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Genesis Chapter
Thirty-four
Genesis 34
Outlines
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 34
This
chapter gives an account of the ravishment of Dinah by Shechem, Genesis 34:1; of
his father Hamor and him treating with Jacob and his sons about the marriage of
her, Genesis 34:6; of
the condition proposed by Jacob's sons, circumcision of all the males in
Shechem, which was agreed to by Shechem and his father, Genesis 34:13; of
the men of Shechem being persuaded to yield to it, Genesis 34:20; and
of the destruction of them on the third day by Simeon and Levi, and of the
plunder of their city and field, and of the captivity of their wives and
children by Jacob's sons, which gave Jacob great offence, and in which they
justified themselves, Genesis 34:25.
Genesis 34:1. Now
Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the
daughters of the land.
YLT 1And Dinah, daughter of
Leah, whom she hath borne to Jacob, goeth out to look on the daughters of the
land,
And Dinah the
daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob,....
Who is supposed to be at
this time about fourteen or fifteen years of age: for that she was but about
nine or ten years old is not to be credited, as some compute itF26R.
Ganz. Tzemach David, par. l. fol. 6. 2. : she is observed to be the daughter of
Leah, partly that the following miscarriage might bring to mind her forwardness
to intrude herself into Jacob's bed, and be a rebuke unto her; and partly to
account for Simeon and Levi being so active in revenging her abuse, they being
Leah's sons: of Dinah it is said, that she
went out to see
the daughters of the land;
of the land of Canaan, to
visit them, and contract an acquaintance with them; and she having no sisters
to converse with at home, it might be a temptation to her to go abroad.
According to the Targum of Jonathan, she went to see the manners, customs, and
fashions of the women of that country, to learn them, as the Septuagint version
renders the word; or to see their habit and dress, and how they ornamented
themselves, as JosephusF1Antiqu. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 1. observes; and
who also says it was a festival day at Shechem, and therefore very probably
many of the young women of the country round about might come thither on that
occasion; and who being dressed in their best clothes would give Dinah a good
opportunity of seeing and observing their fashions; and which, with the
diversions of the season, and shows to be seen, allured Dinah to go out of her
mother's tent into the city, to gratify her curiosity. Aben Ezra's note is,
that she went of herself, that is, without the leave of either of her parents:
according to other Jewish writersF2Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. fol. 42. 2.
there was a snare laid for her by Shechem, who observing that Jacob's daughter
dwelt in tents, and did not go abroad, he brought damsels out of the city
dancing and playing on timbrels; and Dinah went forth to see them playing, and
he took her, and lay with her, as follows.
Genesis 34:2. 2 And when Shechem the son
of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with
her, and violated her.
YLT 2and Shechem, son of Hamor
the Hivite, a prince of the land, seeth her, and taketh her, and lieth with
her, and humbleth her;
And when Shechem
the son of Hamor,....
From whom the city had its
name, near which Jacob and his family now were:
the Hivite,
prince of the country;
Hamor was an Hivite, which
was one of the nations of the land of Canaan, and this man was the prince or a
principal man of that nation, as well as of Shechem. JosephusF3Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 1.) calls him a king: when the son of this
man
saw her;
that is, Dinah, what a
beautiful person she was, and was enamoured with her:
he took her: by force, as
the Targum of Jonathan:
and lay with
her, and defiled her;
or "humbled" or
"afflicted her"F4ויענה, και εταπεινωσεν αυτην, Sept.
& afflixit eam, Pagninus, Montanus. ; and it is a rule with the Jews, that
every such act, which is done by force, is called an humiliation and afflictionF5Gerundensis
apud Munster, & Drusium in loc. : the child begotten in this act of
fornication is saidF6Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 33. fol. 42. 2.)
by them to be Asenath, who was had into Egypt, and brought up by Potipherah's
wife as her daughter, and afterwards married to Joseph, Genesis 41:45.
Genesis 34:3. 3 His soul was strongly
attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and
spoke kindly to the young woman.
YLT 3and his soul cleaveth to
Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and he loveth the young person, and speaketh unto the
heart of the young person.
And his soul
clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob,....
His inclination was to
her, she was always in his thoughts; it was not a mere lustful desire that was
suddenly raised, and soon over, but a constant and continued affection he bore
to her, as follows:
and he loved
the damsel;
sincerely and heartily:
and spake
kindly unto the damsel;
or "to the
heart"F7על לב
"ad cor", Pagninus, Vatablus, Drusius, Schmidt; super cor, Montanus,
Munster; "cordi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. of her, such
things as tended to comfort her, she being sad and sorrowful; or to soften her
mind towards him, and take off the resentment of it to him, because of the
injury he had done her, and to gain her good will and affection, and her consent
to marry him; professing great love to her, promising her great things, what
worldly grandeur and honour she would be advanced to, and how kindly he would
behave towards her; which might take with her, and incline her to yield to his
motion, which having obtained, he took the following method.
Genesis 34:4. 4 So Shechem spoke to his
father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”
YLT 4And Shechem speaketh unto
Hamor his father, saying, `Take for me this damsel for a wife.'
And Shechem
spake unto his father Hamor,....
And told him the whole
affair, at least what a strong affection he had for Dinah:
saying, get me
this damsel to wife;
by which he meant not only
that he would give his consent that he might marry her, but that he would get
her parents' consent unto it, and settle the matter with them; by which it
appears how early, and that even among Heathen nations, consent of parents on
both sides was judged necessary to marriage. It seems by this as if Dinah was
now detained in the house of Hamor or Shechem, and was upon the spot, or near
at hand, when Shechem addressed his father about her, see Genesis 34:26.
Genesis 34:5. 5 And Jacob heard that he
had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the
field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.
YLT 5And Jacob hath heard that
he hath defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his cattle in the
field, and Jacob kept silent till their coming.
And Jacob heard
that he had defiled Dinah his daughter,....
That is, that Shechem had
defiled her; the report of this was brought him very probably by one of the
maids which attended her to the city; for it was hardly to be thought that she
should go thither alone, and which must be very distressing to Jacob to hear
of: this was his first affliction in his own family, but it was not the only
one, nor the last, others quickly followed:
now his sons
were with his cattle in the field;
he had bought, or in some
other hired by him for his cattle, feeding and keeping them, being arrived to
an age fit for such service; here they were when the above report was brought
to Jacob:
and Jacob held
his peace until they were come;
neither murmuring at the
providence, but patiently bearing the chastisement; nor reflecting upon Leah
for letting Dinah go out, or not keeping a proper watch over her; nor saying
anything of it to any in the family; nor expressing his displeasure at Shechem,
nor vowing revenge on him for it, nor taking any step towards it until his sons
were come home from the field; with whom he chose to advise, and whose
assistance he would want, if it was judged necessary to use force to get Dinah
out of the hands of Shechem, or to avenge the injury done her.
Genesis 34:6. 6 Then Hamor the father of
Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.
YLT 6And Hamor, father of
Shechem, goeth out unto Jacob to speak with him;
And Hamor, the
father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob,....
Unto the tent of Jacob
without the city:
to commune with
him;
to talk with him about the
affair of Dinah, to pacify him, and endeavour to gain his consent, that his son
might marry her, and to settle the, terms and conditions of the marriage.
Genesis 34:7. 7 And the sons of Jacob came
in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very
angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s
daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.
YLT 7and the sons of Jacob came
in from the field when they heard, and the men grieve themselves, and it [is]
very displeasing to them, for folly he hath done against Israel, to lie with
the daughter of Jacob -- and so it is not done.
And the sons of
Jacob came out of the field, when they heard it,.....
Either by a messenger
Jacob sent to them, to acquaint them with it, or by some other hand: however,
be it as it will, as soon as they heard of the abuse of their sister, they
immediately left their flocks to the care of their servants, and came to their
father's tent:
and the men
were grieved and were very wroth;
they were grieved for the
sin committed against God, very probably, as well as for the injury done to
their sister, and they were wroth against Shechem the author of it:
because he had
wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter;
all sin is folly, being a
transgression of the law of God founded in the highest wisdom, and particularly
uncleanness, and that branch of it, deflowering a virgin; and this action being
committed on Jacob's daughter, whose name was Israel, is said to be
"in", or rather "against" IsraelF8בישראל "contra Israelem", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Calovius; so Ainsworth. , to his grief, and to the
reproach of him and his family: though these words may be rather the words of
Moses, than of the sons of Jacob; or however are expressed not in the language
used by them, but in what was in use in the times of Moses, when Israel was the
name of a nation and church, whereas it was now but a personal name, and at
most but the name of a family; and though this was done to one of the family,
yet not in it, but in the house of Hamor or Shechem:
which thing
ought not to be done;
being against the law and
light of nature to do such an action by force and violence, and against the law
of nations to suffer it to go with impunity.
Genesis 34:8. 8 But Hamor spoke with them,
saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to
him as a wife.
YLT 8And Hamor speaketh with
them, saying, `Shechem, my son, his soul hath cleaved to your daughter; give
her, I pray you, to him for a wife,
And Hamor
communed with them,....
With Jacob and his sons,
who came in just at that time:
saying, the
soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter:
the daughter of the
family, and the only daughter in it; for her Shechem had a vehement affection,
a strong desire to marry her, and could not be satisfied without her:
I pray you,
give her him to wife;
he not only requests the
consent of the parents of the damsel, but of her brothers also, which in those
times and countries seems to have been usual to ask and have, see Genesis 24:50.
Genesis 34:9. 9 And make marriages with
us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.
YLT 9and join ye in marriage
with us; your daughters ye give to us, and our daughters ye take to yourselves,
And make ye
marriages with us,....
There was no objection on
their side, it lay on the other; Abraham's servant was charged by him not to
take a wife of the Canaanites to his son Isaac; and the same charge was given
Jacob by Isaac, Genesis 24:3; and
therefore Jacob would never agree that his children should marry any of that
nation; and marriages with them were afterwards forbidden by the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 7:3,
and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you;
for though at present
there were no other daughters in Jacob's family, yet there might be hereafter;
and the request is, that for the future there might be intermarriages between
them, as would be practicable in a course of time.
Genesis 34:10. 10 So you shall dwell with
us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire
possessions for yourselves in it.”
YLT 10and with us ye dwell, and
the land is before you; dwell ye and trade [in] it, and have possessions in
it.'
And ye shall
dwell with us,.....
Peaceably and quietly, not
as sojourners only, but as inhabitants:
and the land
shall be before you;
to choose what part of it
they pleased to dwell in, and which they should have in their own power and possession:
dwell and trade
you therein;
in any sort of traffic and
commerce the land would admit of, and they should best choose:
and get you
possessions therein;
buy houses and land, and
enjoy them, they and their posterity; these are the arguments used by Hamor to
gain the consent of Jacob and his family that his son might marry Dinah; and
the proposals are honourable and generous.
Genesis 34:11. 11 Then Shechem said to her
father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say
to me I will give.
YLT 11And Shechem saith unto her
father, and unto her brethren, `Let me find grace in your eyes, and that which
ye say unto me, I give;
And Shechem
said unto her father and unto her brethren,....
To the father and brethren
of Dinah; he addressed them after his father Hamor had done speaking:
let me find
grace in your eyes;
forgive the offence
committed, the injury done to Dinah, and grant the request of her marriage, and
it will be considered as a great favour:
and what ye
shall say unto me, I will give;
to her, to her parents, to
her brethren and relations; let what will be fixed, shall be given; which
showed great affection for her, and that he was willing to do any thing to make
amends for the injury done; he cared not what it was that might be demanded of
him, so be it that she became his wife.
Genesis 34:12. 12 Ask me ever so much dowry
and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the
young woman as a wife.”
YLT 12multiply on me exceedingly
dowry and gift, and I give as ye say unto me, and give to me the young person
for a wife.'
Ask me never so
much dowry and gift,....
Or "multiply them
exceedingly"F9הרבז־מאד
"multiplicate super me admodum", Drusius, Schmidt. , fix them at as
high a rate as may be thought fit; the "dowry" was what a man gave to
a woman at her marriage; for in those times and countries, instead of a man
having a portion with his wife, as with us in our times, he gave one to his
wife, or to her parents for her; and especially in after times this was used,
and became a law in Israel, in the case of a vitiated virgin, see Exodus 22:16; and
"the gift" was either of jewels and clothes to the women, or of such
like precious things to her brethren and friends, see Genesis 24:53,
and I will give
according as ye shall say unto me;
determine among yourselves
whatever shall be the dowry and gift, and it shall be punctually observed:
but give me the
damsel to wife;
only agree to that, and I
care not what is required of me.
Genesis 34:13. 13 But the sons of Jacob
answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had
defiled Dinah their sister.
YLT 13And the sons of Jacob
answer Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and they speak (because he
defiled Dinah their sister),
And the sons of
Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor deceitfully,....
Proposing the marriage of
their sister on terms after mentioned, when they never intended it should ever
be: Onkelos, Jonathan, and Jarchi interpret it, "with wisdom", as if
they answered wisely and prudently, but the word is never used in a good sense;
and if it was wisdom, it was carnal wisdom and wicked cunning, and was
disapproved of by plain hearted Jacob:
and said:
or spoke in this deceitful
manner:
because he had
defiled Dinah their sister;
and therefore were filled
with indignation at him, and fired with resentment against him, and vowed
within themselves revenge upon him.
Genesis 34:14. 14 And they said to them, “We
cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would
be a reproach to us.
YLT 14and say unto them, `We are
not able to do this thing, to give our sister to one who hath a foreskin: for
it [is] a reproach to us.
And they said
unto them,....
Levi and Simeon, to Hamor
and Shechem:
we cannot do
this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised;
not that there was any law
against it at that time; and there were, on the other hand, precedents for it
both in Isaac and Jacob, who had married the daughters of uncircumcised
persons; nor indeed do they plead any law, only that it was not becoming their
character, nor agreeably to their religion, nor honourable in their esteem:
for that were
a reproach unto us;
and they should be
reflected upon for slighting the institution of circumcision, which was of God:
so they pretend it might be interpreted, should they enter into affinity with
uncircumcised persons.
Genesis 34:15. 15 But on this condition
we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of
you is circumcised,
YLT 15`Only for this we consent
to you; if ye be as we, to have every male of you circumcised,
But in this
will we consent unto you,....
Upon the following
condition, that Dinah should be given in marriage:
if ye will be
as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
as the sons of Jacob were,
according to the command given to Abraham their great grandfather, Genesis 17:10.
Genesis 34:16. 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.
YLT 16then we have given our
daughters to you, and your daughters we take to ourselves, and we have dwelt
with you, and have become one people;
Then will we
give our daughters unto you,....
Meaning Dinah, whom they
call their daughter, Genesis 34:17;
because she was the daughter of their family, and because they were entreating
in the name of their father, and in conformity to the language used by those
they were treating with, Genesis 34:9,
and we will
take your daughters to us;
in marriage for wives:
and we will
dwell with you;
not as sojourners but as
fellow citizens:
and we will
become one people;
being so nearly related by
marriage, and professing one religion, alike submitting to circumcision, which
was the distinguished badge of Abraham's seed.
Genesis 34:17. 17 But if you will not heed
us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”
YLT 17and if ye hearken not unto
us to be circumcised, then we have taken our daughter, and have gone.'
But if ye will
not hearken to us to be circumcised,....
Will not agree to this
condition, circumcision:
then will we
take our daughter;
by force, as the Targum of
Jonathan adds:
and we will be
gone:
depart from this part of
the country, and go elsewhere.
Genesis 34:18. 18 And their words pleased
Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.
YLT 18And their words are good in
the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shechem, Hamor's son;
And their words
pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.
The condition proposed was
acceptable to them both, and they agreed to comply with it; Hamor, because of
the great love he had for his son; Shechem, because of the great love he had
for Dinah.
Genesis 34:19. 19 So the young man did not
delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was
more honorable than all the household of his father.
YLT 19and the young man delayed
not to do the thing, for he had delight in Jacob's daughter, and he is
honourable above all the house of his father.
And the young
man deferred not to do the thing,....
To be circumcised himself,
and to get all the males of the city circumcised; he delayed not a moment, but
made all the haste he could to get it accomplished:
because he had
delight in Jacob's daughter;
he really loved her, and
delighted in her person and company: it was not the effect of a brutish lust,
but a true affection he bore to her, that he desired her in marriage:
and he was
more honourable than all the house of his father;
for though he had done a
base thing in defiling Jacob's daughter, yet in this he was honourable, that he
sought to marry her, and to do any thing that was in his power to recompence
the injury; and he was honourable in keeping covenant and compact with men; and
was honest, upright, and sincere, to fulfil the condition imposed on him, and
he had agreed to, as well as he was in greater esteem among the citizens than
any of his father's house, which made it the more easy to him to get their
consent to be circumcised; they having a very high and honourable opinion of him,
and ready to oblige him in anything they could.
Genesis 34:20. 20 And Hamor and Shechem his
son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city,
saying:
YLT 20And Hamor cometh -- Shechem
his son also -- unto the gate of their city, and they speak unto the men of
their city, saying,
And Hamor and
Shechem his son went unto the gate of their city,....
Where courts of judicature
were held, and all public affairs respecting the common interest of the city
were transacted: here, no doubt, Hamor their prince summoned them to come, by
the usual method in which the citizens were convened on certain occasions:
and communed
with the men of their city;
upon the subject of
entering into an alliance with Jacob's family, of admitting them to be fellow
citizens with them, and of their being incorporated among them, and becoming
one people with them, taking no notice of the true reason of this motion:
saying,
as follows.
Genesis 34:21. 21 “These men are at
peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed
the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as
wives, and let us give them our daughters.
YLT 21`These men are peaceable
with us; then let them dwell in the land, and trade [in] it; and the land, lo,
[is] wide before them; their daughters let us take to ourselves for wives, and
our daughters give to them.
These men are
peaceable with us,....
Meaning Jacob and his
sons, pointing to their tents which were near their city; and no doubt more was
said than is here expressed, and that these words were introduced with a
preface, in which notice was taken of Jacob and his family, and their names
mentioned, as here their character is given; that they were men of peaceable
dispositions, harmless and inoffensive, as appeared they had been ever since
they came into these parts; and there was a great deal of reason to believe
they still would be, and which was an argument in their favour, to admit them
to a residence among them:
therefore let
them dwell in the land, and trade therein;
give them leave to dwell
where they please, and carry on what trade and traffic in the land they think
fit; since they are not likely to be quarrelsome and troublesome, but will deal
honestly and honourably, and pay duly for what they agree for or merchandise
in:
for the land, behold,
it is large enough for them;
there is room enough for
them to dwell in, and pasturage enough for their cattle, and land enough to
manure and till, without in the least incommoding the inhabitants: yea, it is
likely to be to their advantage, since they would pay for what they should
purchase or hire, and would improve the land which lay uncultivated:
let us take
their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters;
this was the thing
principally aimed at; and the rest, both what goes before, and what follows
after, were in order to this.
Genesis 34:22. 22 Only on this condition
will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us
is circumcised as they are circumcised.
YLT 22`Only for this do the men
consent to us, to dwell with us, to become one people, in every male of us
being circumcised, as they are circumcised;
Only herein
will the men consent unto us,....
The only term or condition
insisted upon, to come into an alliance and affinity with us, and
for to dwell
with us, to be one people,
to become one body
politic, is the following one:
if every male
among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised;
submitting to this rite,
they agree to take up their residence with us, and be incorporated among us,
and become one people.
Genesis 34:23. 23 Will
not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours?
Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
YLT 23their cattle, and their
substance, and all their beasts -- are they not ours? only let us consent to
them, and they dwell with us.'
Shall not their
cattle, and their substance, and every beast of theirs, be ours?....
Which would in course come
into their families in process of time, by intermarrying with them, or, being
more numerous and powerful than they, could seize upon them when they pleased,
and take all they had: thus they argue from the profit and advantage that would
accrue to them by admitting them among them, upon their terms; and this
argument, taken from worldly interest, they knew would have great influence
upon them:
only let us
consent unto them;
in the affair of
circumcision:
and they will
dwell with us;
and what by trading with
them, and marrying among them, all their wealth and riches will come into our
hands.
Genesis 34:24. 24 And all who went out of
the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was
circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
YLT 24And unto Hamor, and unto
Shechem his son, hearken do all those going out of the gate of his city, and
every male is circumcised, all those going out of the gate of his city.
And unto Hamor
and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city,....
That is, all the
inhabitants of the city who came to the gate of it, upon the summons given
them, and departed from thence to their habitations, having a great opinion of
their prince and his son; and moved either with awe of them or love to them,
and influenced both by their arguments and example, they agreed to what was
proposed to them:
and every male
was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city;
all the men citizens; and
not only the adult, and who now went out by the gate of the city, but all their
male children likewise were circumcised.
Genesis 34:25. 25 Now it came to pass on the
third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and
Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and
killed all the males.
YLT 25And it cometh to pass, on
the third day, in their being pained, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and
Levi, Dinah's brethren, take each his sword, and come in against the city
confidently, and slay every male;
And it came to
pass on the third day, when they were sore,....
Or in "pain"F11כאבים "dolore affecti", Pagninus, Schmidt,
"essent in dolore", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. ,
when their pains were strong upon them, as the Targum of Onkelos; or when they
were weak through the pain of circumcision, as the Targum of Jonathan; for it
seems that the pain of circumcision was more intense on the third dayF12Pirke
Eliezer, c. 29. , and the part the more inflamed, and the person more feverish,
and which is observed by physicians of other wounds; and therefore HippocratesF13De
fracturis, sect. 33. apud Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 93. advised not
to meddle with wounds on the third or fourth days, or do anything that might
irritate them, for on those days they were apt to rankle or be inflamed, and
bring on fevers; and in this case, not only the wound was sore in itself and
distressing, but being in such a part of the body, motion must give great
uneasiness: nor could persons in such circumstances easily arise and walk, and
go forth to defend themselves; and of this Jacob's sons availed themselves: so
that two of the
sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren;
by the mother's side as
well as the father's, being Leah's children, and so most provoked at this
indignity and abuse of their sister:
took each man
his sword, and came upon the city boldly;
not fearing the
inhabitants of it, and their rising up against them to defend themselves,
knowing in what circumstances they were: or "upon the city that dwelt
securely"; as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for the men of the city
had no suspicion of any such attempt that would be made upon them, and
therefore were quite easy and secure, not expecting nor fearing anything of
this kind:
and slew all
the males;
the males that were grown
up, for the little ones are after said to be carried captive, Genesis 34:29;
JosephusF14Antiqu. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 1. takes no notice of this
circumstance of their being circumcised, but represents them as surprised in
the night of their festival, overcharged with feasting, and their watch asleep,
who were first killed. Though only two of Jacob's sons were mentioned, they
might be assisted by the rest; at least, no doubt, they were attended with servants,
who were aiding: in accomplishing this cruel and bloody attempt.
Genesis 34:26. 26 And they killed Hamor and
Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s
house, and went out.
YLT 26and Hamor, and Shechem his
son, they have slain by the mouth of the sword, and they take Dinah out of
Shechem's house, and go out.
And they slew
Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword,....
Whom they had been just
treating with in a seeming friendly manner: Shechem was the chief aggressor,
and his crime was very heinous; but considering that he did all he could, after
the fact was committed, to make recompence for the injury done, he deserved
other treatment, at least mercy should have been shown him. Hamor, perhaps, was
too indulgent to his son, connived at his sin, and did not punish him for it;
and, it may be, approved of it, and now dies for it:
and took Dinah
out of Shechem's house, and went out;
where she was kept from
the time of her being ravished by Shechem, with an intention to marry her,
could the consent of her parents and relations be obtained; for it does not
appear that he kept her to carry on a criminal conversation with her, but a
courtship in order to marriage.
Genesis 34:27. 27 The sons of Jacob came
upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.
YLT 27Jacob's sons have come in
upon the wounded, and they spoil the city, because they had defiled their
sister;
The sons of
Jacob came upon the slain,....
That is, the rest of them,
as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; understanding what their two brothers
had done, they came and joined them, and partook of stripping the slain of
their clothes, or from them what they found of any worth about them:
and spoiled the
city;
plundered it of all its
goods and substance, spoiled all the inhabitants of it of their wealth:
because they
had defiled their sister;
one of them had done it,
which is imputed to them all, they not restraining him from it, when it was in
their power; and perhaps approving of it, and made a laugh of and jest at it;
or however did not punish him for it.
Genesis 34:28. 28 They took their sheep,
their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was
in the field,
YLT 28their flock and their herd,
and their asses, and that which [is] in the city, and that which [is] in the
field, have they taken;
They took their
sheep, their oxen, and their asses,....
The Shechemites hoped to
have the cattle and substance of Jacob's family, and in a hypocritical manner
submitted to circumcision, for the sake of worldly advantage; for that, and
pleasing their prince, seem to be the only views they had in it; wherefore, in
this there is a just retaliation of them in Providence:
and that which was
in the city, and that which was in the field;
the cattle that were kept
at home, and those that were brought up in the field, all became a prey.
Genesis 34:29. 29 and all their wealth. All
their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even
all that was in the houses.
YLT 29and all their wealth, and
all their infants, and their wives they have taken captive, and they spoil also
all that [is] in the house.
And all their
wealth,....
Or "power"F15חילם "siquidem" חיל
"proprie potentia, robur", Drusius; so Ainsworth. or
"strength"; every thing that made them mighty and powerful; their
gold and silver, their jewels, and rich furniture of their houses, their arms
and weapons of war, their goods and substance, in which they trafficked:
and all their
little ones and their wives took they captive:
they spared the women and
children, as was usual war, and in the plunder of towns and cities:
and spoiled
even all that was in the house;
of Shechem or Hamor, or in
any of the houses of the inhabitants; they rifled and plundered everyone, and
took away whatsoever they found in them; but as Jacob disapproved of this
unjust, cruel, bloody, and perfidious action, so no doubt, as he set the
captives at liberty, he restored to them their cattle and substance.
Genesis 34:30. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon
and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of
the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in
number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be
destroyed, my household and I.”
YLT 30And Jacob saith unto Simeon
and unto Levi, `Ye have troubled me, by causing me to stink among the
inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanite, and among the Perizzite: and I
[am] few in number, and they have been gathered against me, and have smitten
me, and I have been destroyed, I and my house.'
And Jacob said
to Simeon and Levi,....
who were the principals
concerned in this affair:
ye have
troubled me;
because of the sin they
had committed, because of the dishonour brought upon religion, and because of
the danger he and his family were hereby exposed unto; it greatly disquieted
him, made him very uneasy, he was at his wit's end almost, knew not what to do,
what course to take to wipe off the scandal, and to defend himself and family;
since it served, he says:
to make me to
stink among the inhabitants of the land;
to make him odious and
abominable, to be hated and abhorred by all the people round about, and to be
looked upon and treated as a deceitful, treacherous, and perfidious man, that
had no regard to his word, to covenants and agreements made by him; as a cruel
and bloodthirsty man that spared none, made no difference between the innocent
and the guilty; and as a robber and plunderer, that stopped at nothing,
committing the greatest outrages to get possession of the substance of others:
amongst the
Canaanites and the Perizzites:
who were the principal
inhabitants of the land, the most numerous, and the most rustic and barbarous,
and perhaps nearest, and from whom Jacob had most to fear:
and I being
few in number;
or men of numberF16מתי מספר "viri numeri",
Montanus, Schmidt. ; he and his sons and servants, in all, making but a small
number in comparison of the nations about him:
they shall
gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I
and my house;
not that Jacob was afraid
that this would be really the case, for he knew and believed the promises of
God to him, of the multiplication of his seed, and of their inheriting the land
of Canaan, and of the Messiah springing from him; but this he said to aggravate
the sin and folly of his sons, in exposing him and themselves to so much
danger, which not only on the face of things appeared probable, but even
certain and inevitable, without the interposition of divine power and
Providence.
Genesis 34:31. 31 But they said, “Should he
treat our sister like a harlot?”
YLT 31And they say, `As a harlot
doth he make our sister?'
And they said,....
Simeon and Levi, in a very
pert and unseemly manner:
should he deal
with our sister as with an harlot?
make a whore of her, and
then keep her in his house as such? is this to be borne with? or should we take
no more notice of his behaviour to our sister, or show no more regard to her
than if she was a common prostitute, whom no man will defend or protect? so say
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem,"nor let Shechem the son of Hamor
mock at us, or boast and say, as an harlot whom no man seeks after, or no man
seeks to avenge her; so it is done by Dinah the daughter of Jacob:'they tacitly
insinuate as if Jacob had not that regard for the honour of his daughter and
family, and showed his resentment at the wicked behaviour of Shechem, as he
ought to have done. It is observed that there is a letter in the word for
"harlot" greater than usual, which may either denote the greatness of
the sin of Shechem in dealing with Dinah as an harlot, or the great impudence
and boldness of Jacob's sons, in their answer to him, and their audaciousness
in justifying such baseness and cruelty they had been guilty of. The whole of
this history, as related in this chapter, is given by Polyhistor out of
Theodotus the poetF17Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 22. p.
427, &c. .
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》