15 JULY GENESIS 34

Defilement and Deception – A Crisis of Honour and Holiness

Genesis 34 is a chapter of sorrow and moral confusion. Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, is violated in Shechem, and her brothers respond with deception and violence. The narrative reveals the consequences of compromise and delayed obedience, while setting the stage for God’s continued formation of Israel’s identity as a holy people.

Dinah Is Violated Genesis 34:1–2 (NIV) “Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.” This tragic verse reveals Dinah’s vulnerability and Shechem’s violence. Though treated tenderly afterward, the act itself was a violation of dignity and covenantal purity.

Shechem Desires to Marry Dinah Genesis 34:3–4 (NIV) “His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, ‘Get Me this girl as My wife.’” Shechem’s affection does not excuse his act. He seeks marriage, but not justice or repentance.

Jacob Hears the News

Genesis 34:5 (NIV)“When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.” Jacob’s silence is striking. Perhaps cautious, perhaps fearful, he waits for his sons, delaying a decisive response.

Hamor Proposes Marriage

Genesis 34:6–8 (NIV) “Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields… they were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter a thing that should not be done. But Hamor said to them, ‘My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.’” The brothers' indignation is righteous, but their coming actions will be anything but. Hamor speaks pragmatically, ignoring the moral offence and focusing on marital alliance.

A Proposal for Assimilation

Genesis 34:9–10 (NIV) “‘Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it.’” This proposal threatens covenantal separation. God's people were not to mix with pagan nations (cf. Deuteronomy 7:3–6). Hamor’s offer is culturally generous, but spiritually dangerous.

Shechem Offers a Dowry

Genesis 34:11–12 (NIV) “Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, ‘Let Me find favour in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask Me. Only give Me the young woman as My wife.’” Shechem tries to purchase redemption with wealth, revealing his worldly mindset, seeking restoration without repentance.

Deception by Simeon and Levi

Genesis 34:13–17 (NIV) “Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, ‘We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.’” The brothers use a sacred sign, circumcision, as a tool of revenge. Their deception distorts a divine covenant for violent purposes.

Shechem and Hamor Convince the City

Genesis 34:18–24 (NIV) “Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. The young man, who was the most honoured of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city.‘ These men are friendly toward us… Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms…’Every male in the city was circumcised, all who went out of the city gate.” What was meant to signify covenantal separation becomes a gateway to economic exploitation and spiritual compromise. The city agrees on the basis of gain, not godliness.

Simeon and Levi Massacre the Men

Genesis 34:25–29 (NIV)“Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.”

Their response is vengeance, not justice. Simeon and Levi avenge Dinah by destroying not only the guilty but entire families. The rest of the sons then plunder the defenceless city, acting more like Canaanites than covenant people. ✦ Jacob Rebukes His Sons Genesis 34:30–31 (NIV) “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on Me by making Me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against Me and attack Me, I and My household will be destroyed.’ But they replied, ‘Should He have treated our sister like a prostitute?’”

Jacob’s concern is pragmatic, not prophetic. He fears retaliation more than he mourns moral failure. The chapter ends in tension, without resolution.