Lesson 73 - Jacob's Family are Horribly Affected by the Culture. Genesis 34:1- 12

The Heathen defiles Jacobs Daughter 34:1- 4

English Standard Version (Chapter 34)

34 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

Dinah is just mentioned passively in Chapter 30, but now she is in the headlines. She is a daughter of Leah and Jacob and her desire was to go out and see the daughters of the land. The young man in this passage is the son of Hamor, who is really a namesake of Ham, Noah’s son who was cursed. Remember “cursed be Ham.” This is a descendant of sexual sin. Dinah’s desire was to be free and see the sights and the young people. There’s that acceptance thing again. Brothers and sisters both need it. Dinah went looking among the women of the land. She went out “to see” and no doubt to be seen, not only of the women but also the young men. We are not told that but that is how the story goes. She was seen of one man, Shechem, the son of Hamor, saw her, seized here and humiliated her.

Seeing is one thing but Shechem took no care for her honor or feelings and then he seized her in a violent fashion. Now Dinah is totally out of her element. No longer are there the herdsmen/countrymen of Laban and her dad Jacob all around her. She is totally unprotected. The word seized means to behave in a proud and haughty manner, showing arrogance and the audacity to ignore someone else’s authority. Today we would call it rape. He literally grabbed her by the hand, according to the Hebrew, without her permission. He then lay with her, being overpowered, and then the result is humiliation, not love at first sight.

To lie with him in the Hebrew means she was overcome in a horizontal position. Humiliation is the aftermath of someone who is violated. There are a lot of terms to let us see what the Hebrew text is saying. She was afflicted, suffering, and oppressed, in a state of anxiety and stress. It is not just a state of mind but a true state of trouble. Dishonoring a female means you did not mess with just the daughter, you messed with Mom and Dad, the brothers, and the whole clan. If Grandpa Laban knew about it, he would come all the way from Babylon to avenge his granddaughter because you’ve now messed with all of us through harming and dishonoring our sister.

Of course, now he is smitten with Dinah, and he tries to talk nice to her and smooth things over. Incidentally, that is why there are courts for this today. He goes to his dad and demands, “get me this girl for my wife.”

The Family Gets Involved 34:5-7

English Standard Version (Chapter 34)

5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done.

Jacob has now heard after Hamor has heard, but the brothers in the field have not heard. Hamor must have understood what is in store for his son because of family retribution. He lines up a meeting with Jacob and they discuss marriage or war. No one knows what is next. When Dinah’s brothers came in from the field they lost it. They are focused on a hurting, and humiliated sister, their family honor, and their own anger aimed at this rapist.

This is the point of the clan being now identified by Israel, vs.7:

“because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done. “

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 34:7.

The brothers are burning with anger and wrath. They are downright disturbed about it. Enraged is a good descriptive word to picture them. Hamor is going to try and soothe the hurt done to Jacobs family.

Hamor Proposes a Proper Gift in exchange of Dinah’s Honor 34:8-12

English Standard Version (Chapter 34)

8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. 9 Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.” 11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”

Hamor wants them to be one big happy family with him and his family. He thinks it would be great for them to have marriages, family to family. Hamor says give us your daughters and we will give you ours. Hamor wants Jacob to dwell in the land with them, trade and own property. Shechem pleads with Jacob and the brothers, that he may find favor in their eyes. We will do whatever you ask. Give me a price for the girl, or a gift to replace her. Shechem says “I will do whatever you say. Just give her to me for a wife.”

The Deceit of Jacobs Family 34:13-17

English Standard Version (Chapter 34)

13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. 17 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.”

The truth is, Jacob’s sons never intended to let these uncircumcised heathen into the family for anything. If they did, “it would be a disgrace.” So, they set about to deceive Hamor and Shechem and told them if they and all of their kin would get circumcised, then he deal is on, if not , we take our sister and leave the party. Seems simple enough:

18 Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 34:18–24.

Hamor and Shechem were pleased with the condition as it elevated Shechem’s position in his fathers house. He was marrying into status. They persuaded the men of their city, their relatives and all, to comply with the order of circumcision for all males. Interesting to note, that their motives were not so pure either. They said, about Jacobs family’s belongings and cattle: Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 34:23.

Under the name of family honor, retribution, and revenge, a lot of serious misdeeds have occured. Some have even lost their lives. What was the gain? There is more to this discussion than meets the eye. Stay tuned. The chapter will be finished next week.