Genesis 34:23. Shall not their cattle and substance be ours? Either for our use and benefit in the way of trade and commerce, or because they will descend to the issue of our children as well as theirs. Thus they cover their private designs with the specious show of public good. read more
Back in Canaan (33:18-35:15)From Succoth Jacob later moved with his household across the Jordan River into Canaan itself and settled in Shechem. By buying a piece of land, he gained permanent possession of part of the land God had promised to him and his descendants (18-20; cf. 23:1-20; 28:1-5).When the son of a local headman raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah, the headman suggested to Jacob that his son marry Dinah, and that Jacob’s sons marry the local Canaanite women (34:1-12). Jacob’s sons agreed... read more
behold. Figure of speech. Asterismos . App-6 . read more
Shall not, &c. Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . read more
"And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was honored above 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, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives,... read more
20. Hamor and Shechem . . . came unto the gate of their city—That was the place where every public communication was made; and in the ready obsequious submission of the people to this measure we see an evidence either of the extraordinary affection for the governing family, or of the abject despotism of the East, where the will of a chief is an absolute command. read more
We can explain the agreement of the men of the city, including Hamor (meaning "donkey," a valued and respected animal) and Shechem (Genesis 34:18), to undergo circumcision. Other nations besides Jacob’s family practiced this rite at this time as an act of consecration. [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 1:313-14.] Jacob was not suggesting that these men convert from one religion to another. [Note: J. Milgrom, "Religious Conversion and the Revolt Model for the Formation of Israel," Journal of Biblical... read more
The Dishonour done to Dinah, and the Crafty Revenge of Simeon and Levi1. Went out to see the daughters of the land] According to Josephus there was a festival among the Canaanites at Shechem.7. Folly] The term is frequently applied in the moral sense as equivalent to immorality: see Deuteronomy 22:21; Judges 20:6; 2 Samuel 13:12, and frequently in Proverbs, as Proverbs 7:7. A world of argument lies in the scriptural identification of wickedness and folly. The moral man is the wise man. In... read more
THE TÔLDÔTH ISAAC (Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29). THE BIRTH OF ISAAC’S SONS.Abraham begat Isaac—The Tôldôth in its original form gave probably a complete genealogy of Isaac, tracing up his descent to Shem, and showing thereby that the right of primogeniture belonged to him; but the inspired historian uses only so much of this as is necessary for tracing the development of the Divine plan of human redemption.The Syrian.—Really, the Aramean, or descendant of Aram. (See Genesis 10:22-23.) The... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 34:1-31
- Dinah’s DishonorThis chapter records the rape of Dinah and the revenge of her brothers.Genesis 34:1-5Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land. The Jewish doctors of a later period fix the marriageable age of a female at twelve years and a day. It is probable that Dinah was in her thirteenth year when she went out to visit the daughters of the land. Six or seven years, therefore, must have been spent by Jacob between Sukkoth, where he abode some time, and the neighborhood of Shekerm,... read more