Genesis34
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2And 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.
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.
5Now 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.
6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7And 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.
8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you, give her unto him to wife.
9And make ye marriages with us; 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 favor 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 with guile, and spake, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,
14and said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us.
15Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, 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 honored above 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, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22Only 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.
23Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts 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 unawares, 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 forth.
27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28They took their flocks and their herds 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 made a prey, even all that was in the house.
30And 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.
31And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 34.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Dinah defiled by Shechem. (1–19). The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi. (20–31).
vv1-19
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion. Those parents are very wrong who do not hinder their children from needlessly exposing themselves to danger. Indulged children, like Dinah, often become a grief and shame to their families. Her pretence was, to see the daughters of the land, to see how they dressed, and how they danced, and what was fashionable among them; she went to see, yet that was not all, she went to be seen too. She went to get acquaintance with the Canaanites, and to learn their ways. See what came of Dinah's gadding. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. How great a matter does a little fire kindle! We should carefully avoid all occasions of sin and approaches to it.
vv20-31
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion, are the worst enemies of the truth, and harden the hearts of many to destruction. The crimes of others form no excuse for us. Alas! how one sin leads on to another, and, like flames of fire, spread desolation in every direction! Foolish pleasures lead to seduction; seduction produces wrath; wrath thirsts for revenge; the thirst of revenge has recourse to treachery; treachery issues in murder; and murder is followed by other lawless actions. Were we to trace the history of unlawful commerce between the sexes, we should find it, more than any other sin, ending in blood.
Key Words
דִּינָה: Dinah, the daughter of Jacob
בַּת: a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
לֵאָה: Leah, a wife of Jacob
אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
יָלַד: to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
יַעֲקֹב: Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch
יָצָא: to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
אֶרֶץ: the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
שְׁכֶם: Shekem, a place in Palestine
Cross References
Genesis 34Textual origin of 'wrought folly in Israel/against Israel', referring to forbidden sexual misconduct.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jacob's deathbed prophecy denounces Simeon and Levi as brothers in violence, referencing this massacre.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jacob disavows their secret counsel and anger which led to the slaughter of the Shechemites.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jacob curses their fierce anger and cruel wrath, scattering their descendants in Israel.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallels the specific Hebrew phrase for committing a disgraceful, covenant-breaking folly in Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Mosaic law regarding the dowry and marriage requirements after a virgin is seduced.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The terror of God prevents neighboring cities from pursuing Jacob's family after the slaughter.
Supported by JFB
Another historical usage of the specific phrase denoting 'folly' and grave moral wickedness.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Similar idiom of offering land 'before you' to live and trade freely.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the ancient custom of presenting costly betrothal gifts and dowry to the family.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The sign of circumcision which Jacob's sons deceptively used as a weapon.
Supported by JFB
Achan is told he "troubled" Israel, using the same Hebrew root Jacob uses here.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The term "to make me to stink" reflects Israel's later status before Pharaoh.
Supported by Matthew Henry
New Testament reference using the Greek spelling Emmor for Hamor.
Supported by JFB
Tamar's protest echoes the language that such a folly 'ought not to be done' in Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Demonstrates the historical Israelite perspective viewing the uncircumcised as a major covenantal reproach.
Supported by JFB
Identifies the same local inhabitants, "the Canaanite and the Perizzite," dwelling in the land.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Refers to the patriarchs being "few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers."
Supported by Matthew Poole
Later Mosaic law strictly forbidding the very intermarriages Hamor proposes here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the city gate as the central place of public transaction and consensus in Canaan.
Supported by JFB
Parallel to seeking religion only for material gain (meat, wealth, and substance).
Supported by Matthew Henry
Connects the brothers' ultimate violent actions to their initial deceitful response.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The birth of Dinah to Leah, establishing her identity and parentage.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Uses the same Hebrew idiom of speaking kindly ('speaking to the heart') to win affection.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Calvin
He that is greedy of gain troubles his own house; matches the Shechemites' greed.
Supported by Matthew Henry