the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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New King James Version
Genesis 34:20
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
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- TheParallel Translations
Hamor and Shekhem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Then Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying,
So Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city,
Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their [walled] city [where the leading men would meet] and spoke with the men of the city, saying,
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the people of their city, saying,
Then Hamor and Shechem his Sonne went vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying,
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:
Hamor and Sh'khem his son came to the entrance of their city and spoke with its leading men:
And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
Hamor and Shechem went to the meeting place of their city. They spoke to the men of the city and said,
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their town and spoke to the men of their town, saying,
Hamor and his son Shechem went to the meeting place at the city gate and spoke to the people of the town:
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city.
And Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city. And they spoke with the men of their city, saying,
Then came Hemor and Sichem his sonne vnder ye gate of cite, and comened with the citisens of the cite, and saide:
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Then Hamor and Shechem, his son, went to the meeting-place of their town, and said to the men of the town,
Then Hemor and Sichem his sonne went vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying:
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:
And Hamor and Shechem his sonne came vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying:
And Emmor and Sychem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
And thei entriden in to the yate of the citee, and spaken to the puple,
And Hamor cometh -- Shechem his son also -- unto the gate of their city, and they speak unto the men of their city, saying,
And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city. And they said to the men of their city,
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
So Hamor entered with Shechem his son into the gate of their city, - and they spake unto the men of their city, saying:
And going into the gate of the city, they spoke to the people:
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the public square and spoke to the town council: "These men like us; they are our friends. Let them settle down here and make themselves at home; there's plenty of room in the country for them. And, just think, we can even exchange our daughters in marriage. But these men will only accept our invitation to live with us and become one big family on one condition, that all our males become circumcised just as they themselves are. This is a very good deal for us—these people are very wealthy with great herds of livestock and we're going to get our hands on it. So let's do what they ask and have them settle down with us."
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
the gate: Genesis 22:17, Genesis 23:10, Deuteronomy 17:5, Ruth 4:1, Job 29:7, Proverbs 31:23, Amos 5:10, Amos 5:12, Amos 5:15, Zechariah 8:16
Reciprocal: Genesis 23:18 - all
Cross-References
blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
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,
then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.
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, [fn] sit down here." So he came aside and sat down.
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."
"When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square,
Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Hamor and Shechem his son went unto the gate of their city,.... Where courts of judicature were held, and all public affairs respecting the common interest of the city were transacted: here, no doubt, Hamor their prince summoned them to come, by the usual method in which the citizens were convened on certain occasions:
and communed with the men of their city; upon the subject of entering into an alliance with Jacob's family, of admitting them to be fellow citizens with them, and of their being incorporated among them, and becoming one people with them, taking no notice of the true reason of this motion:
saying, as follows.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Dinah’s Dishonor
This chapter records the rape of Dinah and the revenge of her brothers.
Genesis 34:1-5
Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land. The Jewish doctors of a later period fix the marriageable age of a female at twelve years and a day. It is probable that Dinah was in her thirteenth year when she went out to visit the daughters of the land. Six or seven years, therefore, must have been spent by Jacob between Sukkoth, where he abode some time, and the neighborhood of Shekerm, where he had purchased a piece of ground. If we suppose Dinah to have been born in the same year with Joseph, who was in his seventeenth year at the time of his being sold as a bondslave Genesis 37:2, the events of this chapter must have occurred in the interval between the completion of her twelfth and that of her sixteenth year. “Shekem.” This name is hereditary in the family, and had taken hold in the locality before the time of Abraham. The Hivite was a descendant of Kenaan. We find this tribe now occupying the district where the Kenaanite was in possession at a former period Genesis 12:6. “Spake to the heart of the damsel.” After having robbed her of her honor, he promises to recognize her as his wife, provided he can gain the consent of her relatives. “Shekem spake unto his father Hamor.” He is in earnest about this matter. “Jacob held his peace.” He was a stranger in the land, and surrounded by a flourishing tribe, who were evidently unscrupulous in their conduct.
Genesis 34:6-17
A conference takes place between the parties. Hamer and Jacob, the parents on both sides, are the principals in the negotiation. The sons of Jacob, being brothers of the injured damsel, are present, according to custom. “Wrought fully in Israel;” a standing phrase from this time forward for any deed that was contrary to the sanctity which ought to characterize God’s holy people. Israel is used here to designate the descendants of Israel, the special people. Hamer makes his proposal. “Shekem, my son.” These words are a nominative pendent, for which “his soul” is substituted. He proposes a political alliance or amalgamation of the two tribes, to be sealed and actually effected by intermarriage. He offers to make them joint-possessors of the soil, and of the rights of dwelling, trading, and acquiring property. Shekem now speaks with becoming deference and earnestness.
He offers any amount of dowry, or bridal presents, and of gift to the mother and brothers of the bride. It must be acknowledged that the father and the son were disposed to make whatever amends they could for the grievous offence that had been committed. The sons of Jacob answer with deceit. They are burning with resentment of the wrong that “ought not to have been done,” and that cannot now be fully repaired. Yet they are in presence of a superior force, and therefore, resort to deceit. “And spake.” This goes along with the previous verb “answered,” and is meant to have the same qualification “with deceit.” The last clause of the verse then assigns the cause of this deceitful dealing. Their speech, for the matter of it, is reasonable. They cannot intermarry with the uncircumcised. Only on condition that every male be circumcised will they consent. On these terms they promise to “become one people” with them. Otherwise they take their daughter, and depart. Our daughter. They here speak as a family or race, and therefore, call Dinah their daughter, though her brothers are the speakers.
Genesis 34:18-24
Hamor and Shekem accept the terms, and immediately proceed to carry them into effect. It is testified of Shekem, that he delayed not to do the thing, and that he was more honorable than all his house. They bring the matter before their fellow-citizens, and urge them to adopt the rite of circumcision, on the ground that the men are peaceable, well-conducted, and they and their cattle and goods would be a valuable addition to the common wealth of their tribe. Hence, it appears that the population was still thin, that the neighboring territory was sufficient for a much larger number than its present occupants, and that a tribe found a real benefit in an accession to his numbers. The people were persuaded to comply with the terms proposed. There is nothing said here of the religious import of the rite, or of any diversity of worship that may have existed between the two parties. But it is not improbable that the Shekemites were prepared for mutual toleration, or even for the adoption of the religion of Israel in its external forms, though not perhaps to the exclusion of their own hereditary customs. It is also possible that the formal acknowledgment of the one true God was not yet extinct. Circumcision has been in use among the Egyptians, Colchians (Herodotus ii. 104), and other eastern nations; but when and how introduced we are not informed. The present narrative points out one way in which it may have spread from nation to nation.
Genesis 34:25-31
Simon and Levi, at the head no doubt of all their father’s men, now fall upon the Shekemites, when feverish with the circumcision, and put them to the sword. Simon and Levi were the sons of Leah, and therefore, full brothers of Dinah. If Dinah was of the same year as Joseph, they would be respectively seven and six years older than she was. If she was in her thirteenth year, they would therefore, be respectively in their twentieth and nineteenth years, and therefore, suited by age and passion for such an enterprise. All the sons of Jacob joined in the sacking of the city. They seized all their cattle and goods, and made captives of their wives and little ones. Jacob is greatly distressed by this outrage, which is equally contrary to his policy and his humanity. He sets before his sons, in this expostulation, the danger attendant upon such a proceeding. The “Kenaanite and the Perizzite,” whom Abraham found in the land on his return from Egypt Genesis 13:7. “I am a few men” - men of number that might easily be counted. I here denotes the family or tribe with all its dependents. When expanded, therefore, it is, “I and my house.” Simon and Levi have their reply. It justifies the retribution which has fallen on the Shekemites for this and all their other crimes. But it does not justify the executioners for taking the law into their own hands, or proceeding by fraud and indiscriminate slaughter. The employment of circumcision, too, which was the sign of the covenant of grace, as a means of deception, was a heinous aggravation of their offence.
