Genesis Chapter Thirty-Four
Read Genesis 34:1-5 – Dinah, Jacob’s Daughter
v.1 “And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out
to see the daughters of the land.”
As we remember our
study of Genesis, chapter 30, Jacob has at least one daughter, Dinah, born to
Leah. We don’t know what span of time
was required for the events recorded here to occur but we do know this:
“BE NOT DECEIVED: EVIL COMPANIONSHIPS CORRUPT GOOD MORALS.” (ASV) I Corinthians 15:33
This is a classic example of the meaning of that verse. If we spend time with the wrong kind of
people, sooner or later their influence will begin to erode our commitment to
high moral standards. We might note that
Dinah’s indiscretion didn’t begin with her companionship with the young men of
that region but rather with the daughters of the land.
v.2 “And
when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he
took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.”
As has been true since
the beginning of time, men and women, when tempted can be led into
trouble. Esau was rejected by God as the
bearer of the seed of God’s promise because of his unrighteousness. Part of his departure from the path of his
father was to marry Hittite women (Genesis
26:34), now the daughter of Jacob gets herself
involved with the same Hittite or Hivite people that
her uncle did.
v.3-4 “And 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.”
We do have record here
that Shechem wanted to do what most folks in our generation would consider
necessary to “make things right.” He
wants to marry Dinah just as Samson did his Philistine wife:
Judges 14:2 “And he came up, and told his father and his
mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.”
Marriage as the remedy for this kind of sin was also included in the
covenant made between
Deuteronomy
22:28-29 “If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with
her, and they be found; 29Then the man that lay with her shall give
unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because
he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.”
v.5 “And 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.”
When Jacob hears what has happened
to his daughter, he holds his peace until his sons can be brought in or come in
from their work tending his flocks and herds.
Read Genesis 34:5-19 – Jacob and Hamor Negotiate
v.6 “And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with
him.”
As is frequently the case when
trouble arises between families; the fathers are placed in a position of trying
to resolve the problems. This is no different. It does appear that Hamor, though not a man
of God, is perhaps an honorable man as he comes to
Jacob.
v.7 “And 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.”
The sons of Jacob are very angry men
when they learn what has happened. In
view of the happenings that follow, we wonder if their anger was motivated by
their compassion for their sister, who have gotten
herself caught up in sin or due to the mark made against the honor of their
family name. That this thing “OUGHT NOT
TO BE DONE” is understood by all involved and we find here the same language
used as is used to describe the sin of Achan:
Joshua
v.8-10 “And 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.”
Hamor is proposing more than just a
marriage between Dinah and Shechem; he is proposing an alliance between the
family of
Genesis 13:10 “And
Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.”
They would become
much the same as those who dwelt in
Genesis 47:27 “And
v.11-12 “And
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.”
In reading this account it would
seem that Shechem is in love with Dinah.
It would be unexpected, at least in my mind; that an offer of virtually
an unlimited dowry and the seeking of peace and harmony between these families
would be made just for political or social reasons. In the Mosaic Law this kind of action was made
a requirement, giving responsibility also to the girl’s father:
Exodus 22:16-17 “And if a man entice a maid that is not
betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. 17If
her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he
shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.”
v.13 “And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and
Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their
sister:”
Two things we need to
consider about this verse. First of all
it would appear that Jacob has abdicated his responsibility as the father of
the family and patriarch of God to his sons.
We have already seen that Jacob was a mild mannered man:
Genesis 25:27 “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning
hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.”
And now, when an answer to Hamor and Shechem is required; it is his sons
that speak. We have no record here of
Jacob’s involvement at all.
Secondly we’re told by
the Holy Spirit through Moses, the writer, that their proposal is
deceitful. Their purpose is to
deceive. They have no interest in any
relationship with Hamor or his family.
All they are interested in is to gain an unfair advantage over them in
order to get their revenge.
v.14 “And 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:”
Abraham, his
descendants and all of their servants were to bear the mark given by God:
Genesis 17:23 “And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that
were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male
among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin
in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.”
His descendants had lived in compliance with this requirement and now
they use it to their advantage.
v.15-17 “But
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.”
Jacob’s sons tell
Shechem and Hamor, become circumcised as we are and we will then enter into
this covenant. We will allow our
daughters to marry your sons and our sons to marry your daughters; we will
become as one people. If you don’t agree
to this then we will take Dinah and will be gone from this region.
v.18-19 “And 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.”
Shechem loved Dinah,
Jacob’s daughter and was an honorable man, or at least more honorable than the
rest of the people of the Hivites so he agrees to their covenant proposal.
Read Genesis 34:20-31 – The
v.20-21 “And 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.”
The deception the sons
of
v.22 “Only 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 are circumcised.”
The only way that the
sons of
v.23 “Shall 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.”
There appears to be
somewhat of an ulterior motive on the part of Hamor and his people to make this
agreement with
v.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.
Whether based on greed,
loyalty to their king, or for other reasons of their own; the men of Shechem
agree to be circumcised. The deception
planned by Jacob’s sons has served it’s purpose.
v.25-26 “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 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.”
They waited three days,
just long enough for the effects of the circumcision to work in their favor, then they struck. We
have Simeon and Levi named specifically, as they were two of Leah’s sons,
brothers to Dinah, not half brothers.
The KJV says they came to the city “BOLDLY”, other translations say that
they came to the city “UNAWARES” and killed all of the adult males in the city,
including Hamor and Shechem. Then they
took Dinah and left the city
v.27 “The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and
spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.”
Then apparently the
rest of the family joined in the carnage.
The entire city pays for Dinah’s indiscretion.
v.28-29 “They 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.”
The sons of Jacob
literally strip the city of all of its wealth and take all of the women and
children captive. They don’t take just
what was in the city but also what was in the fields where the food was grown,
and all of the herds that grazed in the fields and provided the livelihood of
these people.
v.30 “And 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.”
Now that everything is
all over we hear from Jacob again. It
appears that he is angry about what has happened. But we have no record that he did anything to
try to stop his sons from making their agreement with Hamor, nor is there any
record that he did anything or even counseled against what his sons did to
this, their city. He upbraids them, but
appears to be motivated by fear rather than outrage against the actions of his
sons. His reputation with the other
Canaanite tribes has been destroyed. Now
he fears that they will form a confederation and rise up against him.
v.31 “And they said, Should he deal with our sister
as with an harlot?”
Jacob’s sons are
defiant. Their response to their father
was to ask him a question? Should we
have allowed Shechem to treat our sister as a harlot? Every indication given to us by scripture
says that Shechem loved Dinah and wanted her as a wife and had not treated her
as a harlot or prostitute at all. The
sons of