Bible

5 When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for themselves and fly off into the sky like an eagle! 6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person, do not crave his delicacies; 7 for he is like someone who has calculated the cost in his mind. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you; 8 you will vomit up the little bit you have eaten and will have wasted your pleasant words. 9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words. 10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or take over the fields of the fatherless, 11 for their Protector is strong; he will plead their case against you. 12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Proverbs

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.

Incantation against the Evil Eye

KTU347 chapters

Compare KTU 1.96:2 and Proverbs 23:6

Summary

Passages

KTU 1.96:2

Proverbs 23:6

References

Your feedback

Leave a comment

Glossary

Search the Library