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Genesis 34

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Dinah is Defiled by Shechem 1–4

1
And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. ​
2
And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. ​
3
And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. ​
4
And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

The Marriage Negotiation Begins 5–12

5
Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came. ​
6
And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7
And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done. ​
8
And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you, give her unto him to wife.
9
And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
10
And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
11
And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find favor in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. ​
12
Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

The Sons' Deceitful Demand 13–17

13
And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spake, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, ​
14
and said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us. ​
15
Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised;
16
then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17
But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

Shechem’s City Agrees to Circumcision 18–24

18
And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
19
And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was honored above all the house of his father. ​
20
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
21
These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22
Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23
Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. ​
24
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

Vengeance and Plunder 25–29

25
And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unawares, and slew all the males. ​
26
And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went forth.
27
The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. ​
28
They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field;
29
and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and made a prey, even all that was in the house.

Jacob’s Rebuke and the Response 30–31

30
And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. ​
31
And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot? ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 34

Verse 1

the daughters of the land — Dinah is identified by her mother, 'the daughter of Leah', who named her at her birth (30:21). 'The daughters of the land' recalls Rebekah's 'daughters of Heth… daughters of the land' (27:46) and Isaac's charge not to take a wife 'of the daughters of Canaan' (28:1). The verse states her going out and no more.

Verse 2

defiled her — Two Hebrew verbs are rendered 'defiled'. Here it is 'anah, 'to humble', the verb of Deut 22:29 for a woman 'humbled' by a man; in vv.5, 13 and 27 it is tame', to make unclean. Shechem is 'the Hivite, prince of the country', son of Hamor.

Verse 3

spake kindly — Literally 'spake to the heart' (leb), the idiom of Joseph comforting his brothers (50:21). 'Clave' (dabaq) is the verb of 2:24, 'shall cleave unto his wife'. The verse follows the act of v.2, and his request in v.4 is 'Get me this damsel to wife'.

Verse 5

held his peace — Charash, to be silent. Jacob's first spoken word in the chapter comes in v.30, after the killing, and concerns what it will cost himself and his house. His judgment on the deed is given at the end of his life (49:5–7).

Verse 7

wrought folly in Israel — 'Folly' is nebalah; 'Israel' here is Jacob's house, bearing the name given at Peniel (32:28). The phrase returns in Deut 22:21, Josh 7:15 and Judg 20:6, 10, and 'no such thing ought to be done in Israel' is Tamar's plea in 2 Sam 13:12. The men were 'grieved' ('atsab) and 'wroth' (charah).

Verse 11

Let me find grace in your eyes — The phrase is Jacob's own to Esau (33:8, 10, 15; chen). In v.12 the offer is 'dowry' (mohar) 'and gift', 'never so much'. The law later fixed the sum for a virgin not betrothed: 'fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife' (Deut 22:29; cf. Ex 22:16–17).

Verse 13

deceitfully — Mirmah, deceit, the word of Isaac's verdict on Jacob: 'Thy brother came with subtilty' (27:35). In Genesis it stands only there and here. The sons answer 'deceitfully' and give the reason, 'because he had defiled Dinah their sister' (tame', as in v.5).

Verse 14

one that is uncircumcised — Circumcision was the sign of the covenant with Abraham, commanded for every male in his house (17:10–14). 'Reproach' (cherpah) is the word of Josh 5:9, 'the reproach of Egypt', rolled away at Gilgal when the people were circumcised. The sons name the sign as their condition, and v.13 calls the answer deceit.

Verse 19

more honourable — Kabad (Niphal), 'weighty', the root of kabod, 'glory' (31:1). The text states both what Shechem did (v.2) and his standing in his father's house. His word carried the city: 'unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city' (v.24).

Verse 23

Shall not their cattle… be ours? — Hamor and Shechem speak this 'unto the gate of their city' (v.20). 'Consent' ('uth) is in Genesis only in vv.15, 22 and 23. The appeal is to gain, and the end is the reverse: Jacob's sons 'took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses' and 'all their wealth' (vv.28–29).

Verse 25

when they were sore — On 'the third day' the men of the city were in pain (ka'ab). 'Boldly' is betach, 'securely', the word for Laish, 'quiet and secure' (Judg 18:7). The two are Simeon and Levi, 'Dinah's brethren', sons of Leah like her (29:33–34).

Verse 27

came upon the slain — Verse 25 names 'two of the sons'; here it is 'the sons of Jacob', and vv.28–29 list what was taken: flocks, herds, asses, 'all their wealth', 'all their little ones', 'their wives'. The reason is the same as in v.13, 'because they had defiled their sister' (tame', as in v.5).

Verse 30

ye have troubled me — 'Akar, the verb of Achan: 'Why hast thou troubled us?' (Josh 7:25). 'To stink' is ba'ash, as in Ex 5:21, 'made our savour to be abhorred'. Jacob's fear that the Canaanites and Perizzites would 'gather themselves together' is met in 35:5: 'the terror of God was upon the cities'.

Verse 31

as with an harlot — Zonah, the word of Judah's thought at Tamar, 'he thought her to be an harlot' (38:15). The chapter ends on the sons' question with no reply from Jacob. His judgment is in his blessing: 'Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations… Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce' (49:5, 7).