Dinah and The Shechemites: Genesis Chapter 34 Bible Study

Introduction 

Hello and Welcome to The Daily Manna! 

Today's chapter we will study is Genesis Chapter 34. This is a very difficult and disturbing chapter and can be very triggering for some people as it contains rape and murder. So please use caution moving forward. Today we will learn about Jacobs daughter, Dinah who was forced sexually by Shechem. Jacob's sons take revenge of what happened to their sister by deceiving the Shechemites as we find out later on in the chapter. 

Please read the chapter in full before continuing on with today's Bible study as this is meant to be a Bible study companion blog and not a substitute for reading the word of God. 

Summary of Genesis Chapter 34

Verses 1-4 Dinah visits the women of the land. She catches the eye of Shechem. He takes her and rapes her. He then decides he wants to marry her. 

Verses 5-7 Jacob learns what has been done to his daughter. His sons also learn and are furious knowing that what Shechem has done was an outrageous thing in Israel (which is the first mention of Israel as a nation). 

Verses 8-12 the Shechemites offer to trade women and goods in exchange to let the Israelites live among them in peace in exchange for letting Shechem marry Dinah. 

Verses 13-17 China's brothers replied deceitfully to Shechem. They tell him that they can't give their sister to a man who is not circumcised that they will only agree on one condition that he and all the other males becomes circumcised. They tell shekin that if he does not agree to be circumcised that they will take their sister and go. 

Verses 18-24 Shechem convinces all the men to become circumcised by telling them that the men will agree to trade and give women marriage which will make their people rich. Every male in the city was circumcised 

Verse 25-29 Three days later as all the men were still in pain from circumcision to if Jacob's sons who were dinos full brothers took their swords and attacked all the city killing every male. From there they looted the city, ceased the flocks, and carried off all the wealth with the women. 

Verses 30-31 Jacob learns what his sons have done and complains that they have brought trouble on him. That the Canaanites and the parasites will attack them. He's afraid that the people of the land will join forces against him because the Israelites are few in number. However his sons reply that Shechem shouldn't have treated their sister like a prostitute. 

Key Themes and Meanings 

The Dangers of Being Unprotected 

Genesis 34:1 NIV

[1] Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.34.1.NIV

Dinah's curiosity of the people of the land, perhaps to go find friends and explore, ends in a tragedy. This is why it is important as parents, and especially fathers in their protective roles, to protect their children from wordy things like: the internet, certain friend groups, and even things like the music they listen to. Our children are influenced by everything they see and read. What can start out as innocent curiosity can end in tragedy. Here we see Jacob wasn't really involved as a protective father which led to consequences for his daughters and ultimately the community he lived near. 

Genesis 34:2 NIV

[2] When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.34.2.NIV

Whatever circumstances leading to this tragedy, Dinah didn't expect or deserve this ultimate degradation. If she would have married Shechem should not only have to live with trauma of rape, but she would also have little chance of a happy marriage in the future. 

To Be Set Apart

Genesis 34:8-10 NIV

[8] But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. [9] Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. [10] You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.34.8-10.NIV

Because Shechem had his heart set on marrying Dinah, his father offered the Israelites to intermarry with them and trade in goods. Ultimately in time Israel and the Shechemites would have blended together. As children of God we are not meant to blend with the worldly in this way because it is dangerous as we learned a bit in Dinah's story. A blending like this would have caused Israel to no longer be set apart the way God wanted. 

Revenge and Passions of Anger

Genesis 34:7 NIV

[7] Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. 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.

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.34.7.NIV

Though I was very common for cultures outside of Israel to take women and rape them, because the Israelites were set apart they knew that rape was something evil that would not be done. However angry they were they took their anger into their own hands and allowed it to consume them. Which can become a dark and slippery path once taken as we will see next. 

Genesis 34:13 NIV

[13] Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.34.13.NIV

Because their sister had been victimized, Jacob sons replied deceitfully to Shechem and his father. They told them that they cannot give their sister to a man who was not circumcised. 

Keep in mind that the mere active circumcision could not have brought the Hivites into the line of promise. Circumcision was a covenant sign for Abraham and his offspring, which represented a special relationship to God. However the hivites did not know this. 

Ultimately the Men of the Land were circumcised. Jacobs sons planned this revenge. Since Dinah was unprotected they set up the men to be unprotected. 3 days after the men had been circumcised while they were still in pain Dana's brothers Simon and Levi attacked the unsuspecting city and killed all the males. From here we see looting of goods, animals, and women. 

The chapter ends when Jacob finds out what has happened. He's concerned that the people of the land will join forces against him now and destroy him and his household. However the brothers reply that basically the men deserved it for defilement of their sister. 

Reflections for Today 

Are there areas in your life as a Christian where you find yourself doing as the world does? 

What do you think it means to be set apart? What's the purpose? 

Do you think what the sons of Jacob did to the Shechemites was morally justified? 

Conclusion 

In chapter 34 we learn through Dina that when we intermingle with the worldly sometimes it can harm us in a way that becomes harmful for everyone involved. We can also learn through her brothers that revenge is not always the best plan of action. That even though it might be right in our eyes it is never right in God's eyes. We should never give in to our passions with anger.  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to be set apart from the worldly and fleshy things. Things that are set to destroy us. Please help us not to take revenge when other people do us wrong. Please help us to realize that revenge is yours to repay because you are perfect and all knowing.