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41 Pharaoh’s Dreams
42 Joseph Sees His Brothers
43 Joseph Sees His Brothers Again
44 Joseph Detains Benjamin
45 Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
46 Israel’s Migration to Egypt
47 Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
48 Blessing for Joseph’s Sons
49 Jacob’s Last Words
50 Burial in the Promised Land
42 Joseph Sees His Brothers
43 Joseph Sees His Brothers Again
44 Joseph Detains Benjamin
45 Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
46 Israel’s Migration to Egypt
47 Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
48 Blessing for Joseph’s Sons
49 Jacob’s Last Words
50 Burial in the Promised Land
Genesis 34: Dinah Defiled
Where did Dinah go when she went to visit the young women?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:1 Jacob and Leah’s daughter Dinah went to visit the young women in the area.
King James
Genesis 34:1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
How did Shechem meet Dinah? What did he do to get her to sleep with him?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:2–3 Hamor’s son Shechem, chief among the Hivites, took Dinah in and compelled her to sleep with him. This act was more than just a sexual attraction. Shechem fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her.
King James
Genesis 34:2–3 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
By what means did Jacob hear about what happened? What was his initial reaction?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:4–5 Shechem said to his father, Hamor, “Arrange for me to have this young woman as my wife.”
When Jacob got word about what had happened, his sons were tending the livestock in the field, so he didn’t say anything to them until they returned.
King James
Genesis 34:4–5 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
Who was present with Jacob and Hamor, before Jacob’s sons arrived?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:6 Hamor, Shechem’s father, went to Jacob to talk about marriage arrangements.
Genesis 34:11 Shechem said to Jacob and Dinah’s brothers, “Please grant me this one favor, and let me marry her. I’ll give you whatever you ask.
King James
Genesis 34:6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
Genesis 34:11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
In what ways did the conversation change after Jacob’s sons arrived?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:7–10 When Jacob’s sons came in from the field and heard the news, they were furious, grieved because their sister had been disgraced in a way that should never be tolerated.
“My son loves Dinah,” Hamor said. “He wants to marry her. Please give her to him as his wife. Let’s arrange other marriages as well. Give your daughters for marriage, and we will give ours. You can live among us. Our land is your land. We can live and prosper together.”
King James
Genesis 34:7–10 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done. And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
What did Shechem hope for in response to his offer to give “whatever you ask”? Would he have given everything he had? Why?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:11–12 Shechem said to Jacob and Dinah’s brothers, “Please grant me this one favor, and let me marry her. I’ll give you whatever you ask. Set the dowry amount as high as you want. I’ll pay anything to have her as my wife.”
King James
Genesis 34:11–12 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
Of all the brothers, who had the circumcision idea and was the spokesman for the offer?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:13–18 Because they were angry that Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons were deceptive in their response to Shechem and his father. “We cannot allow our sister to marry an uncircumcised man,” they said. “That would be a disgrace to our family. But if all your men become circumcised as we are, we will give our consent. Then we will give our daughters for marriage and will accept yours. We can live among you and become one people. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we will take Dinah with us and leave.”
That offer sounded good to Hamor and his son.
Genesis 34:25 Three days later, while the men were still sore from their wounds, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers, boldly entered the city and killed every man with their swords,
King James
Genesis 34:13–18 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
Genesis 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
Why did the circumcision offer sound good to Hamor and Shechem?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:13–18 Because they were angry that Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons were deceptive in their response to Shechem and his father. “We cannot allow our sister to marry an uncircumcised man,” they said. “That would be a disgrace to our family. But if all your men become circumcised as we are, we will give our consent. Then we will give our daughters for marriage and will accept yours. We can live among you and become one people. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we will take Dinah with us and leave.”
That offer sounded good to Hamor and his son.
King James
Genesis 34:13–18 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
How much confidence did Hamor and Shechem have that the other men of the city would agree to circumcision?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:19–24 Because he loved Jacob’s daughter so much and was so highly respected in his family, Shechem immediately arranged for the circumcisions.
Hamor and Shechem met with the city leaders, saying, “These men are peaceable toward us. The land is large enough for all of us, so let them live and prosper with us. Let’s take their daughters for our wives and give them our daughters. They are unwilling to live here unless every male among us is circumcised as they are. Everything they have—their flocks and herds and all their possessions—will be ours. Let’s accept their terms so they will live with us.”
The city leaders agreed with Hamor and Shechem, so all the men in the city were circumcised.
King James
Genesis 34:19–24 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
How many of Jacob’s sons killed the men in the city and took their wealth? Why that many?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:25–29 Three days later, while the men were still sore from their wounds, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers, boldly entered the city and killed every man with their swords, including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.
All the sons of Jacob looted the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks and herds and possessions—everything from the city and the fields, all their wealth, their women and children, and their household goods.
King James
Genesis 34:25–29 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, and all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
When the brothers looted the city and killed its men, why was Dinah in Shechem’s house? What was her reaction to what her brothers were doing?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:26 Then they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.
King James
Genesis 34:26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
Why did Jacob fear the Canaanites and the Perizzites?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have made me the enemy of everyone in the land. The Canaanites and the Perizzites will gather an army against me, and I have no means to defend myself. I and my household will be destroyed.”
King James
Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
How did Jacob react when he learned what his sons had done? What did he think of their reason?
Author’s Thoughts
Author’s Insights Pending
Author’s Paraphrase
Genesis 34:31 “Should we have allowed our sister to be treated like a prostitute?” they said.
King James
Genesis 34:31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?