John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 34:1-31
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
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 34:18-31
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