Genesis 34:20 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 34:18-24

I. Hamor and Shechem fairly propose this match, in order to a coalition in trade. Shechem is deeply in love with Dinah; he will have her upon any terms, Gen. 34:11, 12. His father not only consents, but solicits for him, and gravely insists upon the advantages that would follow from the union of the families, Gen. 34:9, 10. He shows no jealousy of Jacob, though he was a stranger, but rather an earnest desire to settle a correspondence with him and his family, making him that generous offer,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 34:20

And Hamor and Shechem his son went unto the gate of their city ,.... Where courts of judicature were held, and all public affairs respecting the common interest of the city were transacted: here, no doubt, Hamor their prince summoned them to come, by the usual method in which the citizens were convened on certain occasions: and communed with the men of their city ; upon the subject of entering into an alliance with Jacob's family, of admitting them to be fellow citizens with them, and of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

The tragedy at Shechem. I. DINAH AND SHECHEM . 1. A young girl ' s indiscretion . "Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land." If Dinah's object was to witness the manners of the people, she was guilty of objectionable curiosity; if to exhibit herself, of distressing vanity; if to mingle in their entertainments, of improper levity; and for all these reasons, considering the character of the family to which she belonged, and the wickedness of the people with whom... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

Good out of evil. The whole of this miserable story has its place in the development of the kingdom of God. No alliance can be true and safe which is not upon the foundation of the Divine covenants. Circumcision without faith is a mere carnal ordinance, working evil. The sin of Shechem was avenged, but it was avenged by the commission of a greater sin by Simeon and Levi. It was not thus that the kingdom of God was to be spread. "Ye have troubled me," Jacob said. And so have all worldly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:20-23

And Hamor and Shechem his son came (or went) unto the gate of their city ( vide on Genesis 19:2 ; Genesis 23:10 ), and communed with (or spake to) the men of their city, saying, These men ( i.e. Jacob and his sons) are peaceable with us (literally, peaceable are they with us . This is the first argument employed by Hamor and Shechem to secure the consent of the citizens to the formation of an alliance with Jacob and his sons); therefore let them dwell in the land, and... read more

Albert Barnes

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

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

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

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 34:18-24

"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

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 34:20

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

Thomas Constable

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

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 34:18-24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 34:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 34:20-23

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 34:1-31

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 34:1-31

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 34:18-24

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 34:20

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 34:18-31

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