Genesis 34:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem.

NIV: Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.

NASB: Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.

CSB: Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.

NLT: Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.

KJV: And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

NKJV: And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.

Working a scheme for revenge (Genesis 34:13), Jacob's sons have said that the only way they could allow Dinah to marry her rapist Shechem (Genesis 34:1–12) was if all the men of Shechem's community were to be circumcised.

Did Jacob's sons expect Shechem and his people to accept such a drastic proposal? It's hard to know for sure, but the attitudes of both Shechem and Hamor make it plausible. Neither seems worried about the morality of what's happened, but are more concerned with the benefits it might provide.

Fortunately for the brothers' scheme, Shechem and his father Hamor are pleased. They seem enthusiastic at the prospect of Shechem avoiding punishment, with the bonus of economic growth. Of course, they will still have to convince all the men of the city to participate by being circumcised along with them.

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.

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.

Accessed 4/27/2024 5:14:03 AM