The Defilement of Dinah
Notes
Transcript
Text: Genesis 34
Chapter 34 is a dark chapter — a deep valley between 2 mountaintop experiences.
In chapters 32-33 Jacob wrestled with God, received a new name, reconciled with Esau, and dedicated himself to God
In chapter 35, Jacob has a further encounter with God, leads his family to abandon idolatry and commit themselves to God, and receives God’s promises and blessing
Here in the middle, in chapter 34, Jacob and his family are sinned against by the Canaanites, and in turn they respond by committing an atrocity and revealing ungodly attitudes and character in their own lives.
There is no reference to God in this chapter — Jacob and his sons are not living close to God or thinking about what He wants — they are not acknowledging the LORD in all their ways so that He would make their paths straight.
Like Abraham and Isaac before him, Jacob is a sinful man who has given birth to other sinners. Just like them, Jacob and his family are in need of God’s gracious rescue, which we’ll see Lord willing in chapter 35. But this reminds us that God didn’t choose Jacob (or Abraham or Isaac) because they were good or deserving men, but simply because He decided to set His love on them. And the same is true of us.
God demonstrates the glory of His grace in Christ by pitting it against the darkness and awfulness of human sin and depravity.
1 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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
25 On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.
26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field.
29 All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.”
31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
PRAY
Introduction: Setting at Shechem
Jacob has returned from Paddan-aram
He has reconciled with Esau
Most importantly he has encountered God and committed himself to the LORD as his God
-wrestling with the angel/God
-naming his altar at Shechem “El-Elohe-Israel” (Genesis 33:20 “20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.” )
Jacob bought some land next to Shechem and settled his family there. This is the setting where Genesis 34 takes place.
18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city.
19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.
Genesis 34 — The Defilement of Dinah
Genesis 34 — The Defilement of Dinah
Jacob’s failures as a father — though he has had an encounter with God, his life isn’t perfect and he still makes great mistakes here.
failure to protect Dinah (Gen 34:1)
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land.
Jacob should have been aware of the danger posed by the godless people around them, and he should have done what he could to protect his family, especially his daughter who is more vulnerable.
probably should not have bought land right next to the godless Canaanites
probably should have done more to protect his daughter and keep her away from harm
Is it because she’s the daughter of Leah, the unloved wife?
Jacob should have cared for his daughter the way Boaz looked after Ruth in Ruth 2:8-9
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.
9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”
Jacob isn’t responsible for the sin of Shechem against Dinah, but he should have done a better job of caring for and protecting his family.
Even when fathers do their best to protect their families, they can’t always protect them from every kind of harm; but we are responsible to give our best effort to provide a place of safety.
And when harm does happen, we need to respond in a godly and wise and just way and lead others to do so as well. This is another way that Jacob fails here.
failure to restrain his sons’ response
he allowed his sons to lead instead of stepping up himself and leading in pursuit of justice
his failure to lead and train his sons in righteousness led to this war crime; the fact that they see nothing wrong with their actions shows that their father has not taught them about God’s righteousness and justice. They justify their violence: Genesis 34:31
31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Fathers, disciple your children: discipline, instruct, teach
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
What would justice look like in this case?
The Mosaic law gives 2 options for situations like this:
The man who raped the young woman may be required to pay a significant fine, then be forced to marry the young woman and never be allowed to divorce her.
28 “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found,
29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
If the father refuses to allow the man to marry his daughter, the man must pay a large sum of money to ensure that the young woman is provided for, since she may not be able to get married after being raped.
16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.
17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.
If Dinah had been betrothed, then the penalty for Shechem would have been death, but not death for his whole family and town.
(Deuteronomy 22:25 “25 “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.” )
The Canaanites are sexually perverse and will eventually be destroyed
shows us why Abraham and Isaac were afraid to tell the truth about their wives (Gen 12, 20, 26)
there is never any sign of remorse or sense of wrongdoing from Shechem or his father or anyone in the town
Shechem and the people of his town are following in the sin of their ancestor Canaan, and they are under God’s curse and are destroyed like the remaining Canaanites were at the conquest in Joshua.
The fact that this slaughter of the Canaanites foreshadows the conquest does not mean that this was good or righteous; in the case of the conquest, it was mandated by God and was not an act of vengeance.
Simeon and Levi’s violence disqualified them from leadership in the family
at best Shechem and his father deserved some kind of justice for their mistreatment of Dinah, but they slaughtered the whole town.
“When Jacob pronounces his deathbed blessing (49:5–7), he will offer no blessing for Simeon and Levi because of their violence. The tribe of Simeon seems to vanish from history, and Levi loses its inheritance.” Genesis 49:5-7
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
Here Simeon and Levi (sons #2 & 3) disqualify themselves from being the family leaders, and in the next chapter Reuben (the firstborn) disqualifies himself, paving the way for Judah, the fourth son, to be the family leader through whom the kings will come, and ultimately the Messiah.
What the men of Shechem offer Jacob’s family is like the worldly version of God’s promises of land, seed, and blessing
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.”
if Jacob’s family had taken them up on this offer, they would have put God’s promises at risk and they would have missed out on God’s true blessings
like what Satan offers Jesus when he offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-7)
Jacob’s sons used circumcision as a trap to kill all the men
By telling us that their answer was deceitful, Moses shows us that this was not right.
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.”
Using circumcision to deceive and later destroy these people would be like Christians today using baptism to drown people (Sam Emadi)
Circumcision was the sign and seal of God’s covenant with Abraham, just like baptism is the sign and seal of the new covenant.
This is very wicked on the part of Jacob’s sons
Jacob is passive and mainly concerned with his reputation
Jacob “held his peace” until his sons came back (Gen 34:5)
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.
His sons are leading the conversation (Gen 34:13)
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.
Jacob is concerned mainly about his reputation and his safety (Gen 34:30)
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.”
Connection with story of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Sam 13
rape of a young virgin (2 Sam 13:2)
the daughter of the man in covenant with God (Jacob & David)
The rape is described as an outrageous thing in Israel (2 Sam 13:12; Gen 34:7), something that must not be done
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.
12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing.
contrast: following the rape, Shechem loved Dinah and spoke tenderly to her, but Amnon hated Tamar and spoke harshly to her (2 Sam 13:14-15; Gen 34:2-3)
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.
14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!”
fathers Jacob and David were both passive in their response, doing nothing to pursue justice (2 Sam 13:21; Gen 34:5
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.
21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
the girls brother(s) take vengeance on the rapist, Simeon and Levi here, Absalom in 2 Samuel. (2 Sam 13:32-33; Gen 34:25-27
25 On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.
26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
32 But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar.
33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”
Applications:
Fathers, protect your daughters and disciple your sons. You are not ultimately responsible for your children’s choices or what happens to them, but God has given you a great influence over your family that you need to use to lead them in godliness.
Do not be passive in the face of injustice, or it may lead to further injustice.
Violence is not the right response to injustice; seek justice that aligns with God’s standards.
Be more concerned about the spiritual state of those under your authority than about your reputation and how it’s affected by their actions.
Recognize that while there can be forgiveness for sinful actions, they may bear long-term consequences. Let the reality of sin’s consequences deter you from sin.
Marvel at the glory of God’s grace, and let His grace keep you from sin. Despite Jacob’s massive failures here, God is not done with Jacob. God is going to be gracious to him and continue to refine him.
1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
