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1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 30:21
The temptations of the world are strong and hard to resist. this is Eve in the garden all over again. Dinah is tempted by the flesh to go out and see how the women of Shechem live, she has probably seen or heard from afar the ways of the women of Shechem, and this may have been pleasant in her sight and music to the ears of Dinah. So she goes out to see for herself of their ways. She is young and very impressionable to the things and people around her, therefore she can very easily be distracted from that which she knows is good and that which is bad. Her father Jacob has probably told his family not to walk in the ways of the people of Shechem because of their wickedness, their Idolatry, and the worshiping of many gods. They don’t worship the one true God of Israel. This is mere speculation on my part about Jacob warning his family about the people of Shechem, but we see later on in the next chapter that when they leave the city of Shechem, Jacob tells his household to put away all their strange gods, to be clean, and change their garments (Gen 35:2), so we know, that in a sense, not only was Dinah defiled by Hamor (The prince of Shechem), but also so were Jacobs family and his tribe.
2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. Deut. 22:25 3 His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.
In verse three God tells us that Shechem spoke kindly to the young woman, as I said earlier, “Dinah is young and very impressionable,” she probably has never been spoken kindly to, in the manner in which Shechem did. Just as the serpent deceived eve with half truths, I believe so to Shechem is doing the same. We don’t know what was said between the two, but we do know that he was very attracted to her, and he loved her. As a man who has been in love in the past, or had strong feelings for a woman, I know we will do or say anything to be with them; telling them half truths to get what we want, in this case, to sleep with her. I’ve had many ministers in my church, tell us on more than one occasion, in order to understand the bible we must be mindful of certain things: who is the one telling us the story? Who is the audience in which the story is being told to? What is the subject matter? Is it poetry we are reading? Or is it to be taken literally? I say this because I want to make this point. We know that it is God Almighty, who is telling Moses what to write down. So when we read in verse three that Shechem’s soul is very attracted to Dinah, and that he loved her, we must take this literally, for God knows the hearts of men (Compare 1 Sam 16:7 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chron 28:9,), So in his heart Shechem loved Dinah, but his ways and customs are not the ways of the Lord, or of Israel. This is why God tells us the Shechem defiled Dinah by sleeping with her out of wedlock. Now we see that Deut 22:25 is being referenced in verse two. We will see this law of God being played out by the sons of Jacob (Chiefly Levi and Simeon), Dinah’s full brothers, for the sin Shechem commits against Dinah. Only they will use this law deceptively, and as a way to repay evil for evil.
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.” Judge. 14:2 5 And Jacob had heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with the livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came. 2 Sam 13:22 6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were very grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.
Shechem goes to his father for help in getting Dinah (Jacob’s daughter), to be his wife. Shechem truly does love Dinah, and his intentions, in his heart are honorable, God tells us this Himself about Shechem in verse nineteen of this chapter. Even though the law was not giving yet, from mount Sinai, (For the law defines sin), Jacob and his sons are aware of the laws of God, I say this because in verse seven God tells Moses (The one who wrote the book of Genesis), As God told him, we read that the sons of Jacob were very angry, and grieved, because this thing (Lying with Jacob’s daughter), was a disgraceful thing Shechem did. We read: “In Israel,” This is the first time we see God referring to Israel, not as the man but as a people (A nation if you will) ‘A thing which ought not to be done.” And what ought not to be done “In Israel,” According to the laws of God,(Which appear to be in effect here, but were not recorded until the exodus)?: It is the lying with a damsel who is still a virgin, not yet betrothed to any man, and humbling (Humbled H6031), her in the process. Shechem must marry Dinah (Deut 22:28), and he must also pay a dowry to the Father (In this case Jacob), according to the dowry of virgins (Exo 22:16-17), not only that, but the man (Shechem), cannot divorce her, EVER!, because of what he had done to defile her (Deut 22:29). This is according to the laws of God, giving by Him, to Moses on Mount Sinai during the Exodus. The reason I bring up the laws of God here is because The Lord refers to Israel as a nation, and He says that these things Shechem did “Ought not to be done” in Israel. I believe these laws of God are already in affect with the people of Israel at this time period, which is why God says what He says in verse seven. We will see these laws attempted to be carried out in the following verses. I say “attempted” because of the deception of the sons of Jacob.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please giver her to him as a wife. 9 “And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. 10 “So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.” 11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me i will give. 12 “Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.” Exo 22:16-17
In verse eight, Shechem and his father are attempting to do the honorable thing by offering to marry Dinah, and make her his wife; which are according to the laws of God (Deut 22:28). In verse’s eleven and twelve Shechem even offers to pay a dowry of whatever Jacob and his sons ask of him (Exo 22:16-17). We do not know if Shechem is familiar with the laws “In Israel” or if this is the customs of his own people: to do the right and just thing here. We can only go by what God tells us in verse nineteen, and that is, He considers Shechem to be the most honorable of all the people in the house of Hamor, his father. The devil is in the details here, and the details lay in verse’s nine and ten: Hamor tells Jacob and his sons, to give their daughters to his people and make marriages between the two people, and for his own people to do likewise. He goes on to say, “Dwell with us, trade in their lands, and take possessions for themselves.” As we read in the previous chapter, Jacob had bought some land from the people of Shechem and dwelt outside the city (Gen 33:18-19) and because Hamor tells Jacob to trade in the land and take possessions for themselves, I would venture to guess that Jacob had no dealings, or very little, with the people of Shechem up until now, but I digress, back to the devil in the details, in the chapters leading up to this, as far as the fathers of Jacob (Isaac, and Abraham), they did not marry outside of their family line. And as I have explained previously I believe that this is because God is making a Holy people unto Himself, and there can be no blemish in the bloodline that leads to the promised seed (In which all nations will be blessed), nor in any of their descendants. This is what God is doing with the nation of Israel, and it is His wish, but God also gave men the right to free will, and there are many places in the Scriptures where the people of Israel do not always do what God commands them to do. With this said, we can read throughout the history of the Israeli nation where God tells them not to take wives of other lands, and tribes, (Compare Exo 23:31-33, 34:11-16, 1 Kings 11:2, Ezra 10:2-3, 11, Neh 13:23-27). so for Jacob and his sons to agree with this part of the arrangement would go against the face of God. The Lord knows that if the sons and daughters would take wives and husbands of the people of Shechem, eventually they would stray from the one true God of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob, and go after false gods. As I commented in verse one of this chapter, Jacob’s people are already sliding down this slippery slope.
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. 17:26-27 15 “But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised. Exo. 12:48 16 “Then we will give our daughter to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17 “But if you do not heed to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughters and be gone.”
According to the covenant God made with Abraham: Every male child, and the men slaves who was bought with money, had to be circumcised (Gen 17:13-14). This circumcision is a sign between Abraham and his descendants, an everlasting covenant. even those who were not of the seed of Abraham, but born in his house had to be circumcised, otherwise the men that were not, was to be cut off from their own people (Gen 17:26-27), In order for the people of Shechem, and the descendants of Jacob to marry, and by this, they would eventually become one people (Vs. 16) According to the Abrahamic covenant: circumcision of the people of Shechem had to be performed for this to be allowed, not only by Jacob and his sons, but by the God Almighty who created this covenant. This is the right and just thing to do, however, the sons of Jacob use this covenant in a deceitful manner and never intend to use it in the way in which God intended Himself. Notice in verse thirteen; God tells us that the sons of Jacob spoke deceitfully to Shechem and his father Hamor because Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah. The first thing I see in this deception is in verse sixteen: The sons of Jacob say to Shechem and Hamor that if they perform the circumcision on every male, (Vs. 15), then they will give their “Daughter” (Dinah) to them, and they (The sons of Jacob), will take the daughters of the city of Shechem to themselves as wives. The sons of Jacob only promise Dinah to Shechem and not all their daughters to the men of the city of Shechem. In verse seventeen the sons of Jacob tell Shechem and his father Hamor that if this is not done then they will take their daughters and be gone (Implying that they meant all the daughters from verse sixteen). Even if my assumption is wrong; as far as the sons of Jacob never intending to give all their daughters to the men of the city of Shechem, we will read later on in verse twenty five that the sons of Jacob never intended to keep their end of the arrangement anyway, for in their hearts they have devised a more wicked and evil plot in which to avenge their daughter Dinah.
18 And their words please Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19 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 truly did love Dinah, and as God tells us: he is more honorable than any man in the household of his father. Shechem does do the right and just thing, according to the laws of God, even if he is not familiar with them. I can only think to myself that this had to please God in some way. Why else would God describe him as a man of honor? This brings to my mind what Jesus had said about the men of Sodom, and Tyre, and the like: That it would be more tolerable for these cities on the day of judgement than that of places like Corazin, and Bethsaida ( Matt 11: 20 -24), I would like to think that Shechem will have no problem obeying, believing, and following God, in his appointed time of the resurrection. Time will tell, and that you can count on! Amen.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 19:1; Ruth 4:1, 11
It appears that Hamor and Shechem did not enter their city but called the men out of the city to speak to them. We can see by the referenced verse of Ruth that this appears to be the customs of the day. There are other places in the scriptures that show this to be the case (Compare Gen 23:10, Deut 17:5, Job 29:7, Prov 31:23, Amos 5:15, Zech 8:16), The common denominator in all these referenced verses appear to be that the men,(the elders), of the city would make judgments at the gates pertaining to all kinds of circumstances.
21 “These men are at peace with us. therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 “Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 “Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.” 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of the city.
Hamor and his son Shechem come to the gate of the city to speak/ plead their case to the men of the city. This (Circumcision), is a very big issue at hand, it is a very painful thing that Hamor and Shechem are asking the men to go thru. The Abrahamic covenant requires that all male children will be circumcised on the eighth day of their birth. At this age, yes it is painful still, but at this young of age it is an experience that won’t even be remembered. So Hamor starts off, not by telling them of the circumcision that is required to stay at peace with Jacob and his sons, but he entices them with the worldly things, mainly the lust of the eyes of the flesh, “Let us take their daughters as wives” Hamor says to them, then as any good salesman would do they slip in the devil of the details, Hamor say’s, kind of non nonchalantly, all we have to do is be circumcised just as they are, as if to say, hey these men go thru this circumcision and live, it is no big thing they ask of us. Then Hamor entices them again with worldly things This time it is material riches),by saying to them, ” Wont their livestock, their property, all their animals become ours,’ “Only let us consent:” all we have to do is consent, it is no big deal. as I am writing this I am thinking of the saying that is popular nowadays which would go something like this, the people get all caught up in these worldly promises if they would just consent, the people are like YEAH!!, “WAIT WHAT” what was that you said we had to do in the middle? Whether or not this is what happened is purely conjecture on my part, but I do find the humor in this sales pitch that Hamor uses to convince his people to agree to this. And the people buy into it, they all heed the voice of Hamor and go thru the circumcision, looking towards the big picture on the other end. It was Sir Walter Scott who famously said, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out. 49:5-7 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, 29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captives; and they plundered even all that was in the houses. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.” 31 And they said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?”
As we read in verse thirteen the sons of Jacob “Spoke deceitfully” to Shechem and his father Hamor, when they said they would consent to give Dinah to Shechem as his wife (if all the males were circumcised). The sons of Jacob never intended to consent to the marriage of Dinah and Shechem, they new very well that while the men of the city of Shechem were recovering from the circumcision, they would be weak and vulnerable to attack. the charge was lead by Simeon and Levi. Because of the actions of Simeon and Levi, God will separate, and divide them among the nation of Israel when they enter the promised land during the Exodus. The levites, because of their zeal, will be the guardians, and servants of God and His temple. The descendants of Levi and Simeon will be scattered throughout the land of Israel. As I have stated in chapter thirty three, it appears that Joseph was still a very young man ( Maybe In his early teens) and probably did not partake of this treachery and wickedness of his brothers. Also as we know, Benjamin is the only son to not yet have been born during this time. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Deut 32:35, Rom 12:19), Yet the sons of Jacob decided to take vengeance upon the people of Shechem themselves. As I quoted the laws of God previously, in regards to defiling a virgin, but not forced upon, (Raped), as it appears this to be the case with Dinah, all that is required is that the man is to marry her, never able to divorce, and pay a dowry to the father of the virgin. As long as the father accepts this, then that is supposed to be the end of the judgement upon the man and woman. Jacob (The deceiver/supplanter), now Israel (Prevailer with God), never had any intention of deceiving Hamor and Shechem in this arrangement. This is yet another sign of the new Jacob (The new man). However his sons seem to have this old trait of his, and they try to justify their own sinful deeds to their father when he calls them out, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?” they say to him. Many of men throughout the ages have justified their on sinful selfish ways, making war, the shedding of blood, claiming they had right on their side, because they didn’t strike the first blow. As it is said, we are not to repay evil for evil ( Compare Pro 20:22, Rom 12:17), For the Lord our God will save you and bless you in your righteousness, we must always turn aside from evil, and do good. Seek peace pursue it, “for the lords face is against those evil” ( 1 Pet 3:9-12). Oh!! if the world would learn to do just these simple truths, think of all the senseless lives that have been taken, the broken hearted, families torn apart, generations lost, if only we would heed to the word of God, for His words are truth, and His love is endless.