Genesis Chapter 34 — Dinah and the Revenge of Simeon and Levi
After Dinah is defiled by Shechem, her brothers Simeon and Levi use a treaty involving circumcision to enact a violent revenge on the city of Shechem.
1Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.
3His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
4Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, “Get me this young lady as a wife.”
5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.
6Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him.
7The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing that ought not to be done.
8Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
9Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
10You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”
11Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.
12Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife.”
13The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,
14and said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
15Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised,
16then will we 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.
17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister,*Hebrew has, literally, “daughter” and we will be gone.”
18Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.
19The young man didn’t wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.
20Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
21“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters to us for wives, and let’s give them our daughters.
22Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23Won’t their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
24All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor, and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25On the third day, when they were sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males.
26They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.
27Jacob’s sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,
29and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house.
30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
31They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Genesis 34:1
“Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.”
This verse introduces the central figure and the beginning of the narrative sequence.
Genesis 34:30
“Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.””
It highlights Jacob's immediate concern for the safety and reputation of his entire household following the violence.
Genesis 34:31
“They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?””
This concluding verse captures the justification Simeon and Levi felt for their actions regarding family honor.
Chapter Summary
Genesis 34 recounts the tragic events following Dinah’s visit to the daughters of the land. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, sees Dinah and humbles her, yet afterwards expresses a desire to marry her. Hamor approaches Jacob and his sons to propose a marriage alliance and trade agreement between their peoples. Jacob’s sons, grieving and angry over the dishonor to their sister, respond with deceit. They demand that every male in Shechem’s city be circumcised before they will agree to any marriages. Hamor and Shechem agree, and the men of the city follow suit. However, on the third day, while the men are still recovering, Simeon and Levi attack the city, killing all the males, including Hamor and Shechem. They rescue Dinah and plunder the city’s wealth and livestock. Jacob rebukes his sons for their actions, fearing that the surrounding Canaanites and Perizzites will unite to destroy his family, but Simeon and Levi defend their actions as necessary for their sister's honor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. In Genesis 34, she is the central figure whose treatment by Shechem leads to a major conflict between her brothers and the local Hivite population.
They attacked the city as revenge for the defilement of their sister, Dinah. They used a deceptive agreement regarding circumcision to weaken the men of the city before launching their assault.
Jacob was deeply troubled and rebuked Simeon and Levi. He feared that their violent actions would make his family a target for the surrounding Canaanite and Perizzite tribes.
Study Note
The reference to Shechem as a 'prince of the land' indicates the high political status of the Hivite family Jacob was dealing with in this region.
Related Chapters
Genesis 35
This chapter follows the immediate aftermath as God instructs Jacob to move his family to Bethel.
Genesis 49
Jacob references the violence of Simeon and Levi again when giving his final blessings and rebukes to his sons.
Joshua 24
Shechem appears later in biblical history as the site where Joseph's bones are buried and the covenant is renewed.
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