Genesis Chapter 34 Guys Like Us?

Genesis 34:1 & 2

One time Dinah the daughter of Le'ah, whom she had borne to Ya'akov, went out to visit the local girls; and Sh'khem the son of Hamor the Hivi, the local ruler, saw her, grabbed her, raped her and humiliated her.

In the last chapter, we saw Ya'akov enter the land of Canaan with his family. Now, we see an example of how wicked the people of that land were as his daughter went out to see some of the local girls and was raped and humiliated by a Hivite man.

Genesis 34:3 & 4

But actually he was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Ya'akov; he fell in love with the girl and tried to win her affection. Sh'khem spoke with his father Hamor and said, "Get this girl for me; I want her to be my wife."

Sh'khem was attracted to Dinah physically and wanted to continue the relationship and so he basically tried to sweet talk her.

He asks his father to get the girl to be his wife but, in the original Hebrew, the word used for the girl speaks of the fact that she was really young.

Genesis 34:5–7

When Ya'akov heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Ya'akov restrained himself until they came. Hamor the father of Sh'khem went out to Ya'akov to speak with him just as Ya'akov's sons were coming in from the field. When they heard what had happened, the men were saddened and were very angry at the outrage this man had committed against Isra'el by raping Ya'akov's daughter, something that is simply not done.

We see a big difference between God's people and the Hivites as Hamor went to speak to Ya'akov about Dinah becoming the wife of Sh'khem.

Hamor did not think it was a big deal that his son had forced his way onto a young girl but Ya'akov and his sons saw it as defiling, polluting, her and an evil act in the land of Israel.

Genesis 34:8–12

But Hamor said to them, "My son Sh'khem's heart is set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife; and intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You will live with us, and the land will be available to you—you'll live, do business and acquire possessions here." Then Sh'khem said to her father and brothers, "Only accept me, and I will give whatever you tell me. Ask as large a bride-price as you like, I'll pay whatever you tell me. Just let me marry the girl."

Hamor explained that his son had strong feelings for Dinah and asked that she be given to him as his wife. In this, we see that the Hivites had no respect for women and no concept of sin.

The study understands Dinah to have remained in Sh'khem's household at this point; her brothers later take her from his house. Hamor went on to propose that Jacob's family settle and intermarry with the Hivites.

Sh'khem then offered to pay whatever bride-price her father and brothers demanded. His offer did not undo the assault.

Genesis 34:13–17

The sons of Ya'akov answered Sh'khem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. They said to them, "We can't do it, because it would be a disgrace to give our sister to someone who hasn't been circumcised. Only on this condition will we consent to what you are asking: that you become like us by having every male among you get circumcised. Then we'll give our daughters to you, and we'll take your daughters for ourselves, and we'll live with you and become one people. But if you won't do as we say and get circumcised, then we'll take our daughter and go away."

This stands out in the fact that it was the sons of Ya'akov who answered. The word translated here as deceitfully is the Hebrew word “mirmah,” which the supplied study connects with calculated deception.

Jacob's sons understood that refusing the offer could bring conflict while they were outnumbered. Rather than state their real intentions, they proposed circumcision as a condition for becoming one people.

They knew the procedure would leave the men vulnerable. Using the covenant sign as a trap is part of the deception the passage explicitly names.

Genesis 34:18–20

What they said seemed fair to Hamor and Sh'khem the son of Hamor, and the young man did not put off doing what was asked of him, even though he was the most respected member of his father's family, because he so much wanted Ya'akov's daughter. Hamor and Sh'khem his son came to the entrance of their city and spoke with its leading men.

Hamor thought the proposal was fair, and Sh'khem agreed without delay because he wanted to marry Dinah. They then went to the city's leaders to persuade the other men.

The supplied study interprets Sh'khem's actions as continuing to disregard the harm he had done to Dinah. The passage records his desire to marry her; it does not record Dinah's consent to the proposal.

Genesis 34:21–24

"These people are peaceful toward us; therefore let them live in the land and do business in it; for, as you can see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and we'll give them our daughters. But the people will consent to live with us and become one people only on this condition: that every male among us gets circumcised, as they themselves are circumcised. Won't their cattle, their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let's consent to do what they ask, and then they will live with us." Everyone going out the city's gate listened to Hamor and Sh'khem his son; so every male was circumcised, every one that went out the gate of the city.

Hamor told the men of the city that the two households could become one people. He also appealed to the prospect of gaining Jacob's cattle, possessions, and animals.

In the supplied study, this reveals a desire to absorb Israel as a distinct people and acquire its wealth. The men of the city agreed to circumcision after hearing what they stood to gain.

Genesis 34:25–29

On the third day after the circumcision, when they were in pain, two of Ya'akov's sons, Shim'on and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords, boldly descended on the city and slaughtered all the males. They killed Hamor and Sh'khem his son with their swords, took Dinah out of Sh'khem's house, and left. Then the sons of Ya'akov entered over the dead bodies of those who had been slaughtered and plundered the city in reprisal for defiling their sister. They took their flocks, cattle and donkeys, and everything else, whether in the city or in the field, everything they owned. Their children and wives they took captive, and they looted whatever was in the houses.

On the third day, while the men were in pain, Shim'on and Levi entered the city, killed its males, and brought Dinah out of Sh'khem's house.

The rest of Jacob's sons then plundered the city and took its women and children captive. The supplied commentary compares this seizure of possessions and people with what Hamor had hoped to gain from Jacob's family.

Dinah's rescue addressed an actual wrong done to her. The killing of every male and the taking of captives went far beyond removing her from Sh'khem's house; the later reflection on Shim'on and Levi's anger in Genesis 49 remains important when studying their actions here.

Genesis 34:30 & 31

But Ya'akov said to Shim'on and Levi, "You have caused me trouble by making me stink in the opinion of the local inhabitants, the Kena'ani and the P'rizi. Since I don't have many people, they'll align themselves together against me and attack me; and I will be destroyed, I and my household." They replied, "Should we let our sister be treated like a whore?"

Ya'akov fears that the Kena'ani and P'rizi will unite against his smaller household because of his sons' actions. His response focuses on the danger facing the family.

Shim'on and Levi answer by pointing back to the wrong done to Dinah. Their question insists that her assault cannot be ignored, but the chapter leaves the family facing the consequences of how they chose to respond.