An Evil Eye

Robert Wurtz II

 

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. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. (Proverbs 23:6-8 KJV)

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. (Proverbs 28:22)

 

An Evil Eye (An Introduction)

 

In this article, we examine the biblical concept of an evil eye and how it relates to discerning darkness in people. Jesus said that if a person’s eye is evil, their whole body is filled with great darkness (Matthew 6:23). As we will discover, darkness is what people love when their deeds are evil (John 3:1-10). It is evidence that God is not there. In the churches of God, we must know when a person is filled with this great darkness that Jesus spoke of, especially leaders. We must identify these people and mark them as dangerous. 

 

To understand an evil eye, we must also explore related concepts such as darkness, light, greed, begrudging, and others. We must understand the idiom itself. A Hebrew idiom is a phrase or expression in the Hebrew language that conveys a meaning different from the literal interpretation of its individual words.

 

Idioms, proverbs, and phrases are like rivers; sometimes it can be challenging to discover the source. For example, nobody knows the origin of the term “money laundering”, but it is thought to have originated during the 1920s and 1930s when gangsters such as Al Capone took illicit cash from their criminal enterprises and mixed it with regular high cash flow businesses such as restaurants and laundromats. In other words, they washed their dirty money in the machines of legitimate business, and it came out clean on the other end. The catchphrase “follow the money ” is hard to trace as well. Some suggest it was coined during the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon. It was supposed that fraudulent election practices cost money; so if you want to discover who was involved in the activity, you must follow the money. 

 

An Evil Eye in Proverbs

 

In Proverbs 23:6-7, the term “evil eye” is associated with a person who begrudges or envies others, especially regarding their food or generosity. The verses warn against eating the bread of someone who has an evil eye, because they pretend to be generous, but resent the fact that they are compelled, by the expectations of others or culture, to give or share what they have. As Proverbs states, “He says, ‘eat and drink’ but his heart is not with thee.” The darkness within requires something in return for what he’s giving you. Therefore, you will “vomit up” what you have eaten when you discover that they fed you not out of kindness, but to bring you into their debt.

 

Yet the idiom is not limited to food. In the New Testament, it’s used of wages (Matthew 20:1-16), miracles (Mark 15:10), and general giving (2 Corinthians 9:7). This is the opposite attitude of giving sincerely and expecting nothing in return. People with an evil eye prey upon the innocence of people who believe the person is generous. They are not. They expect something in return for what the recipient thinks is generosity. Their duplicity is like someone who sees double. They are trying to serve God and Mammon at the same time (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13).

 

The Expectations of Persons with an Evil Eye

 

A person with a single eye (apholos) does things without an ulterior motive (Matthew 6:22, see endnote). A person with an evil eye operates on a transactional mindset, only giving when there is a clear future benefit to themselves. They say eat, but their heart is not with you, it’s with their own selfish purposes. They tend to hold favors or gifts over others’ heads, using any assistance as leverage rather than genuine generosity. This ungodly attitude mirrors the dynamics portrayed in Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather,” where acts of service are couched in expectation. The caporegime (mafia boss) may offer help or resources, but these gestures come with the implicit understanding that a return favor will be required in the future on demand. You really owe no gratitude for fare so grudgingly bestowed. (EBC) 

 

Such children of darkness view every interaction as an investment, always anticipating a payoff, thereby undermining true altruism and fostering a culture of manipulation and indebtedness. They may never say it, but their heart is not with you (Proverbs 23:6-8). In the churches, the children of light move in single-eyed devotion to God untainted by greed and ambition. Love is without dissimulation and giving is done cheerfully, not grudgingly, and expects nothing in return (2 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 6:35).

 

The Sorrow of Greed

 

Paul said that some have strayed from the faith in their greed and have pierced themselves with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10). The greatest of these sorrows will be Hell itself. The rich man discovered this too late when he was tormented (plural) in Hell, while Lazarus was comforted in Abraham’s bosom. (Luke 16:23) 

 

Many in the first century, and even more today, have what the Israelites called an evil eye, which Jesus said proceeds from the heart (Mark 7:20-22). This is one “idiom” whose source we know. We learn of this dreadful concept when Moses wrote, “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye be evil against your needy brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you.” (Deuteronomy 15:9) 

 

Before the year of release, greedy people refused to lend money. Why? Because they knew the year of release was coming, and they would have to forgive the debt and thereby forgo their “investment.” These wicked people would deny a person in need. What happened? The needy called upon the Lord, who will run to their cry. Nevertheless, these stingy-greedy people likely ended up with the same fate as the rich man who had an “evil eye” towards Lazarus. It is a great sin to accumulate wealth and refuse to freely give to others in need. It is a greater sin to give with the design of bringing the recipient into your debt or to secure a “favor” down the road. The single eye gives and says, “I love you” the evil eye says “you owe me.”

 

Darkness and an “Evil Eye”

 

The light of the body is the eye: therefore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. (Luke 11:34 KJV)

 

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! (Matthew 6:23 KJV)

 

To build on what we’ve learned so far, in Jewish idiom having a good eye or single eye, an ‘ayin tovah, means “being generous,” and “having a bad eye,” an ‘ayin ra’ah, means “being stingy.” (See endnotes)

 

Modern scholars are just now rediscovering some critical “missing links” in New Testament exegesis. For years, there has been little teaching or understanding of the most basic concept of “light” and “darkness.” Often, these terms are so misunderstood that they are discussed in the abstract or not at all. Sometimes Bible teachers will shy away from the topic because of what some falsely assume are Gnostic (dualism) implications. However, a close examination of key New Testament texts sheds much light on this subject. 

 

Darkness and Light

 

It is beyond the scope of this entry to cover all the facets of darkness and light. However, understanding the relationship between generosity and light and stinginess and darkness is where we are focused. Our texts in Luke 11:34 and Mark 6:23 are front and center. We can deduce from what we learn in Deut. 15:9 and Luke 11:34 that a stingy person is full of darkness within and that a generous person is full of light within. A greedy person is not generous. His attitude is, “Tear down my barns and build bigger ones,” or as the world says, “If you can’t make a dime, make a nickel.” They must get SOMETHING in return for their “kindness.”

 

A wise person once said, “When we are blessed with more than we need, it is not the time to add to our bank balance, but to add another seat at our table.” This is how we build accounts in heaven where moth and rust cannot corrupt, and thieves cannot break in and steal. 

 

Stinginess, Hatred, and the Satanic

 

Experience and scripture have shown me that anyone who separates business from their Christian life cometh of evil. They willingly move in double vision that tries to serve God and something else at once. Moreover, anyone who believes that gain is godliness must be avoided (1 Timothy 6:5 NKJV). In other words, they think God is pleased by how much money we accumulate. These attitudes use words like stewardship and accountability as cloaks for greed and stinginess. Greed is linked to hatred, and hatred is also associated with darkness in John’s writings. 

 

Begrudging… a Sign of Satan

 

There are few emotions in the human experience worse than when we feel someone is begrudging what they gave us, or when someone else is giving us something begrudgingly. The man who received the wages for working only a few hours felt this emotion when others, with an evil eye, complained (Matthew 20:15). Jesus himself felt this emotion when Judas begrudged the offering of ointment that the woman did for His burial (John 12:6). I know from experience the depths of grief this emotion brings. The food in your mouth, the clothes on your back, the roof over your head, all begrudged by a devilish, begrudging spirit.

 

I am incredibly triggered when I sense it and am very sensitive to it. It makes a person feel completely hated and unwanted, unlike anything else. You’re in a position (especially as a child or a needy person) where you can’t provide for yourself, and you are made to feel this way. God would never do that. It is Satanic. Proverbs expresses it well when it says you want to vomit up the food you ate or spit it out of your mouth when you realize it was begrudged (Proverbs 23:8).

 

Darkness that Blinds

 

Moreover, we read, But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:11 KJV) You will recall that Jesus used strong phrases such as…”Ye fools and blind.” Consider the context: 

 

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? (Matthew 23:17–19 KJV) 

 

To the fools and spiritually blind, the valuable thing was the gift or “the money.” Judas begrudged the offering of the ointment not because he cared for the needy, but because he was a thief (John 12:6). He was a devil, had an evil eye and Jesus knew it at the time. He tried to sound spiritual by saying, “it could be sold and given to the needy,” but eventually the Spirit revealed to all of us that he was a devil (John 6:70). Giving freely is a waste to devils. They will give, but they are always expecting something in return.

 

No Basic Discernment

 

If the disciples had been listening to what Jesus taught, they would’ve had the basic knowledge to have discerned that Judas was full of darkness. Keep that clear in your mind. We can see that Judas was blind because he walked in greediness (an evil eye). He was thinking in terms of sales. If a person sells things, this is fair play, but always be leery of people who never give they only sell. Yet, why did Jesus call them blind and a fool? 

 

We have a pointed definition of “fool” from the story of Nabal and David. Here was a man so greedy that he refused to give David and his men some rations, even though he was rich, and they had been guarding his farm voluntarily and without compensation. They just wanted something to eat. Nabal is the Hebrew word for “fool,” meaning “to wilt.” Why do plants wilt? Darkness is a primary cause. In Nabal’s case, his “evil eye” filled his entire being with darkness… and great was that darkness! If it had not been for his wife, Abigail, the man would have literally pierced himself through with many sorrows. David committed the situation to God, and the Lord smote the man dead. Stinginess is an affront on the very character of God, and greed is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5)

 

Fairness or Generosity

 

But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? (Matthew 20:13–15 KJV)

 

Sometimes punctuation obscures a passage. It probably should read, “Is thine eye evil? Because I am good!” This passage makes no sense if we miss the fact that an evil eye means a stingy person. In fact, it seems clear that the man begrudged the needy worker the extra money he had charitably given. He was not thinking in terms of Jesus being generous; he figured that he should receive more because the man who worked only a short time received the same pay.

 

However, it was not about the man who worked all day deserving more. He received a day’s wage. That was the agreement. It was about Jesus being generous to the man in need. Generosity is a form of grace. We don’t deserve it! Satan comes in and begrudges grace. He hates grace. He is a trafficker who only thinks in terms of what he can get from a person (Ezekiel 27:12).

 

Jesus is the type of employer who would go above and beyond to help His employees in need. This is generosity and grace. Notice what He asked the man: “Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” The man was so stingy that he tried to control the stewardship of the Lord’s resources. As is often the case today, an evil eye masquerades as stewardship. Withholding things in the name of spirituality that should be being distributed for God’s glory is a great evil. It is a cruel farce. 

 

Conclusion

 

 

The concept of “an evil eye” represents a deep-seated darkness and greed within individuals who begrudge the blessings and generosity they bestow upon people or that others receive. This attitude is characterized by greed and a transactional mindset, where gifts are given and actions are taken only when there is a clear benefit to oneself. Those with an evil eye may appear generous, but their true motives are rooted in resentment, as they give reluctantly and often hold favors over others’ heads. This begrudging spirit is fundamentally opposed to love, fostering manipulation rather than genuine care for those in need.

 

Such behavior is not only detrimental to the churches but is also a direct affront to the principles of a loving and giving God. When individuals prioritize their own gain, harbor jealousy towards others’ prosperity, or use their giving to manipulate others to do their sordid will, they embody a darkness that blinds them to the true essence of Christianity. This outlook mirrors the dynamics of exploitation, where kindness is conditional and favors come with strings attached. As a result, they create a culture of indebtedness and manipulation, undermining the very foundation of altruism that reflects God’s character. Such people would be more at home in the mafia than in the ministry. 

 

Ultimately, an evil eye signifies a spiritual blindness that separates individuals from the light of divine love. Embracing a spirit of generosity is crucial, as it aligns with the nature of God and fosters meaningful relationships that reflect His love and grace.

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IMPORTANT TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

The concepts (in Hebrew Idiom) of “evil eye” and “single eye” were NOT unknown to the Greek scholars of the 19th and 20th Century.   

The “evil” eye (poneœros) may be diseased and is used of stinginess in the LXX and so haplous (single) may refer to liberality as Hatch argues (Essays in Biblical Greek, p. 80-81).  (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament) 

Essays in Biblical Greek, Edwin Hatch M.A., D.D., Oxford University Press, 1889, is available for download in PDF form for no charge at archive.org. This commentary sheds much light on the concept of “evil eye” and “single eye” beyond the standard Jewish sources.

See also Tew Testament critical commentary by Dale C. Allison, “Matthew: A Shorter Commentary”, P.99-100

The Expositors Greek Testament (Volume I), W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., L.L.D., Alexander Balmain Bruce D.D., Eerdmans, P. 124

The Gospel According to Matthew, F.W. Beare, Harper and Row, 1981, P.182-183

The IVP Background Commentary: New Testament, Craig S. Keener, Intervarsity Press, 1993., P. 63

The Expositors Bible Commentary (Volume 8), Frank E. Gaebelein, D.A. Carson, Zondervan, 1984, P. 178

The Interpretation of St. Matthews Gospel, R.C.H. Lenski, Augsburg Publishing House, 1943, P. 277-278 

MESSIANIC JEWISH/HEBREW SOURCES:

Brad H. Young, Jesus, The Jewish Theologian, P. 140

Roy Blizzard. Jr., Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, P. 15

David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, P. 30-36

ἁπλοῦς.

In addition to the original meaning a. “simple”: LXX, Wis. 16:27; Philo Congr., 36, there is a whole series of derived meanings: b. “open,” “without ulterior motive”: hence the adv. ἁπλῶς, “unambiguously,” “wholeheartedly”: M. Ant., V, 7, 2: εὔχεσθαι . . . ἁπλῶς καὶ ἐλευθέρως cf. III, 6, 6; X, 8, 5; XI, 5, 6; then in addition to these more positive senses, the more intellectual c. “simple” in the negative sense: Isoc., 2, 46: ἁπλοῦς ἡγοῦνται τοὺς νοῦν οὐκ ἔχοντας. The verb ἁπλόω, common only after the imperial period, thus means to “make simple,’. i.e., “to expound” (Lucillius, Ant. Pal., XI, 107), but then comes to signify amongst other things “to disseminate” (Dg., 11, 5: δἰ οὗ πλουτίζεται ἡ ἐκκλησία καὶ χάρις ἁπλουμένη ἐν ἁγίοις πληθύνεται. (TDNT)

 

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