Genesis 34
Prince Schechem Rapes Dinah
Jacob and Leah had a daughter named Dinah who went out one day to see what the local women were like. But while she was out, she ended up catching the eye of the prince. His name was Shechem, and his dad was Hamor the Hivite (a 6th generation descendant from Noah’s grandson, Canaan.) But after Prince Shechem noticed Dinah that day, he ended up raping her. He followed her around, burned with desire her, told her personal things, and said to his father Hamor,
“I want her to marry me!”
When Jacob heard about how Shechem had defiled his daughter, his sons were out in the field tending to the animals. Hamor went to talk to Jacob just as his sons were returning from the field. They were infuriated when they heard the disgraceful news, because that kind of thing shouldn’t ever be done to anyone.
The Town is Circumcised
But Hamor said,
“My son longs for your daughter in his soul. Please allow him to marry her. Let us marry into each other's families. Let my men marry women from your family, and your men can marry women from ours. You can live next to us and have our land at your disposal. You’re welcome to live here, do business with us, and accumulate property here.”
“If you accept my proposal then I’ll give you whatever you ask. Name whatever bridal fee and presents you want, and I’ll give it to you—just let my son marry Dinah.”
Because Shechem had defiled their sister, Jacob’s sons responded with trickery, saying,
“We can’t let our sister marry someone who hasn’t been circumcised, because that would be a disgrace for us. The only way that we could accept your proposal would be if you circumcised all the men in your kingdom. Then we’d let ourselves intermarry with you, live with you, and become one people with you. But if you don’t want to do that, then we will just take our sister and leave.”
Hamor and Shechem thought their request seemed fair, so the young man followed through right away because of how infatuated he was with Jacob’s daughter. (Shechem was actually more respectable than the other members of his family.) Shortly after, Hamor and Shechem went to the town square and announced,
“These guys come in peace, and we have plenty of room for them, so let’s let them live alongside us and do business here. Let’s marry into their family and let them marry into ours. They’ve agreed to live with us and become one people group with us under this one condition: All of our men need to be circumcised in the same way that their men are circumcised. Wouldn’t that be great if we got to share in all their animals and possessions? All we need to do is agree to their terms, and then they’ll live with us!”
Everyone who passed in or out of that city’s gate heard Hamor and Shechem, and all of the city’s men became circumcised.
Jacob’s Sons Slaughter the Town
Three days later when all the men were still sore, two of Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, took their swords, swept through the city, and killed all the city’s men. They killed Hamor and Shechem, rescued Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. Jacob’s sons ambushed the entire city and looted it because it’s prince had defiled their sister. They looted things from within the city limits as well as the surrounding fields including its animals. They seized all their valuables, their children, their wives, and everything in their houses. Then Jacob told Simeon and Levi,
“Great! Now you guys have made me an outlaw! All the local Canaanites and Perizzites hate me. They know I only have a few men, so now they’re gonna join forces, attack me, and destroy our entire family!”
They responded,
“What were we supposed to do? Just stand by and let them treat our sister like a whore?!”
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