Genesis 34:8-12

"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 and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife."

Both Shechem and his father Hamor joined in this appeal to Jacob and his sons, and many have written of the "honor" and "good will" of the proposal, but as will become apparent a little later, such a proposition included the purpose of swallowing Jacob and his whole posterity. Look in Genesis 34:23: "Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours?" We therefore find it impossible to discourse on the honor and fairness of those unrepentant sinners boldly offering to buy Dinah's virginity with money and a proposal of "marriage." What kind of marriage would it have been? Shechem certainly recognized no restraint beyond the selfish lust that motivated him. Hamor's part in the offer had other designs than that of getting his wild son out of difficulty. His tribe (or clan) was evidently small, and a union with Jacob would increase his power and wealth. Thus, we can fully agree with Roehrs:

"Jacob's sons were not the only ones to hide their real intentions ... Hamor and Shechem were plotting to disintegrate Jacob's family, and in the end, gain full possession of all their property, their cattle, and their beasts. Circumcision, which they would accept, was a small price to pay for such gains."[15]

Again, it should be noted that the pagan chiefs of Shechem never admitted any wrongdoing, nor any injury inflicted upon Israel (Jacob); they never asked forgiveness nor made apology, being totally unaware that they needed to do either! Yes, the sons of Jacob appear here as sinners of the worst kind, but we should refrain from glorifying the Shechemites. Wicked indeed was the conduct of Jacob's sons, but underneath their treachery and murder there surely lay the sense of violated decency and honor. They would not trade for money or property! Note also that they referred to their father Jacob as Israel in Genesis 34:7. Who taught them these significant perceptions? "Who else could it have been but Jacob?"[16]

The great thrust of this chapter is to show how God used the faults and even the gross wickedness of men in the furtherance of His wise designs. In the people of this chapter, no one appears without blame, even sin, but if Almighty God should be restricted to using only perfect and righteous people, all would be lost. Of course, this does not nullify the truth that all sinners, even the ones that God might use, must suffer the consequences of their sins. This chapter stresses that truth:

"Shechem was killed, along with his father; Dinah was left broken-hearted and defiled; Jacob was forced to leave a profitable business; and his guilty sons bore his curse (Genesis 49:5,6). Yet God's redemptive plan moved on."[17]