Table of Contents

Genesis 34 Discussion

Genesis 34

Dinah is ravished.

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to 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 did cleave to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke kindly unto the damsel.

4 And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this damsel for a wife.”

5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: but Jacob held his peace until they came.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him.

7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard what happened; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

Hamor asketh her in marriage for his son.

8 And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter: I pray you, give her to him as wife.”

9 And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters unto you.

10 And dwell with us: the land shall be before you; dwell and trade here, and have your possessions therein.”

11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you shall ask from me, I will give.”

12 Ask me any dowry and gift, and I will give it to you; but give me the damsel as wife.

13 And the sons of Jacob patronized Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,

14 and said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that is against our custom.

15 Only on that condition will we agree; if you become like us, that every male among you be circumcised;

16 then we will give our daughters to 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.”

18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.

19 And the young man did not hesitate to do it, 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 spoke with the men of their city, saying,

21 “These men are peaceful to 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 as wives, and let us give them our daughters.

The Shechemites are circumcised at the request of Jacob’s sons and the persuasion of Hamor.

22 Only on this condition will the men consent 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 wealth and all their animals be ours? only let us consent to this, and they will dwell with us.”

24 And all that went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

The whoredome is revenged.

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 their swords, and snuck into city unawares, and killed every man.

26 And they killed 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 animals, 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.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me hated 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 attack; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.”

31 And they said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?”

Notes

[30] See 49:7