Genesis 34:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house.

NIV: The young man, who was the most honored of all his father's family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter.

NASB: The young man did not delay to do this, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father.

CSB: The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father's family.

NLT: Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family,

KJV: And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

NKJV: So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.

Shechem's desire to marry Dinah, whom he had raped, is strong (Genesis 34:1–3). He is deeply in love with her, whatever that might mean to someone willing to be so brutal. For their part, Dinah's brothers are enraged at what has happened, but have revenge in mind (Genesis 34:13). Their response to Shechem's offer was something most people would consider outrageous: that all the men of the town be circumcised (Genesis 34:14–16).

Both Shechem and his father, Hamor, react to the proposal with joy. This implies Shechem was used to getting what he wanted. Assaulting Dinah, of course, is one example. His demand that his father procure Dinah is another (Genesis 34:4). Making an excessive promise to buy her is yet another (Genesis 34:11–12). That attitude might be explained by this verse's comment that Shechem was the "most honored" of his family. In other words, he was the favorite, and expected that whatever he demanded would be granted.

From Shechem's perspective, getting the men in the city to be circumcised was just a matter of his considerable influence (Genesis 34:2). Both he and his father, it seems, are willing and able to make that happen. What they don't realize is that this is a trap, leading their city into a terrible revenge.

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.