Genesis 34:25-29

What Simeon and Levi did was an evil deed. Jacob said that it was wrong (in verse 30). He said that because he was afraid of the other *Canaanites. However, we know that the deed was evil from Genesis 49:5-7. In that verse, Jacob is giving his *blessing to his sons. The *blessing was true, because Jacob’s words came from God. And because Simeon’s and Levi’s deeds were wicked, their *descendants would not receive land with the other *tribes. It was wrong to kill all the men in the city because Shechem had done an evil thing.

Canaan ~ the country where the Canaanites lived. (See Canaanites.) It is approximately the same land as the modern country Israel together with the land of the Palestinians.

Canaanites ~ Canaan’s descendants. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. (see Genesis 9:18.) The word Canaanites included Amorites and Hivites and other nations. (see Genesis 10:16-17.) It sometimes also included other people who lived in the country Canaan. These people were not descendants of Canaan.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
tribe ~ a large group of people who are relatives of each other. Judah’s descendants were called ‘the tribe of Judah’. In a similar way, each of the 12 sons of Israel became a tribe. But Joseph’s descendants were not called ‘the tribe of Joseph’. They were the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
circumcised ~ without the skin on the end of his sex part. (See circumcise.)

circumcise ~ to cut the skin from the end of a male person’s sex part. (see Genesis 17:10-12 and the comment.)
Canaanites ~ Canaan’s descendants. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. (see Genesis 9:18.) The word Canaanites included Amorites and Hivites and other nations. (see Genesis 10:16-17.) It sometimes also included other people who lived in the country Canaan. These people were not descendants of Canaan.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.

Canaan ~ the country where the Canaanites lived. (See Canaanites.) It is approximately the same land as the modern country Israel together with the land of the Palestinians.
circumcise ~ to cut the skin from the end of a male person’s sex part. (see Genesis 17:10-12 and the comment.)
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse. Donkeys can carry heavy loads on their backs. People ride on them.
Hebrew ~ the Hebrew people were Abraham and his descendants. The ancient Hebrew language is the original language of Genesis. It is also the original language of most of the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible). This language is like the modern Hebrew language, which people speak in the country Israel today.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
blessing ~ a father’s prayer for his sons before the father died. God sometimes showed the father what would happen to the son. And so the blessing said what would happen in the future. The blessing of the oldest son was extra important. It showed that the oldest son took his father’s place as the head of the family. (The word ‘blessing’ also has other meanings.)
descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.