AMULET
An object possessed or worn as a charm or for protection against sorcery or evil. Amulets of ancient times consisted of various articles, including beads, gems, ornaments, and parchments bearing inscriptions. At times the amulet was inscribed with a prayer or magical incantation. The superstitious possessor thought that the amulet would guard him against such things as accidents, illness and the demons. While amulets were not always worn on one’s person, they were usually pierced and hung around the neck.
Faithful Hebrews and Christians did not use amulets. However, it appears that the unfaithful and haughty “daughters of Zion” wore certain objects not only as ornaments but as amulets. Among their appurtenances were “moon-shaped ornaments,” which may have been amulets of inverted crescent shape and were possibly symbols of the goddess Astarte. (Isa. 3:18) The moon-shaped ornaments possessed by the Midianites had been of similar form. Some of them were hung on the necks of their camels, possibly with the thought of increasing their fertility. (Judg. 8:21, 26) The “daughters of Zion” also wore “headbands,” or, more literally, “little suns.” Their moonshaped ornaments and “little suns” may have been similar to the lunar crescents and solar discs found at Ras Shamra and were possibly linked with the worship of a fertility goddess.
“Ornamental humming shells,” or charms, were also possessed by the “daughters of Zion.” (Isa. 3:20) While these ornaments are not described in the Scriptures, the Hebrew word used to designate them (lehha·shimʹ) is from a root meaning “to whisper, to pronounce an incantation.” Whether they were worn as earrings or on a necklace is not known.—See CHARM.
While faithful Hebrews did not use amulets, surrounding nations did, and amulets of various kinds have been discovered in Palestine. Most of these are of Egyptian type, some being statuettes of Egyptian deities such as Osiris and Isis, emblems such as the Eye of Horus, the ankh (Egyptian symbol of life) or animals such as cats. However, small models of human arms and legs have also been discovered, and these may have been used with the thought of obtaining cures. Some of such amulets were found at Megiddo.
Egyptian amulets were often made in the form of creatures associated with various false deities; they consisted of miniature bulls, crocodiles, dogs, falcons, jackals, hippopotamuses, and so forth. For instance, the goddess Bast was represented by the cat, the god Anubis by the jackal, and the emblem of Horus was the falcon’s head. When the scarab beetle became sacred in Egypt, Egyptian jewelers fashioned many of them out of semiprecious stones and other materials. Sometimes the cartouche of a pharaoh (a figure containing the characters of his name) appeared on the fiat side of such an ornament. Fashioned scarabs were frequently mounted in seal rings, some of these being swivel rings. Of the thirteen bracelets found on the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, eight are amulets, with the Eye of Horus on five and the scarab (denoting protection by Isis and Ra) on three of them. Scarab amulets inscribed with the name of a pharaoh or a god were thought to bring good luck or protection and were very common. The Egyptians wore certain amulets for protection against the “evil eye,” as did the Greeks and Romans. The most common amulet the Romans used for this purpose apparently was the phallus, hung around children’s necks to protect them.
In later periods of Jewish history, the mezuzah came to be viewed as a protective amulet. Superstitious Jews at times also hung amulets around the necks of sick persons, hoping for cures. Some of these consisted of pieces of parchment on which words or names (often the Tetragrammaton) thought to have magical power were written. Very common was the hexagonal cabalistic figure (a six-pointed star) called “the shield of David” and “the seal of Solomon.”
Jesus Christ said that the scribes and Pharisees “broaden the scripture-containing cases that they wear as safeguards.” (Matt. 23:1, 2, 5) Christ thus referred to phylacteries worn on the forehead or the arm, not only for showy display to gain esteem among the people, but evidently as amulets that would ‘safeguard’ the wearer against evil influences and demons.—See SCRIPTURE-CONTAINING CASE.
The effectiveness of many amulets of ancient times was thought to depend upon their construction under particular astronomical conditions, and chief among their uses was that of supposedly averting bad luck. However, the Scriptures condemn astrology (see ASTROLOGERS) and do not approve of trusting in luck. (Isa. 65:11) While the Bible does not specifically say that the “earrings” Jacob disposed of along with the “foreign gods” under the big tree close by Shechem were amulets taken from the Shechemites, as some have suggested, that is possible. At any rate, they were put away and the incident certainly indicates they were undesirable. (Gen. 35:4) Nor do the injunctions of Proverbs (3:3; 6:21; 7:3) or the words of Exodus 13:9, 16 recommend the use of phylacteries or amulets containing inscriptions, as is obvious from the very wording of these texts. The Scriptures condemn the placing of trust in amulets and charms, the casting of spells and all occult practices.—Deut. 18:9-13; Isa. 3:1-3; 47:8-15.