Genesis 34:12-13 . Ask me never so much dowry and gift Dowry to her for her portion, according to the ancient custom of men’s buying their wives, Exodus 22:17; and gift to you, either for reparation of the past injury, or in testimony of my respect to you, and desire of her. The sons of Jacob answered deceitfully Pretending and promising marriages with them upon that condition, which they never intended. 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
Israel. The first Occurance in a collective sense. read more
soul. Hebrew. nephesh . App-13 . Figure of speech. Synecdoche (of Part) and Pleonasm, ( App-6 ), to emphasise the intensity of the longing. read more
gift. The noun put by Metonymy for the verb = ask me to give, &c. read more
"And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his... read more
"And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her unto him to wife. And make ye marriages with us; 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. And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find favor in your eyes and what ye say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much dowry... read more
Genesis 34:12. Ask me never so much dowry, &c.— See ch. Genesis 29:11. Thevenot, in his Travels, tells us, that the same custom of men's giving dowries for their wives prevails at this day among the Turks and Persians. See his Travels, book i. c. 41. read more
5. Jacob held his peace—Jacob, as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed. But he could do little. In the case of a family by different wives, it is not the father, but the full brothers, on whom the protection of the daughters devolves—they are the guardians of a sister's welfare and the avengers of her wrongs. It was for this reason that Simeon and Levi, the two brothers of Dinah by Leah [ :-], appear the chief actors in this episode; and though the two fathers would have... read more
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Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Genesis 34:10
Genesis 34:10. The land shall be before you That is, in your power, to dwell where you please, and to have the same rights and privileges in it which we have. Get you possessions therein Or take possession in it, that is, in any vacant part of it: use it for pasture or tillage, as you think good, and take the benefit to yourselves. read more