THE INCIDENT WITH DINAH
(Dinah is the only daughter of Jacob that we know about)
34:1 AND DINAH THE DAUGHTER OF LEAH, WHICH SHE BARE UNTO JACOB, WENT OUT TO SEE THE DAUGHTERS OF THE LAND.
A.Chronologists have studied the travels of Jacob and have arrived at the age of 16-17 for Dinah at this time.
B.She was interested in others her age, so she WENT OUT TO SEE THE DAUGHTERS OF THE LAND (had she been taught what Paul later made clear? - 1Co 15:19).
C.She may have been careless, as is often the case with those of her age, and she would suffer for that indiscretion.
VERSES 2-12, Shechem, the son of a tribal chief, committed fornication with Dinah.
34:2 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.
A.PRINCE OF THE COUNTRY: Hamor seems to have been some kind of tribal chief; Perhaps this gave Shechem the idea he could have what (and who) he wanted, and do anything he wished.
B.He should have known that God expects goodness to accompany greatness, therefore those who have been elevated to power have the responsibility to conduct themselves honorably.
C.The next two Verses do not justify Shechem's violence and immorality, but at least he was not a hopeless gangster.
34:3 AND HIS SOUL CLAVE UNTO DINAH THE DAUGHTER OF JACOB, AND HE LOVED THE DAMSEL, AND SPAKE KINDLY UNTO THE DAMSEL.
34:4 AND SHECHEM SPAKE UNTO HIS FATHER HAMOR, SAYING, GET ME THIS DAMSEL TO WIFE.
34:5 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.
**Apparently waiting for their wisdom to assist him, or simply allowing them to have a say in so important a family matter.
34:6 AND HAMOR THE FATHER OF SHECHEM WENT OUT UNTO JACOB TO COMMUNE WITH HIM.
34:7 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.
**They were GRIEVED because of the FOLLY: (1) Their sister had been attacked and defiled; (2) They were not to have rela-tions with those who were not of their Chosen Family.
34:8 AND HAMOR COMMUNED WITH THEM, SAYING, THE SOUL OF MY SON SHECHEM LONGETH FOR YOUR DAUGHTER: I PRAY YOU GIVE HER HIM TO WIFE.
34:9 AND MAKE YE MARRIAGES WITH US, [AND] GIVE YOUR DAUGHTERS UNTO US, AND TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS UNTO YOU.
**Hamor and Shechem wanted to make a covenant with Israel con-cerning inter-marriages.
34:10 AND YE SHALL DWELL WITH US: AND THE LAND SHALL BE BEFORE YOU; DWELL AND TRADE YE THEREIN, AND GET YOU POSSESSIONS THEREIN.
34:11 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.
34:12 ASK 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.
VERSES 13-31, The sons of Jacob were deceitful in pretending to make a covenant -- They had treachery in mind.
34:13 AND THE SONS OF JACOB ANSWERED SHECHEM AND HAMOR HIS FATHER DECEITFULLY, AND SAID, BECAUSE HE HAD DEFILED DINAH THEIR SISTER:
34:14 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:
**So far, they are right; Circumcision was the sign of the cov-enant God had made with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17).
34:15 BUT IN THIS WILL WE CONSENT UNTO YOU: IF YE WILL BE AS WE [BE], THAT EVERY MALE OF YOU BE CIRCUMCISED;
34:16 THEN 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.
A.Perhaps Jacob knew nothing of this proposal, and therefore he personally had no part in it.
B.The sons were wrong, not only in their cruel intentions, but:
34:17 BUT IF YE WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO US, TO BE CIRCUMCISED; THEN WILL WE TAKE OUR DAUGHTER, AND WE WILL BE GONE.
34:18 AND THEIR WORDS PLEASED HAMOR, AND SHECHEM HAMOR'S SON.
34:19 AND 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.
34:20 AND HAMOR AND SHECHEM HIS SON CAME UNTO THE GATE OF THEIR CITY, AND COMMUNED WITH THE MEN OF THEIR CITY, SAYING,
34:21 THESE 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.
34:22 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.
34:23 [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.
**This was powerful selling, and it was successful.
34:24 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.
34:25 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.
A.SIMEON AND LEVI: They were Dinah's full brethren (of the same mother -- Leah).
B.Punishment was in order, but the trickery and the advantage taken of these men was immoral.
C.This was a savage massacre (one writer called it "a heart-less, ruthless, treacherous, diabolic massacre") which Jacob always regretted, even to his dying day - Gen 49:5-7.
D.There are times when righteous indignation is called for, but there is also need for special watchfulness - Eph 4:26.
34:26 AND THEY SLEW HAMOR AND SHECHEM HIS SON WITH THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, AND TOOK DINAH OUT OF SHECHEM'S HOUSE, AND WENT OUT.
34:27 THE SONS OF JACOB CAME UPON THE SLAIN, AND SPOILED THE CITY, BECAUSE THEY HAD DEFILED THEIR SISTER.
34:28 THEY TOOK THEIR SHEEP, AND THEIR OXEN, AND THEIR ASSES, AND THAT WHICH [WAS] IN THE CITY, AND THAT WHICH [WAS] IN THE FIELD,
34:29 AND ALL THEIR WEALTH, AND ALL THEIR LITTLE ONES, AND THEIR WIVES TOOK THEY CAPTIVE, AND SPOILED EVEN ALL THAT [WAS] IN THE HOUSE.
34:30 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.
A.Jacob's words seem a rather weak rebuke for such a horrible crime; It sounds as though his only concern was for himself and his family, not for the honor of God.
B.But perhaps he was growing.
34:31 AND THEY SAID, SHOULD HE DEAL WITH OUR SISTER AS WITH AN HARLOT?
**They refused to give Shechem any recognition for having offered their sister an honorable marriage after he had defiled her.
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