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Genesis 34

Dina is ravished, for which the Sichemites are destroyed. THE OUTRAGE ON DINAH AND THE SACK OF SHECHEM
Jacob's first stopping place in Canaan on his return was Shechem He erected an altar to God on a parcel of ground that he bought. Temporarily at least to make it his home. Soon he moved on to Bethel because the bloody act of Simeon made him odious to his neighbors.

KING JAMES BIBLE

And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.

4And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

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

7And the sons of Jacob came out of 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.

8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

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

10And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

11And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

12Ask 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.

13And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:

14And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:

15But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16Then 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.

17But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

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

19And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

20And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

21These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they arecircumcised.

23Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

24And 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.

25And 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 boldly, and slew all the males.

26And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

28They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,

29And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

30And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

31And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

KING JAMES 1611

And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which shee bare vnto Iacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2And when Shechem the sonne of Hamor the Hiuite, prince of the countrey saw her, he tooke her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3And his soule claue vnto Dinah the daughter of Iacob, and hee loued the damsell, and spake kindly vnto the damsell.

4And Shechem spake vnto his father Hamor, saying, Get mee this damsell to wife.

5And Iacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter (now his sonnes were with his cattel in the field) and Iacob helde his peace vntill they were come.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out vnto Iacob to commune with him.

7And the sonnes of Iacob came out of the field when they heard it, and the men were grieued: and they were very wroth, because hee had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Iacobs daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soule of my sonne Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you giue her him to wife.

9And make ye mariages with vs, and giue your daughters vnto vs, and take our daughters vnto you.

10And ye shall dwell with vs, and the land shall be before you: dwell and trade you therein, and get you possessions therein.

11And Shechem said vnto her father, and vnto her brethren, Let mee finde grace in your eyes, and what yee shall say vnto me, I will giue.

12Aske mee neuer so much dowrie and gift, and I will giue according as yee shall say vnto mee: but giue me the damsell to wife.

13And the sonnes of Iacob answered Shechem, and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

14And they saide vnto them, wee cannot doe this thing, to giue our sister to one that is vncircumcised: for that were a reproch vnto vs.

15But in this will we consent vnto you: If ye will be as we be, that euery male of you be circumcised:

16Then wil we giue our daughters vnto you, and we wil take your daughters to vs, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17But if ye will not hearken vnto vs, to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamors sonne.

19And the yong man deferred not to doe the thing, because he had delight in Iacobs daughter: and he was more honourable then all the house of his father.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his sonne came vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying:

21These men are peaceable with vs, therefore let them dwel in the land, and trade therein: for the land, behold, it is large enough for them: let vs take their daughters to vs for wiues, and let vs giue them our daughters.

22Onely herein will the men consent vnto vs, for to dwell with vs to be one people, if euery male among vs bee circumcised, as they are circumcised.

23Shall not their cattell, and their substance, and euery beast of theirs bee ours? onely let vs consent vnto them, and they will dwell with vs.

24And vnto Hamor and vnto Shechem his sonne, hearkened all that went out of the gate of his citie; and euery male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his citie.

25 And it came to passe on the thirde day when they were sore, that two of the sonnes of Iacob, Simeon and Leui, Dinahs brethren, tooke each man his sword and came vpon the citie boldly, and slew all the males.

26And they slew Hamor and Shechem his sonne, with the edge of the sword, and tooke Dinah out of Shechems house, and went out.

27The sonnes of Iacob came vpon the slaine, and spoiled the citie, because they had defiled their sister.

28They tooke their sheepe, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the citie, and that which was in the field.

29And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wiues tooke they captiue, and spoiled euen all that was in the house.

30And Iacob said to Simeon and Leui, Ye haue troubled me to make me to stinke among the inhabitants of the land, amongst the Canaanites, and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselues together against me, and slay me, and I shal be destroyed, I and my house.

31And they said, Should hee deale with our sister, as with an harlot?

Compare Verses to Verses

I == Gen 30:21 ; Titus 2:5

 

II == Gen 6:2 ; 20:2 ; Deut 22:29 ; Judg 14:1

III == Isa 40:2 ; Hos 2:14

 

 

IV == Judg 14:2

 

V == 1st Sam 10:27 ; 2nd Sam 13:22

 

 

 

VII == Gen 49:7 ; Deut 23:17 ; Josh 7:15 ; Judg 20:6 ; 2nd Sam 13:12 , 21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X == Gen 13:9 ; 20:15 42:34 ; 47:27

 

 

 

 

XII == Ex 22:16-17 Deut 22:29 ; 1st Sam 18:25

 

XIII == 2nd Sam 13:24-33

 

 

XIV == Josh 5:9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIX == 1st Chr 4:9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIV == Gen 23:10

 

 

 

XXV == Gen 49:5-7

 

 

 

 

XXX == Gen 49:6 ; Ex 5:21 ; Deut 4:27 ; Josh 7:25 ; 1st Sam 13:4 ; Ps 105:12

THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE

1 Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit some of the women of the land.

2 When Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of the region, saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force.

3 Since he was strongly attracted to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, indeed was really in love with the girl, he endeavored to win her affection.

4 Shechem also asked his father Hamor, "Get me this girl for a wife."

5 Meanwhile, Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah; but since his sons were out in the fields with his livestock, he held his peace until they came home.

6 Now Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to discuss the matter with Jacob,

7 just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. When they heard the news, the men were shocked and seethed with indignation. What Shechem had done was an outrage in Israel; such a thing could not be tolerated.

8 Hamor appealed to them, saying: "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage.

9 Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

10 Thus you can live among us. The land is open before you; you can settle and move about freely in it, and acquire landed property here."

11 Then Shechem, too, appealed to Dinah's father and brothers: "Do me this favor, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.

12 No matter how high you set the bridal price, I will pay you whatever you ask; only give me the maiden in marriage."

13 Jacob's sons replied to Shechem and his father Hamor with guile, speaking as they did because their sister Dinah had been defiled.

14 "We could not do such a thing," they said, "as to give our sister to an uncircumcised man; that would be a disgrace for us.

15 We will agree with you only on this condition, that you become like us by having every male among you circumcised.

16 Then we will give you our daughters and take yours in marriage; we will settle among you and become one kindred people with you.

17 But if you do not comply with our terms regarding circumcision, we will take our daughter and go away."

18 Their proposal seemed fair to Hamor and his son Shechem.

19 The young man lost no time in acting in the matter, since he was deeply in love with Jacob's daughter. Moreover he was more highly respected than anyone else in his clan.

20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to their town council and thus presented the matter to their fellow townsmen:

21 "These men are friendly toward us. Let them settle in the land and move about in it freely; there is ample room in the country for them. We can marry their daughters and give our daughters to them in marriage.

22 But the men will agree to live with us and form one kindred people with us only on this condition, that every male among us be circumcised as they themselves are.

23 Would not the livestock they have acquired - all their animals - then be ours? Let us, therefore, give in to them, so that they may settle among us."

24 All the able-bodied men of the town agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and all the males, including every able-bodied man in the community, were circumcised.

25 On the third day, while they were still in pain, Dinah's full brothers Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, took their swords, advanced against the city without any trouble, and massacred all the males.

26 After they had put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.

27 Then the other sons of Jacob followed up the slaughter and sacked the city in reprisal for their sister Dinah's defilement.

28 They seized their flocks, herds and asses, whatever was in the city and in the country around.

29 They carried off all their wealth, their women, and their children, and took for loot whatever was in the houses.

30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: "You have brought trouble upon me by making me loathsome to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have so few men that, if these people unite against me and attack me, I and my family will be wiped out."

31 But they retorted, "Should our sister have been treated like a harlot?"

COMMENTARIE

v 1. This was a normal teen age wish, (maybe to see the boys too) but in their wanderings, they had apparently not taught her to be careful of the company she kept or to be be careful not to go unattended. Jacob’s own example of multiple wives didn’t help her moral understanding either.

v 2,3. This is obviously a case of rape, but he nevertheless loved her and tried to comfort her for her affection and for his misdeed. She even remained in his house.

v 4. Having been swept away in passion, he is honorable and wishes marriage.

v 5. Jacob waited for a family council before acting.

v 6-8. Jacob’s sons were very angry for their only sister, but in the statement “it ought not to be done” is to anyone, but especially God’s chosen people. To this point, we may assume Hamor’s intention was honorable in seeking marriage for his son.

v 9,10. Now a scheme is developing to intermarry and share Jacob’s wealth.

v 11,12. Shechem is still honorable and earnestly wants to marry Dinah.

v 13-17. This was wicked deceit on the part of Jacob’s sons. He had not done a good job raising his family, and they take authority that should have been his.

DECEITFULLY: Jacob's sons, on this occasion, were guilty of a grievous sin, as well by falsely pretending religion, as by excess of revenge: though otherwise their zeal against so foul a crime was commendable.

v 18,19. Shechem, still acting in honor, will do anything to gain her for his wife.

v 20-24. Now Hamor’s deceit comes in to play. His motive is not for his son, but to gain Israel’s wealth. There must have been a lot of greed for the whole city of men to agree to circumcision. They took on the sign of Israel without possessing the reality in their hearts. Today many become church members, are baptized or go through some other ceremony without ever knowing Christ as their Savior.

v 25-29. Reuben would probably have been about 22 at this time. It was deplorable that Simeon and Levi, full brothers of Dinah, took matters in their own hands and slaughtered all the men at a time when they were unable to defend themselves. Grief came upon all the women and children, and probably Dinah was even heartbroken over the loss of her lover. It is not known what they did with the captives, whether made slaves or released.

v 30. It is too bad that Jacob’s rebuke to them was not for their wickedness, but for the danger that might ensue for himself and his family.

V 31. They self righteously shrugged it off as having administered justice, and try to put a guilt trip on Jacob, if he allowed Dinah to be dealt with as a harlot. It was well that they did not inter marry with the heathen, but just as Ruth, Rahab and others took Israel’s God and married into them, Shechem should have been given the choice to leave his family, accept Israel’s God and join with them.