Genesis 34:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.

NIV: But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.

NASB: But Hamor spoke with them, saying, 'The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage.

CSB: Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

NLT: Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. 'My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,' he said. 'Please let him marry her.

KJV: And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

NKJV: But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

Jacob and his sons are all aware that Dinah has been raped by Shechem (Genesis 34:1–7). That same man stands before them now with his father, Hamor. Jacob's response is unclear, but his sons are outraged and angry. It's also unclear whether Hamor and Shechem know that Jacob and his sons know about the rape. Dinah still has not returned, and is probably being kept at Shechem's house (Genesis 34:26).

The reason for the visit is a request that Dinah be given to Shechem as his wife. Hamor begins to make his pitch for this marriage, as well as for a larger alliance between the two peoples. He starts by revealing that his son Shechem longs, in his soul, for Dinah and requests that she be given as his wife. If Hamor knows Jacob is already aware of the rape, he may be trying to ensure Jacob and his brothers understand that Shechem has real feelings for Dinah and is not merely trying to cover up his crime.

At the same time, Hamor's immediate mention of open trade and marriages sounds very much like a diplomatic plea (Genesis 34:9). It would be a mistake to interpret this as mere friendliness—at least some part of Hamor knows that the situation is volatile.

Genesis 34:1–12 describes a depraved attack on one of Jacob's children. Dinah, his daughter through Leah, is raped by Shechem, son of the local prince. Jacob waits until his sons return to let them know about this act. With apparently no remorse, the rapist and his father arrive to ask for Dinah to be married to her attacker. Shechem proclaims his love, offering any price to have Dinah as his wife. Dinah's brothers respond with a combination of deceit and violence that will echo through the rest of Israel's history.

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.

With the blessing of the Lord, Jacob has survived his reunion with his brother Esau and settled his family in the land of Canaan, in a city called Shechem. Some time passes and then Jacob's daughter Dinah is raped by the son of the ruler of the city. To exact revenge and defend their sister's honor, Jacob's sons trick the men of the city into being circumcised and then slaughter all of them when they are recovering, plundering all the wealth of the people. This creates fear in the local Canaanite communities, who avoid future confrontation with Jacob's family.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.