According to the Noahide laws (a binding moral code for all Gentiles), the penalty for Shechem’s violation against Dinah is death, and the penalty for allowing such actions is also death. Therefore, it was a righteous slaying.
On the other hand, Shechem was a prince. Who could possibly stand up to him? Only Shechem was guilty. Therefore, it was unrighteous.
Simeon and Levi get all the blame for the whole story of the massacre of Shechem, starting with the circumcision requirement, so why does the text tell us that “Jacob’s sons answered” and not just “Simeon and Levi” answered? In what way were they all “speaking with guile,” and not just the two offending brothers?
The rabbis explain that the trickery wasn’t intended to end in bloodshed. The trickery was that the brothers presented Shechem an impossible requirement: “You and all your men in your whole city must be circumcised.”
Who would agree to this?! But if Shechem refused, he would be forced to reject his claim to Dinah and return her to her family.
This seemed like a clever enough plot that Jacob didn’t object to it.
He didn’t assume Dinah’s blood brothers would be so aptly named.
וְאִתָּ֖נוּ תֵּשֵׁ֑בוּ וְהָאָ֙רֶץ֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם שְׁבוּ֙ וּסְחָר֔וּהָ וְהֵֽאָחֲז֖וּ בָּֽהּ׃
You will dwell among us, and the land will be open before you; settle, move about, and acquire holdings in it.”
Genesis 34:10 (Revised JPS, 2023)I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus 3:21-22 (NASB 1995)
There’s a fascinating and seemingly prophetic statement that Hamor says to Jacob and his sons after Dinah is violated. Jacob already knows that God has promised the land to him. But here, Hamor says “the land will be open before you to settle and move about and acquire possession.” This sounds like a plunder.
Jump to Exodus, after Egypt has violated Israel, and God tells Moses directly: you will plunder the Egyptians.
It’s an interesting parallel.
וְהִֽתְחַתְּנ֖וּ אֹתָ֑נוּ בְּנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ תִּתְּנוּ־לָ֔נוּ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ תִּקְח֥וּ לָכֶֽם׃
Intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
Genesis 34:9 (Revised JPS, 2023)הָאֲנָשִׁ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה שְֽׁלֵמִ֧ים הֵ֣ם אִתָּ֗נוּ וְיֵשְׁב֤וּ בָאָ֙רֶץ֙ וְיִסְחֲר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ וְהָאָ֛רֶץ הִנֵּ֥ה רַֽחֲבַת־יָדַ֖יִם לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם אֶת־בְּנֹתָם֙ נִקַּֽח־לָ֣נוּ לְנָשִׁ֔ים וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ נִתֵּ֥ן לָהֶֽם׃
“These people are our friends; let them settle in the land and move about in it, for the land is large enough for them; we will take their daughters to ourselves as wives and give our daughters to them.
Genesis 34:21 (Revised JPS, 2023)
The tonal shift is intriguing. We should assume that Hamor and Shechem are more honest in their intentions with their own people than with the Jacob and his sons.
To the sons of Israel: Give your daughters, and take our daughters.
To their own people: We will take their daughters, and give our daughters.
Can you hear it? It sounds like an equal exchange in v9, but in v21, it becomes clear: Hamor and Shechem are bad men who have no regard for the vulnerable, even among their own people.
וּבְנֵ֨י יַעֲקֹ֜ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשׇׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּֽי־נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃
Meanwhile Jacob’s sons, having heard the news, came in from the field. They were distressed and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter – a thing not to be done.
One commentary notes something fascinating here. There is no “nation of Israel” yet. At this time in the narrative, Israel is not a place. Israel is a man named Jacob.
Yet we only see the outrage in the sons of Jacob, and not in Jacob himself. Jacob does not speak at at all in the text until the end of the chapter, when he complains that Simeon and Levi have brought trouble upon him by making him an enemy of the Canaanites.
וּבְנֵ֨י יַעֲקֹ֜ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשׇׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּֽי־נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃
Meanwhile Jacob’s sons, having heard the news, came in from the field. They were distressed and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter – a thing not to be done.
Genesis 34:7 (Revised JPS, 2023)
In the rabbinical commentary, there’s a discussion about what “a thing not to be done” indicates.
Rashi suggests that even the Gentiles, since the time of the Flood, understood that violating a girl was wrong; every nation at the time had outlawed such activity.
Nachmanides counters: the Canaanites did not consider it immoral, and the text is highlighting only what is forbidden to the Jews.
Either way, the reader is told to agree with the anger of the brothers. It was a thing not to be done.
וּבְנֵ֨י יַעֲקֹ֜ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשׇׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּֽתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּֽי־נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵעָשֶֽׂה׃
Meanwhile Jacob’s sons, having heard the news, came in from the field. They were distressed and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing not to be done.
Genesis 34:7 (Revised JPS, 2023)
The text shows us two separate responses from Dinah’s brothers: distress and anger.
The distress (עָצַב) is the same word used to describe God’s heart before God flooded the earth. Grieved. In pain.
The anger (חָרָה) is the same word used to describe Cain before he killed his brother.
וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ וְאַל־יִ֙חַר֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֣י לְמִֽחְיָ֔ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִפְנֵיכֶֽם׃
Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you.
Genesis 45:5 (Revised JPS, 2023)
Much later, Joseph will encourage his brothers to be neither grieved nor angry at themselves for their actions against him. Same words. I can’t help but see a link here.
Dinah, in her weakness, suffers an injustice, and her brothers pour out wrath in her defense.
The same brothers treat Joseph unjustly, and Joseph, in his strength, withholds the justified wrath against them and encourages a new path.
There is a time for grief and wrath, and a time for healing and peace.
וַיִּ֜קֶן אֶת־חֶלְקַ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָֽטָה־שָׁם֙ אׇהֳל֔וֹ מִיַּ֥ד בְּנֵֽי־חֲמ֖וֹר אֲבִ֣י שְׁכֶ֑ם בְּמֵאָ֖ה קְשִׂיטָֽה׃
The parcel of land where he pitched his tent he purchased from the kin of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitahs.
Genesis 33:19 (Revised JPS, 2023)
Jacob buys a parcel of land from the kin of Hamor in Canaan and sets up an altar there, completing his vow to God.
Earlier, in Genesis 23, Abraham buys the cave at Machpelah from the Hittites in Canaan, and this is a place where he buries Sarah.
They do this, even though the land has been promised to them by God.
וַיָּבֹא֩ יַעֲקֹ֨ב שָׁלֵ֜ם עִ֣יר שְׁכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן בְּבֹא֖וֹ מִפַּדַּ֣ן אֲרָ֑ם וַיִּ֖חַן אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י הָעִֽיר׃
Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem that is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city.
Genesis 33:18 (Revised JPS, 2023)
Genesis 33:18 makes a point to say that Jacob arrived “safe” (hebrew: “in peace”), and this is meant to link us back to Genesis 28:20-21, where Jacob makes a vow to God.
וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים עִמָּדִ֗י וּשְׁמָרַ֙נִי֙ בַּדֶּ֤רֶךְ הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י הוֹלֵ֔ךְ וְנָֽתַן־לִ֥י לֶ֛חֶם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וּבֶ֥גֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ׃
Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, protecting me on this journey that I am making, and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְשָׁל֖וֹם אֶל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑י וְהָיָ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה לִ֖י לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
and I return safe to my father’s house—the ETERNAL shall be my God.
Genesis 28:20-21 (Revised JPS, 2023)
The vow states that if Jacob returns to the land of his father (Canaan) “in peace,” then the Eternal shall be his God.
Here, the text is telling us that God has fullfilled his part. It is now Jacob’s turn to uphold his end of the vow.
וַיַּצֶּב־שָׁ֖ם מִזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיִּ֨קְרָא־ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {ס}
He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael.
In verse 20, Jacob does as he said he would. By this time, Jacob has been given the name “Israel.” In the building the alter to God, he names it, “El Elohe Yisrael,” or “El, God of Israel.”
וְיַעֲקֹב֙ נָסַ֣ע סֻכֹּ֔תָה וַיִּ֥בֶן ל֖וֹ בָּ֑יִת וּלְמִקְנֵ֙הוּ֙ עָשָׂ֣ה סֻכֹּ֔ת עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרָ֥א שֵׁם־הַמָּק֖וֹם סֻכּֽוֹת׃ {ס}
But Jacob journeyed on to Succoth, and built a house for himself and made stalls for his cattle; that is why the place was called Succoth.
Genesis 33:17 (Revised JPS, 2023)
“Stalls” or “booths” here is actually the first instance in Scripture of the word that we translate as Tabernacle.
A house for the benefit of Jacob. A tabernacle for the benefit of the livestock.