Genesis 34:15-31

Context
34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become¹ like us by circumcising² all your males. 34:16 Then we will give³ you our daughters to marry,⁴ and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms⁵ by being circumcised, then we will take⁶ our sister⁷ and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.⁸ 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked⁹ because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah¹⁰ badly. (Now he was more important¹¹ than anyone in his father’s household.)¹² 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate¹³ of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough¹⁴ for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.¹⁵ 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand¹⁶ that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so,¹⁷ won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate¹⁸ agreed with¹⁹ Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate²⁰ was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword²¹ and went to the unsuspecting city²² and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them²³ and looted the city because their sister had been violated.²⁴ 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.²⁵ 34:29 They captured as plunder²⁶ all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin²⁷ on me by making me a foul odor²⁸ among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I²⁹ am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied,³⁰ “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

[34:15] ¹tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15] ²tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16] ³tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16] ⁴tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:17] ⁵tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17] ⁶tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17] ⁷tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.

[34:18] ⁸tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19] ⁹tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19] ¹⁰tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19] ¹¹tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).

[34:19] ¹²tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20] ¹³sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21] ¹⁴tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21] ¹⁵tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22] ¹⁶tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23] ¹⁷tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[34:24] ¹⁸tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24] ¹⁹tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24] ²⁰tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25] ²¹tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25] ²²tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.

[34:27] ²³tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.

[34:27] ²⁴tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.

[34:28] ²⁵tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29] ²⁶tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30] ²⁷tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.

[34:30] ²⁸tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.

[34:30] ²⁹tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31] ³⁰tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.