^34:1Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet¹ the young women² of the land. ^34:2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her,³ and sexually assaulted her.⁴^34:3Then he became very attached⁵ to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.⁶^34:4Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.”⁷^34:5When⁸ Jacob heard that Shechem⁹ had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent¹⁰ until they came in.

^34:6Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah.¹¹^34:7Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news.¹² They¹³ were offended¹⁴ and very angry because Shechem¹⁵ had disgraced Israel¹⁶ by sexually assaulting¹⁷ Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed.¹⁸

^34:8But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter.¹⁹ Please give her to him as his wife. ^34:9Intermarry with us.²⁰ Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves.²¹^34:10You may live²² among us, and the land will be open to you.²³ Live in it, travel freely in it,²⁴ and acquire property in it.”

^34:11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s²⁵ father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me²⁶ I’ll give.²⁷^34:12You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive,²⁸ and I’ll give²⁹ whatever you ask³⁰ of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”

^34:13Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem³¹ had violated their sister Dinah. ^34:14They said to them, “We cannot give³² our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace³³ to us. ^34:15We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become³⁴ like us by circumcising³⁵ all your males. ^34:16Then we will give³⁶ you our daughters to marry,³⁷ and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. ^34:17But if you do not agree to our terms³⁸ by being circumcised, then we will take³⁹ our sister⁴⁰ and depart.”

^34:18Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.⁴¹^34:19The young man did not delay in doing what they asked⁴² because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah⁴³ badly. (Now he was more important⁴⁴ than anyone in his father’s household.)⁴⁵^34:20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate⁴⁶ of their city and spoke to the men of their city, ^34:21“These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough⁴⁷ for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.⁴⁸^34:22Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand⁴⁹ that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. ^34:23If we do so,⁵⁰ won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

^34:24All the men who assembled at the city gate⁵¹ agreed with⁵² Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate⁵³ was circumcised. ^34:25In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword⁵⁴ and went to the unsuspecting city⁵⁵ and slaughtered every male. ^34:26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. ^34:27Jacob’s sons killed them⁵⁶ and looted the city because their sister had been violated.⁵⁷^34:28They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.⁵⁸^34:29They captured as plunder⁵⁹ all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

^34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin⁶⁰ on me by making me a foul odor⁶¹ among the inhabitants of the land—among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I⁶² am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” ^34:31But Simeon and Levi replied,⁶³ “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

The Return to Bethel

^35:1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once¹ to Bethel² and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”³^35:2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you.⁴ Purify yourselves and change your clothes.⁵^35:3Let us go up at once⁶ to Bethel. Then I will make⁷ an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress⁸ and has been with me wherever I went.”⁹

^35:4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession¹⁰ and the rings that were in their ears.¹¹ Jacob buried them¹² under the oak¹³ near Shechem ^35:5and they started on their journey.¹⁴ The surrounding cities were afraid of God,¹⁵ and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

^35:6Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel)¹⁶ in the land of Canaan.¹⁷^35:7He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel¹⁸ because there God had revealed himself¹⁹ to him when he was fleeing from his brother. ^35:8(Deborah,²⁰ Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named²¹ Oak of Weeping.)²²

^35:9God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. ^35:10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel.²³^35:11Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God.²⁴ Be fruitful and multiply! A nation—even a company of nations—will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!²⁵^35:12The land I gave²⁶ to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants²⁷ I will also give this land.” ^35:13Then God went up from the place²⁸ where he spoke with him. ^35:14So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him.²⁹ He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.³⁰^35:15Jacob named the place³¹ where God spoke with him Bethel.³²

^35:16They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away,³³ Rachel went into labor³⁴—and her labor was hard. ^35:17When her labor was at its hardest,³⁵ the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.”³⁶^35:18With her dying breath,³⁷ she named him Ben-Oni.³⁸ But his father called him Benjamin instead.³⁹^35:19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).⁴⁰^35:20Jacob set up a marker⁴¹ over her grave; it is⁴² the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

^35:21Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.⁴³^35:22While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with⁴⁴ Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

^35:23The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

^35:24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

^35:25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

^35:26The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

^35:27So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre,⁴⁵ to Kiriath Arba⁴⁶ (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.⁴⁷^35:28Isaac lived to be 180 years old.⁴⁸^35:29Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors.⁴⁹ He died an old man who had lived a full life.⁵⁰ His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bé), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
2 Heb “daughters.”
3 Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see 1012 שָׁכַב.
4 The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
5 Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
6 Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. “comforted her”).
7 Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
8 The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard … and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
9 Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.
11 Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
12 Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
13 Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
14 The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10–11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
15 Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
17 Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
18 Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
19 Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
20 Heb “form marriage alliances with us.” Intermarry with us. This includes the idea of becoming allied by marriage. The incident foreshadows the temptations Israel would eventually face when they entered the promised land (see Deut 7:3; Josh 23:12).
21 Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let … marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
22 The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
23 Heb “before you.”
24 The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sḥr in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” 164 [1961]: 23–28); cf. , “trade in it.”
25 Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 Heb “whatever you say.”
27 Or “pay.”
28 Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
29 The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
30 Heb “say.”
31 Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
33 The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
34 Heb “if you are like us.”
35 The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
36 The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
37 The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
38 Heb “listen to us.”
39 The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
40 Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
41 Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
42 Heb “doing the thing.”
43 Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
44 The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was … important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
45 The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20–24).
46 The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
47 Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
48 The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
49 Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
50 The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
51 Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
52 Heb “listened to.”
53 Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
54 Heb “a man his sword.”
55 Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
56 Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
57 Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
58 Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
59 Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
60 The traditional translation is “troubled me” (, ), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
61 In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” 2 (1951): 31–36.
62 Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
63 Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
2 For location see ; ; ; ; .
3 God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from … Esau (see Gen 28:20–22).
4 Heb “which are in your midst.”
5 The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.
6 Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
7 The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
8 Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
9 Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
10 Heb “in their hand.”
11 On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [], 2:).
12 Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” 8 (1954/55): 102–22.
13 Or “terebinth.”
14 Heb “and they journeyed.”
15 Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. “were panic-stricken”; “a great terror”).
16 For location see ; ; ; ; .
17 Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan—it is Bethel—he and all the people who were with him.”
18 The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
19 Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in .
20 Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
21 “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
22 Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. , , ). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
23 Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The name Israel means “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). See Gen 32:28.
24 The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin . There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” 54 (1935): 173–210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” 41 (1940): 34–43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69–72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in .
25 Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.” A nation … will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3–4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.
26 The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the Lord made it certain; but it has the sense “promised to give.”
27 Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
28 Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
29 Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in ). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18–19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
30 The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
31 Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
32 The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew. For location see ; ; ; ; .
33 Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
34 Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. ) or “went into labor.”
35 The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [], ).
36 Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
37 Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
38 The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
39 The disjunctive clause is contrastive. His father called him Benjamin. There was a preference for giving children good or positive names in the ancient world, and “son of my suffering” would not do (see the incident in 1 Chr 4:9–10), because it would be a reminder of the death of Rachel (in this connection, see also D. Daube, “The Night of Death,” 61 [1968]: 629–32). So Jacob named him Benjamin, which means “son of the [or “my”] right hand.” The name Benjamin appears in the Mari texts. There have been attempts to connect this name to the resident tribe listed at Mari, “sons of the south” (since the term “right hand” can also mean “south” in Hebrew), but this assumes a different reading of the story. See J. Muilenburg, “The Birth of Benjamin,” 75 (1956): 194–201.
40 This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem. For location see ; ; ; .
41 Heb “standing stone.”
42 Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. ).
43 The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
44 Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse. Reuben’s act of having sexual relations with Bilhah probably had other purposes than merely satisfying his sexual desire. By having sex with Bilhah, Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) would have prevented Bilhah from succeeding Rachel as the favorite wife, and by sleeping with his father’s concubine he would also be attempting to take over leadership of the clan—something Absalom foolishly attempted later on in Israel’s history (2 Sam 16:21–22).
45 This is an adverbial accusative of location.
46 The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
47 The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
48 Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
49 Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
50 Heb “old and full of years.”