[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 34
1-31 After all that God had done for Jacob, we see a degree of apathy set in. Instead of returning to Bethel to fulfill the vow he had taken in 28:22, a vow which God reminded him of in 31:13, Jacob settled in Shechem and stayed there. Rachel apparently still had her father’s idols (31:19), and God is not mentioned at all in this chapter. When tragedy strikes, there is no mention of Jacob seeking the Lord or even providing direction for his sons.[75] The result of this apathy is catastrophic.
2 The word rendered raped by the CSB, NIV is translated humiliated by the ESV. The ESV translates the same word as violated in 2 Sam 13:12, 14, 22, 32. However, the ESV Reformation Study Bible acknowledges, “This was forcible rape; Dinah did not consent.”
Typically, marriages in the ANE were arranged by parents who were primarily concerned about the economic and social benefits (e.g., keeping the inheritance intact). Much of this, however, depended on the woman’s virginity. Therefore, women who could not prove chastity before marriage, usually by looking for blood on the wedding night, were unacceptable because the parentage of any children could not be guaranteed. One unfortunate byproduct of this system was that premarital sex was an effective means to bypass the parents’ right to arrange the marriage: the woman’s parents could not arrange another husband if their daughter was not a virgin, and they were compelled to either give their daughter in marriage to the man who slept with her or allow her to live in their home, shamed, forever. Sadly, this opened the door for abuse. ANE laws, including Jewish law (e.g., Exodus 22:16-17; Deuteronomy 22:28-29), did address such situations, but those regulations were typically a slap on the wrist for the man. Therefore, if a man wanted a particular woman as a wife, but neither her parents nor she would agree to the arrangement, he could rape her, and the family would have to choose whether she would to allow her to be married to her rapist or remain in their home, shamed, forever. Faced with no good option, families often chose the former option. Such was the case here. It is difficult to fathom the lifelong trauma such an arrangement would cause.
5-6 It is difficult to comprehend Jacob learning of Dinah’s rape and remaining silent, let alone entertaining Hamor’s proposal to have her marry Shechem. Two things explain it. First, in our western culture, we distinguish between people and the bad things they do or the bad things that happen to them. This is called a guilt culture by sociologists. In contrast, the ANE was dominated by a shame culture, in which it was assumed that bad things were done by – or happened to – bad people. Therefore, the presumption was that, if this bad thing happened to Dinah, she must be bad, and if she is bad, then Jacob and his whole clan must be bad, too. Second, it must be noted that Jacob’s sons were with his livestock in the field. Since the sons could be gone with the livestock for weeks at a time, Jacob was the only man at home when Hamor and Shechem arrived with their demand. Considering that the nearby town was named after Shechem, it is reasonable to conclude that they could rally an army and compel Jacob, even if he resisted. This notion is further supported in vs 19, where Shechem is described as the most important in all his father’s family, and in vs 24, when Hamor and Shechem called all the men of the city to be circumcised, they obliged.
9 To intermarry would be to fully incorporate Jacob’s descendants with the people of the city. For Shechem and Hamor, this would have been an opportunity to claim all of Jacob’s blessings for themselves.
12 What the CSB translates as compensation was, in fact, a bride-price. To accept a bride-price would have legitimized what Shechem did to Dinah and finalize their marriage.
13 Here is the first sign that the trouble is not over: Jacob’s sons answered. Jacob himself did not respond, but he allowed his sons to step into his own place.
15 Instead of treating circumcision as a sacred rite distinguishing Israelites from all other nations, Jacob’s sons used it as a weapon to incapacitate their enemies in order to exact revenge.
21 These men are peaceful toward us stood in stark contrast perpetrated by Shechem against Dinah and the rest of Jacob’s family.
24 It is clear that all those men cared nothing about the religious significance of circumcision. In vss 21-23, Shechem and Hamor billed it as a way to secure wealthy husbands for their daughters, beautiful daughters for their sons, and eventually assume control of all Jacob’s property and possessions.[76]
25 On the third day, when they were still in pain understates the effect of circumcision on an adult male. Modern doctors advise that adults who are circumcised will likely experience swelling and bruising and may need to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen to manage pain for the first two days. This is significant because ancient people had no concept of zero. Thus, they considered the day of surgery as Day 1, and 48 hours later as Day 3. Moreover, doctors advise avoiding strenuous activities “for 2 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay.” Certainly, combat fell under this category. Thus, Simeon and Levi attacked when the men of Shechem were vulnerable.[77]
25-29 It should be noted that Simeon and Levi’s actions were not sanctioned by Jacob or the other 10 brothers. Further, as terrible as it was that Dinah was raped, her brothers’ response was excessive. Rather than holding the individual perpetrator accountable, they slaughtered the whole city. They treated this as a holy war rather than a single man committing a crime against a single woman.[78] Granted, the holy war would eventually come, but this was profoundly premature. This is why Simeon and Levi will be overlooked and the mantle of leadership within the nation of Israel would pass to Judah.
[75] Sproul 2016, Genesis 34:1-31
[76] Sproul 2016, Genesis 34:24
[77] “Adult Circumcision: What to Expect at Home”, n.d.
[78] Keener and Walton 2016, Genesis 34:29; Sproul 2016, Genesis 34:29