Genesis 34:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

NIV: Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.

NASB: Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

CSB: Meanwhile, Shechem's father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.

NLT: Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob.

KJV: And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

NKJV: Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

The setup for this meeting is tragic. Shechem has brutally raped Jacob's daughter, Dinah (Genesis 34:1–2). Perversely, he then declares his love for her and demands his father, Hamor, arrange a marriage (Genesis 34:3–4). This is what brings Hamor to see Jacob. Though not stated here, his son has also come along (Genesis 34:11). Jacob, for his part, has already heard of what happened to his daughter, but has declined to act until his sons return from their work (Genesis 34:5). It's not clear if Hamor and Shechem realize that word of the assault has spread.

The following verse indicates Jacob's sons are furious. Even so, they will manage to hold their anger long enough to follow in their father's footsteps: by concocting a deceptive plot (Genesis 34:13). What they have in mind is not diplomacy, but bloody revenge.

Also noteworthy is that Dinah hasn't appeared in the story since being attacked. When her brothers attack the town, they will be said to bring her back from Shechem's house (Genesis 34:26). It's likely Shechem has her at his home when this meeting occurs.

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.

Accessed 4/27/2024 9:15:15 PM