Genesis 34:1-31

Genesis 34 is a chapter of great dishonor, disgrace, and tragedy, because it records the rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah, and the terrible decisions made by everyone involved. Each person in this particular story does the wrong thing, which created untold misery for all the people who had nothing to do with the original sin. Each of these bad decisions had a consequence, that then snowballed into more bad choices, as they always do. May you heed the warnings in this text, so that you will not make these same decisions.

Scripture declares, “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, ‘Get me this young woman as a wife.’ And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came. Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done. But Hamor spoke with them, saying, ‘The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. 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.’ 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. Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife’” (Gen. 34:1-12).

Jacob’s decision to pitch his tent next to a wicked city.

The first bad decision was when Jacob chose to pitch his tent next to the Canaanite city of Shechem. This was a bad decision, because Jacob knew the immoral and perverted practices of the Canaanites, but he brought his family there anyway. This decision was similar to what Lot did when he pitched his tent next to the city of Sodom (Gen. 13:12). After which we read that Lot was sitting in the gate of that city (Gen. 19:1). Lot’s poor decision eventually cost him his entire livelihood, and most importantly, the loss of his wife. Jacob’s poor decision also precipitated the rape of his daughter, and even worse, the death of all the men of Shechem, and their wives and children being sold into slavery.

Where should Jacob have settled instead of Shechem? I believe he should have returned to the land of his family, which would have been in Hebron, or where he had his encounter with God at Bethel. Why do I believe this? Note that when God called Jacob to come back home, He specifically called Himself, “I am the God of Bethel.” This statement clearly implied that this was the place that God wanted him to come. Note what God said, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family” (Gen. 31:13). Remember also that when Jacob had his vision in Bethel, God told him that He had given him the land on which he had been sleeping. God said, “And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: ‘I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants’” (Gen. 28:13). It is also important to note that after this whole situation took place in Shechem, where did Jacob immediately go? He went to Bethel (Gen. 35:1). I personally believe that if Jacob had gone to Bethel first, this entire tragedy would not have occurred.

One of the great lessons of this story is one you should not miss. Each of us today can make the same mistake Jacob made. We can try to live as close to the perversion of the world as we can, and then think that we, or our family members won’t be affected by it. This is unwise thinking. We are warned throughout the Scripture about the influence, entanglement in, and the love for this world. John commanded believers to, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Have you ever wondered why John would even have to warn believers concerning a love for the world? Because obviously, as sinners, we are very much concerned with the ways of the world. We must live in the world, but we should not be of the world. Jesus warned His followers there were several things that would choke out any spiritual growth in their lives. He said, “The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word,” and this is what causes a disciple of Christ to become unfruitful (Mark 4:19). The Apostle Peter was even stronger in his warning about entanglement in the world. He wrote, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20).

Why are these warnings in God’s Word? Because God knows the potential that a love, or even a slight attraction for the world can do to you as a believer. Remember, “No one can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24). Jesus meant what He said here. You cannot serve God and love the world at the same time. Don’t allow your heart to think that you can find common ground with the world, and come out ahead in life. James explained, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). The word enmity means hostility with God, and this is why he declares that if you are friendly with the world, you are making yourself God’s enemy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be God’s enemy. I want to be called His friend (John 15:15). May this failure by Jacob, of living too close to the wickedness of this city, be a clear warning to each of us!

Shechem’s decision to allow his passions to control him.

The decision by Shechem to take a woman off the street and rape her, showed the level of depravity in this Canaanite city. Basically, an unattended female in this city was fair game. There are many lawless countries where this can still happen today. Several years ago, when I traveled to Kyrgyzstan to do a couples’ conference, I heard the first-hand testimonies of this very thing occurring to young women there. While I was there a woman talked with my wife and I about how she had been kidnapped off the street by a Muslim man, who married her against her will, who then sexually violated her. After he was done with her, three days later, he divorced her, and then abandoned her by dumping her onto the street where he found her. From what we heard that day, this was a common practice by Muslim men in that country. What a wicked practice!

Did Dinah have any responsibility for this rape? Absolutely not! If there was any responsibility, it possibly could have partly been Jacob’s fault for allowing his daughter to walk unattended in or near a Canaanite city. However, the primary responsibility for this rape was Shechem’s. He was the one who forced her to have sex with him against her will. Remember, rape is a violent crime of force, and there is never any justification for it, ever! 

Shechem was the responsible one for not controlling his own passions and lusts. Self-control is every person’s individual responsibility. You only have two options, you will either be controlled by your passions and lusts, or you will be controlled by the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul taught that each person needs to learn how to possess their own vessel in sanctification and honor. He declared in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.” If you personally know God, you should know how to possess your own vessel, and control yourself. The purpose for knowing how to possess and control your own body is clearly stated in verse 6, when Paul taught, “That no one should take advantage of or defraud his brother [or sister,] in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such.” This is what Shechem did in this situation. He took advantage of, and defrauded Dinah of her virginity. Anyone who even pressures another person they are dating for sex is doing the same thing. This is a serious issue. But many times, people rationalize and excuse their behavior, and end up doing whatever they please. This behavior is not pleasing to God.

Now, why does Paul bring up the Holy Spirit in this subject of controlling your own bodily desires? For several reasons. First, the Holy Spirit is the one who will speak to a person’s heart, and caution them to not get involved sexually with a person they are not married to. Second, the Holy Spirit is the only one who can enable and empower a person to be able to control their passions and desires. Remember again Paul’s encouragement to the Galatian church when he said, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Never forget that your fleshly desires are always going to be stronger than your will to resist them. But if you surrender to the power of the Spirit, He will keep your lusts under control. If this is where you struggle today, cry out to God for the infilling of His Spirit today!

Discerning true love. 

This account of Shechem’s desire for Dinah has a very important bit of truth in it that you should not miss. Note that Shechem was very powerfully attracted to Dinah. In verse 3 it declared, “His soul was strongly attracted to her.” In addition, the text reveals that, “He spoke kindly to the young woman.” For women that are reading this study, take note that a man can be strongly attracted to you, speak kindly to you, and have evil motives to be with you. Likewise, a woman can be attracted to you, and speak kindly to you, but have another motive for wanting to be with you. Attraction and kind words can sometimes have nothing to do with true love. This is one of the reasons this story is in the Bible, so that you might be warned of this possibility. The attraction Shechem had for Dinah, had nothing to do with love! His attraction was simply motived by lust. If it was not lust that motivated him, then why did he turn around and rape her? Rape is not an act of love!

Many times, I have had the occasion of counseling couples who tell me that they want a divorce after being married only a few years. They usually tell me that they really just don’t like each other, and have little in common with one another. One of the first questions I ask them is why they got married in the first place. Many of the reason’s people give to me have nothing to do with love, or the fundamental purpose God created marriage for in the first place. Some people have told me that they got married just so they could have legal sex. Others say it was because they didn’t want to be alone, or wanted someone to cook for them, or they wanted help raising their children from a previous marriage. These are not good reasons to get married. The ultimate reason for marriage is clearly taught in Scripture. The purpose God created marriage was for companionship with someone that you enjoy being with and see as your best friend (Song of Solomon 5:16; Mal. 2:14; Gen. 2:18; 24). Is this the reason you married your spouse? If not, begin to cultivate and develop this companionship and friendship with your mate, and you will begin to experience a much better marriage. For single people, keep these truths in mind when you are choosing someone to marry!

Hamor and Shechem’s decision to try to negotiate out of any consequence for the rape.

Notice that, Hamor, Shechem’s father, only wanted to negotiate with Jacob by paying the dowry for Dinah, instead of taking responsibility for his son’s actions. Hamor doesn’t acknowledge his son’s fault, or ask forgiveness for how his son had treated Jacob’s daughter. Hamor simply tries to entice Jacob to forget about the evil done to Dinah, by telling him that the union of Jacob’s daughter to his son could bring financial gain to him. Hamor said, “Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. 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” (Gen. 34:9-10). The fact that there was no apology or any discussion of what had just taken place, revealed that Hamor just wanted to dismiss this evil act. This tactic appeared to work for a short time, but little did he know that his people were all going to pay a very high price for his son’s wickedness.

The reality is that no one will ever be appeased through negotiation, or by offering material possessions when this kind of evil has been done. You can never negotiate away an offense like this. Solomon explains this concept in Proverbs 6:32-34 where he states, “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore, he will not spare.” This text is also true of a wife’s jealousy after her husband’s adultery. I have personally witnessed the fury of both husbands and wives when they have come for counseling after adultery has occurred in their marriage. At that moment there is no negotiation or appeasement that can remove this offense. It is a deep wound of dishonor and disrespect. It can only be healed through acknowledgment of fault, repentance, and forgiveness. Note how verse 34 ends, and the conclusion of verse 35. It declares, “Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.” This failure to appease through many gifts is exactly what took place in this story. The results were catastrophic.

Jacob’s sons’ decision to deceive.

“But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said to them, ‘We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, 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. But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.’ And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father. And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: ‘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. 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. 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.’ And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city” (Gen. 34:13-24).

The deception of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, with Hamor and Shechem was simply motivated by their desire for revenge for the rape of their sister. Why Jacob does not speak up at this moment is not clear from the text. Was it because Jacob did not know what his sons had planned, or was it because his sons were the ones doing the negotiating with Hamor and Shechem? Some believe that this might have been the case, because Jacob was possibly recuperating from becoming lame after his wrestling match with the Lord. But what is clear is that Simeon and Levi intended to do Hamor and Shechem harm from the beginning.

An important question you should ask is where did Jacob’s sons get this idea to lie and deceive Hamor and Shechem? They got this idea from just listening to their own father lie to his brother Esau concerning following him to his home after their meeting. So, Jacob’s children followed the example of their father. This should be a serious warning to every father and mother, because your children are watching what you do. We all want children to do what we say, but the reality is, they are going to do what they see us doing. This is why Paul warned Timothy to, “Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Remember, your children are watching you as a parent very closely, so choose to be the example that they need.

In addition to the lies Jacob’s sons told, they also held the hatred within their hearts which brought about their decision to kill all the males in the city of Shechem. If you hold hatred and revenge in your heart, you too will make cruel and heartless decisions. It makes no difference if your hatred seems to you to be just, and you think that you have the right to your resentment, you are going to make a poor decision somewhere down the line. Did all of the males in Shechem deserve to die for the sin of Shechem? Simeon and Levi obviously went to the extreme in their retribution. This is why God declared, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). James also taught, “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). Never forget, your wrath will never produce the righteousness of God.

Also notice how lies and hatred usually work together. In Proverbs 10:18 Solomon warned us, “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.” Notice how Scripture connects someone who lies, with a person who holds hatred in their heart. These two areas of sin surely go together. Again, in Proverbs 26:26 Solomon taught the same thing. He wrote, “Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.” In other words, people think they can hide their hatred, but it’s going to come out sooner or later with someone somewhere. So, hatred and lying are a lethal combination in your heart. Don’t let these two sins cause you to behave in a way that will dishonor God.   

The decision to seek Jacob’s wealth.

To understand Hamor and Shechem’s motive to pursue Jacob’s wealth, you must put yourself in their shoes. They were probably looking out from the city walls of Shechem, and saw as far as their eyes could see, nothing but an enormous multitude of his animals and people. They must have thought, We can have a part of this wealth if these people marry our daughters and sons. We know that if Jacob gave to Esau five hundred and fifty animals as a small present to him, think of how many animals were in his herds of sheep, goats, oxen, milk cows, camels, bulls and other animals that he must have had. There must have been thousands! They must have reasoned that if their children married Jacob’s sons and daughters, the dowry that came with these weddings would make them rich. Hamor and Shechem agreed to the terms Simeon and Levi gave them because of the riches they saw that could be theirs. Hamor and Shechem’s motives determined their decision.

Jacob’s sons decide to seek the maximum cruelty.

The text continues, “Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; 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.’ But they said, ‘Should he treat our sister like a harlot?’” (Gen. 34:25-31).

The decision to kill every male in the city of Shechem was not justice, but was an act of cruelty of the highest order. Should every male die for the sin of rape by only one man? Absolutely not! Justice should have been done in this case of rape, but this behavior was not just. Simeon and Levi desired justice for their sister, but they went about it in the wrong way. It is unclear what the moral code of that city was in that day, but killing all the males and taking captive all the women and children to be slaves was not the right thing to do. Even under the Law of Moses, which came hundreds of years later, the punishment for rape was not that every male in the city should die because of one man’s offense. Moses declared, “If a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her. If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, 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” (Deut. 22:25-29). We do not know if Dinah was betrothed to a man or not, because the text does not reveal this fact. But, if she was, Shechem should have been the only one to die for this rape. If she was not betrothed, he could have taken her as his wife if her father agreed.

The Scripture reveals one overriding truth, and that is that God holds every man or woman accountable for their own sin. God is clear that others should not be punished for what another person does. This truth is found in Ezekiel 18. The entire chapter is given over to explaining this concept. If you are interested in this issue, and what God’s thoughts are on this topic, please study this entire chapter. God declares His conclusion to this matter when He said, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Eze. 18:20). This is God’s standard of judgment, and it is the only fair way to deal with mankind. No one should bear the guilt for someone else’s sin. If I sin, I should bear the guilt of that failure, and not someone else. Shechem alone should have been held responsible for his personal actions.

Jacob’s response to what his sons had done.

When Jacob found out what his sons had done, what did he say? He declared, “‘You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; 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.’ But they said, ‘Should he treat our sister like a harlot?’” In essence, Jacob is only concerned with his reputation and safety. It doesn’t appear that Jacob was even concerned about what they had done, and whether their behavior was right or wrong. He said nothing about the cruelty that they had inflicted on this entire city, because of their hatred and revenge.

However, it is interesting that Jacob never forgot this cruelty of his sons, and even rebuked them for it on his deathbed. He said to them as he was about to die, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 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. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Gen. 49:5-7). Jacob made it very clear by this statement that he took no responsibility for their cruelty and self-will in the decision that they made. He saw them as instruments of cruelty and harshness toward others. He saw their anger as a cursed thing. At least at the end of his life he was willing to condemn his son’s cruelty.

My hope is that you will always consider hatred, resentment, and revenge as a cursed thing. If you do, it will keep you from the bad decisions that were made in the lives of these men! Seeking justice when evil is done to you is completely reasonable and right, just make sure that it is done the right way. Choose to follow God’s commands, and you will never have to look back and regret your behavior!