The Defiling of Dinah

Genesis 34

1 Now a Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he b took her and lay with her, and violated her. 3 His soul 1 was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke 2 kindly to the young woman. 4 So Shechem c spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as a wife."

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob d held 3 his peace until they came. 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 grieved and very angry, because he e had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, f a thing which ought not to be done.

8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give 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 g dowry 4 and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."

13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke h 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 i uncircumcised, for j that would be a reproach to us. 15 "But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, 16 "then we will give our daughters 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 will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."

18 And their words pleased 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 k more honorable than all the household of his father. 20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the l gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 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 m went out of the gate of his city.

25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, n Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they o killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. 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 captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, p "You have q troubled me r by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; s 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 But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"

  1. Cross References
    Genesis 30:21
    Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
  2. Cross References
    Genesis 20:2
    Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
  3. Cross References
    Judges 14:2
    So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.
  4. Cross References
    2 Samuel 13:22
    And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
  5. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 22:20 - 30
    But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman.
    Joshua 7:15
    'Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"
    Judges 20:6
    So I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.
  6. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 23:17
    There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.
    2 Samuel 13:12
    But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 22:16
    If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife.
    Exodus 22:17
    If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.
    Deuteronomy 22:29
    Then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 31:7
    Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.
    Exodus 8:29
    Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 12:48
    And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
  10. Cross References
    Joshua 5:2 - 9
    At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.
  11. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 4:9
    Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain.
  12. Cross References
    Genesis 19:1
    Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
    Genesis 23:10
    Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying.
    Ruth 4:1
    Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, "Come aside, friend, sit down here." So he came aside and sat down.
    Ruth 4:11
    And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, " We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
    2 Samuel 15:2
    Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, "What city are you from?" And he would say, "Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 23:10
    Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying.
    Genesis 23:18
    To Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 29:33
    Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.
    Genesis 29:34
    She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.
    Genesis 42:24
    And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
    Genesis 49:5 - 7
    Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 49:5
    Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
    Genesis 49:6
    Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 49:6
    Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
  17. Cross References
    Joshua 7:25
    And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 5:21
    And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.
    1 Samuel 13:4
    Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
    2 Samuel 10:6
    When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 46:26
    All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
    Genesis 46:27
    And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
    Deuteronomy 4:27
    And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
    1 Chronicles 16:19
    When you were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
    Psalms 105:12
    When they were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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