NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 73
Genesis 34:17 | 77
33:17 x Jos 13:27;
Jdg 8:5, 6, 8, 14-16;
Ps 60:6
33:18 y Ge 25:20; 28:2
z Jos 24:1; Jdg 9:1
33:19 a Jos 24:32
b Jn 4:5
34:1 c Ge 30:21
34:6 d Jdg 14:2‑5
34:7 e Dt 22:21;
Jdg 20:6; 2Sa 13:12
f Jos 7:15
34:10 g Ge 47:6, 27
h Ge 13:9; 20:15
i Ge 42:34
34:12 j Ex 22:16;
Dt 22:29; 1Sa 18:25
34:14 k Ge 17:14;
Jdg 14:3
34:15 l Ex 12:48
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, x
here he b
w
uilt a p
lace for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place
is called Sukkoth. a
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, b y he arrived safely at the city of Shechem z in
Canaan and c amped within s ight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver, c he b
ought
from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, a the plot of ground b where he pitched his
tent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel. d
Dinah and the Shechemites
34
Now Dinah, c the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of
the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her,
he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the
young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get
me this girl as my wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields
with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came h
ome.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. d 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons
had come in from the f ields as soon as they h
eard what had happened. They were s hocked
and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in e Israel e by sleeping with
Jacob’s daughter — a thing that should not be done. f
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his h
eart set on your daughter. Please
give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our
daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; g the land is open to you. h Live in it,
trade f in it, i and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and
I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the p
rice for the b
ride j and the gift I am to b
ring
as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as
my wife.”
13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they
spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing;
we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. k That would be a disgrace to us.
15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like
us by circumcising all your males. l 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your
daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if
you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
a 17
Sukkoth means shelters. b 18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia c 19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a
unit of money of unknown weight and value. d 20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God
of Israel. e 7 Or against f 10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21
33:17 Jacob travels the short distance from
Peniel to Sukkoth, following the Jabbok River
as it flows down to the Jordan River. Here
Jacob rests his flocks and herds. shelters.
Sukkoth is named after the shelters that Ja-
cob erects for his livestock. The shelters were
probably temporary, as was the case when
later the Israelites celebrated the Festival of
Tabernacles (see Lev 23:33 – 43).
33:18 Shechem. Lies about 20 miles (32
kilometers) to the west of Sukkoth. Pos-
sibly, Jacob traveled from Sukkoth to Seir,
as he promised Esau (v. 14), before moving
on to Shechem. The land of Seir lay to the
southeast of Sukkoth. By camping close to
Shechem, Jacob followed in Abraham’s foot-
steps (12:6). While Abraham was at Shechem,
God promised to give the land to his descen-
dants (12:7).
33:19 – 20 Jacob buys a plot of ground in
Shechem. He also sets up an altar, possibly
reconstructing the one that Abraham made
ther e (12:7). Shechem and his father, Hamor,
figure prominently in the next episode.
33:20 El Elohe Israel. By naming the altar (see
NIV text note), Jacob indicates that he is in-
timately connected to this God, the God who
named him Israel at Peniel (32:28). No longer
does Jacob refer to God simply as the God of
his fathers.
34:1 – 31 Dinah and the Shechemites. Shechem’s
treatment of Dinah threatens to undermine
Jacob’s safe return to Canaan. Shechem’s ac-
tions toward Dinah are reprehensible. When
her brothers find out what was done, they
are rightfully enraged. Shechem seeks to
make amends by marrying Dinah, but Jacob’s
sons will not be placated. Deceptively, they
persuade the men of Shechem to be circum-
cised. Before the men of the town have fully
recovered, Simeon and Levi kill all the men of
Shechem. Jacob condemns his sons’ behav-
ior, fearing that it will endanger the future of
his family in Canaan. Ironically, circumcision
was meant to be a source of blessing by con-
necting others to Abraham. The punishment
(killing the Shechemites) exceeds the crime
(Shechem’s rape of Dinah).
34:2 ruler of that area. Hamor was an influen-
tial person. His standing within the community
may well have influenced his son Shechem’s
behavior and Shechem’s subsequent expecta-
tion that Hamor could arrange for Shechem to
marry Dinah. took her and raped her. Shechem
violated Dinah, and one result was that she
was now ineligible for a proper marriage.
34:5 – 7 Jacob and his sons react differently:
Jacob is slow to act when he learns Shechem
defiled Dinah, but Shechem’s actions enrage
Dinah’s brothers. In the events that follow, Ja-
cob’s sons take the initiative, acting both de-
ceitfully and without their father’s approval.
34:8 – 10 Hamor attempts to get permission
for Shechem to marry Dinah by offering Ja-
cob’s family the opportunity to integrate with
the local community and become permanent
residents.
34:12 the price for the bride. In line with an-
cient Near Eastern custom, Shechem offers
Jacob and his sons a gift of money. This was
a normal part of arranging a marriage. When
Jacob was with Laban, he paid a bride-price
equivalent to seven years labor. Shechem is
obviously determined to have Dinah as his
wife.
34:13 deceitfully. The Hebrew term conveys a
strong sense of malice; Isaac uses the same
word to describe Jacob’s taking Esau’s blessing
(27:35). Unwilling to forgive Shechem, the sons
of Jacob “the deceiver” respond “deceitfully.”
34:14 not circumcised. In ch. 17 circumcision is
the sign of the covenant that God establishes
with Abraham. This covenant, which centers
on Abraham being the father of many nations,
is about Abraham and his descendants medi-
ating God’s blessing to others. While Jacob’s
sons correctly see circumcision as a means by
which others may become part of Abraham’s
family, they have no desire to bring God’s
blessing to the people of Shechem.