Genesis 34:24

ESV And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

NIV All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

NASB All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

CSB All the men who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised.

NLT So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised.

KJV And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

NKJV And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

What does Genesis 34:24 mean?

Here we see that Hamor and Shechem have succeeded in their goal. They convinced the men of the city to be circumcised in order to become one people with Jacob's large company (Genesis 34:20–23). That sales pitch focused almost entirely on wealth. Through open trade and intermarriage, the hope was that Jacob's fortune would also become theirs (Genesis 30:43). It's also possible that the men of the town were keenly interested in keeping the peace between the two groups (Genesis 34:21). Those combined interests are enough for them to agree to this minor—though painful—surgery.

What none of these men realize is that they've agreed to their own destruction. Jacob's sons lied when giving the condition of circumcision (Genesis 34:13–17). They're enraged over what has led to this moment (Genesis 34:7). That act was Shechem's horrific rape of their sister, Dinah (Genesis 34:1–3). Her brothers have no intention of letting her remain with her rapist, or with living in peace with the town that protects him. Rather, they've schemed to have the men of town disable themselves, temporarily, so revenge can occur.

Expand

Context Summary
Genesis 34:13–31 describes the response of Jacob's sons to the rape of his daughter, Dinah. The rapist, Shechem, has asked for her hand in marriage. Dinah's brothers suggest that if the men of the town will be circumcised, they will agree to marriages between the two groups. Shechem and his father, Hamor, gladly agree to these terms. But this is a trap. While the men are still sore from circumcision, Simeon and Levi spring an attack, killing all the men and looting the town. Jacob is afraid this will bring retaliation from the Canaanite and Perizzite people. His sons, however, are adamant that their actions were justified.

Expand

Chapter Summary
Jacob's family has settled within sight of the city of Shechem. Dinah, Jacob's daughter by Leah, is raped by the son of the city's ruler Hamor, also named Shechem. Shechem decides he loves Dinah and wants to marry her. Dinah's brothers are outraged. Hamor and Shechem, however, ask for Dinah to be given to Shechem as a wife and for their people to intermarry. Jacob's sons pretend to agree, provided the men of the city are circumcised. Instead, while the town's men are recuperating, Dinah's brothers by Leah, Levi and Simeon, lead a slaughter of all the men of the city.

Expand

What is the Gospel?

Download the app: