Genesis 34:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away.

NIV: They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.

NASB: They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left.

CSB: They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went away.

NLT: including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.

KJV: And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

NKJV: And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out.

Amid their slaughter of every man in the city, the fighting forces of Levi and Simeon kill Hamor and Shechem. Shechem had raped Jacob's daughter, Dinah (Genesis 34:1–8). Then he and his father Hamor had attempted to negotiate for marriage rights by speaking to her father and brothers (Genesis 34:9–12). Jacob's sons responded with a trap, offering free trade and intermarriage if the men of the town would be circumcised (Genesis 34:13–16). When the townspeople agreed (Genesis 34:20–24), it left their fighting men temporarily handicapped and vulnerable. This was when Dinah's brothers swept in and took their bloody revenge (Genesis 34:25).

This verse notes that as part of the raid, Dinah is taken from Shechem's house. This implies that from the time of her assault until now—at least several days—she has been held in the home of her rapist. Scripture does not explicitly say she was held as a captive, but it's most likely she was there against her will.

It's possible that favoritism has played a double role in this event. Shechem's depiction in this passage is that of a spoiled, impulsive man, used to getting his way without consequences. Levi, Simeon, and Dinah are all children of Leah, a wife Jacob treated with much less favor than Rachel. This multiplied revenge may have expressed their anger. Jacob's seemingly-passive attitude towards Dinah's rape (Genesis 34:5–7) could have struck a nerve with the other children of the less-loved wife.

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.