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, w... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 1 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 it z: she is observed to be the daughter of Leah, partly that the f... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 he... [ Continue Reading ]
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, a... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 marriag... [ Continue Reading ]
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 se... [ Continue Reading ]
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 s... [ Continue Reading ]
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 childre... [ Continue Reading ]
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 traffi... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
ASK ME NEVER SO MUCH DOWRY AND GIFT,.... Or "multiply [them] exceedingly" i, 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 ga... [ Continue Reading ]
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 us... [ Continue Reading ]
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 daughte... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 per... [ Continue Reading ]
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 conven... [ Continue Reading ]
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,... [ Continue Reading ]
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; sub... [ Continue Reading ]
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 t... [ Continue Reading ]
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 mo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE THIRD DAY, WHEN THEY WERE SORE,.... Or in "pain" k, 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 thir... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 S... [ Continue Reading ]
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;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THEIR WEALTH,.... Or "power" o 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 WIVE... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]