Genesis 34:13-17 - Exposition

And the sons of Jacob (manifestly without the knowledge of their father) answered Shechem and Humor his father deceitfully, and said, —the object of the verb said is to be found in the next verse, "we cannot do this thing," the clause commencing " because " being parenthetical (Rosenmüller, Furst), so that it is unnecessary either to take דְבֶּר in the unusual sense of doles struere (Schultens, Gasenius, Keil), or to supply after said " with deceit" from the preceding clause (Onkelos, Ainsworth, Murphy, et alii )— because he had defiled Dinah their sister (to be taken parenthetically, as already explained): and they said unto them (these words revert to the preceding verse), We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised (vide Genesis 17:11 ); for that were a reproach unto us . The ground on which they declined a matrimonial alliance with Shechem was good; their sin lay in advancing this simply as a pretext to enable them to wreak their unholy vengeance on Shechem and his innocent people. The treacherous character of their next proposal is difficult to be reconciled with any claim to humanity, far less to religion, on the part of Jacob's sons; so much so, that 'Jacob on his death-bed can offer no palliation for the atrocious cruelty to which it led ( Genesis 49:6 , Genesis 49:7 ). But in this ( i.e. under this condition) will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised (literally, to have circumcision administered to you every male ); then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us ( i.e. to be our wives), and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. This proposal was sinful, since