King James Version
Genesis 34
31 verses with commentary
The Defilement of Dinah
And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXXIV.
(1) **Dinah . . . went out to see the daughters of the land.**—Those commentators who imagine that Jacob sojourned only twenty years at Haran are obliged to suppose that he remained two or more years at Succoth, and some eight years at Shechem, before this event happened, leaving only one more year for the interval between Dinah’s dishonour and the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites. But eve...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. defiled: Heb. humbled her
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay w...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. kindly: Heb. to the heart of the damsel
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the fie...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Jacob heard.**—As Dinah did not return home (Genesis 34:26), her father probably learned her dishonour from the maidservants who had gone out with her. But “he held his peace,” chiefly from his usual cautiousness, as being no match for the Hivites, but partly because Leah’s sons had the right to be the upholders of their sister’s honour.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-23. took ... a present for Esau--**Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they w...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **He had wrought folly in Israel.**—The great anger of Jacob’s sons agrees as completely with the general harshness of their characters as the silence of the father with his habitual thoughtfulness; but it was aroused by a great wrong. The use, however, of the term *Israel *to signify the family of Jacob as distinguished from his person belongs to the age of Moses, and is one of the proofs of ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-25. There wrestled a man with him--**This mysterious person is called an angel (Ho 12:4) and God (Ge 32:28, 30; Ho 12:5); and the opinion that is most supported is that he was "the angel of the covenant," who, in a visible form, appeared to animate the mind and sympathize with the distress of his pious servant. It has been a subject of much discussion whether the incident described was an act...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray y...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-25. There wrestled a man with him--**This mysterious person is called an angel (Ho 12:4) and God (Ge 32:28, 30; Ho 12:5); and the opinion that is most supported is that he was "the angel of the covenant," who, in a visible form, appeared to animate the mind and sympathize with the distress of his pious servant. It has been a subject of much discussion whether the incident described was an act...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God gra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. I will not let thee go, except thou bless me--**It is evident that Jacob was aware of the character of Him with whom he wrestled; and, believing that His power, though by far superior to human, was yet limited by His promise to do him good, he determined not to lose the golden opportunity of securing a blessing. And nothing gives God greater pleasure than to see the hearts of His people firm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get yo...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Ye shall dwell with us.**—Hamor proposes that Jacob’s family shall abandon their nomad life, and settle among the Hivites. and trade with them, and get possessions, not merely of cattle and movable goods, but of immovable property. He wished the two clans to coalesce into one community.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel--**The old name was not to be abandoned; but, referring as it did to a dishonorable part of the patriarch's history, it was to be associated with another descriptive of his now sanctified and eminently devout character.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Dowry and gift.**—The word rendered *dowry *(mohar) is the price paid to the parents and relatives of the bride, though taking the form of a present. The *gift *(matthan) was the present made by the bridegroom to the bride herself. Besides this, her relatives were expected to give her presents, and with some tribes of Arabs it is usual even to make over to her the dowry.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. Jacob asked, Tell me ... thy name--**The request was denied that he might not be too elated with his conquest nor suppose that he had obtained such advantage over the angel as to make him do what he pleased.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had de...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13, 14) **And said **. . . **and they said.**—These are two different verbs in the Hebrew, and should be translated *and spake *(*because he had defiled Dinah their sister*)*, and said. *The intermediate words are parenthetical, and there is no reason for translating *spake *by *plotted, laid a snare, *as Gesenius and others have done.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; f...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. halted upon his thigh--**As Paul had a thorn in the flesh given to humble him, lest he should be too elevated by the abundant revelations granted him [2Co 12:7], so Jacob's lameness was to keep him mindful of this mysterious scene, and that it was in gracious condescension the victory was yielded to him. In the greatest of these spiritual victories which, through faith, any of God's people o...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. the sinew which shrank--**the nerve that fastens the thigh bone in its socket. The practice of the Jews in abstaining from eating this in the flesh of animals, is not founded on the law of Moses, but is merely a traditional usage. The sinew is carefully extracted; and where there are no persons skilled enough for that operation, they do not make use of the hind legs at all.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell w...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will b...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 33 Ge 33:1-11. Kindness of Jacob and Esau.
**1. behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men--**Jacob having crossed the ford and ranged his wives and children in order--the dearest last, that they might be the least exposed to danger--awaited the expected interview. His faith was strengthened and his fears gone (Psa 27:3). Having had power to prevail with God, he was confident of the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes inc...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Their words pleased Hamor.**—We gather from this that circumcision was a rite not only well known, but regarded as something honourable; for otherwise they would not so readily have submitted to a thing so painful.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he w...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. he bowed himself ... seven times--**The manner of doing this is by looking towards a superior and bowing with the upper part of the body brought parallel to the ground, then advancing a few steps and bowing again, and repeating his obeisance till, at the seventh time, the suppliant stands in the immediate presence of his superior. The members of his family did the same. This was a token of pr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 34
Chapter Outline
Dinah defiled by Shechem.(1-19)
The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi.(20-31)
**Verses 1-19**
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They a...
Read full commentary →And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their c...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. Esau ran to meet him--**What a sudden and surprising change! Whether the sight of the princely present and the profound homage of Jacob had produced this effect, or it proceeded from the impulsive character of Esau, the cherished enmity of twenty years in a moment disappeared; the weapons of war were laid aside, and the warmest tokens of mutual affection reciprocated between the brothers. But...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the la...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Let us take their daughters . . . —**In a young community, such as this of the Hivites at Shechem appears to have been, the addition of a large number of women was a valuable increase of their strength, and one that brought the promise also of future extension. Jacob’s men were also chiefly of the Semitic stock, and therefore possessed of high physical and mental endowments; and as they wer...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. Who are those with thee?--**It might have been enough to say, They are my children; but Jacob was a pious man, and he could not give even a common answer but in the language of piety (Psa 127:3; 113:9; 107:41).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of their's be our's? only let us consent ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and eve...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren.**—As born of the same mother, they, with Reuben and Judah, were especially bound to espouse their sister’s cause, but the method they took was cruel in the extreme. And it seems that these two were the leaders in the plot, having probably excluded Reuben from it, as a man of feeble character and opposed to bloodshed (Genesis 37:22); and Judah, as one too h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. edge: Heb. mouth
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **The sons of Jacob.**—After slaying Hamor and Shechem, the two brothers “took Dinah and went out.” It was after this that Jacob’s sons generally—though not without exceptions, for several of them were still very young—joined in seizing the spoil.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. He urged him and he took it--**In the East the acceptance by a superior is a proof of friendship, and by an enemy, of reconciliation. It was on both accounts Jacob was so anxious that his brother should receive the cattle; and in Esau's acceptance he had the strongest proofs of a good feeling being established that Eastern notions admit of.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that whi...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 33:12-20. The Parting.
**12. And he said, Let us take our journey--**Esau proposed to accompany Jacob and his family through the country, both as a mark of friendship and as an escort to guard them. But the proposal was prudently declined. Jacob did not need any worldly state or equipage. Notwithstanding the present cordiality, the brothers were so different in spirit, character, and habits--t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Their little ones.**—Heb., *their taf. *(See Note on Genesis 17:13.) How erroneous is the translation “little-ones” may be seen from Numbers 31:17-18, which in the Heb. is, “Now, therefore, kill every male in the *taf *. . . and all the *taf *of women that are unmarried.” It would be monstrous to suppose that boys were to be put to death, and men escape, nor would little girls be likely to ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Ye have troubled me.**—Jacob’s timidity led him to think first of the danger that would result from the conduct of his sons, and only afterwards of the cruelty and treacherousness of their deed. He commented upon this on his dying bed in words of fitting reprobation, but his reproof now is singularly weak, and the retort of his sons just. If the danger were all, this could have no weight wh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. until I come unto my lord--**It seems to have been Jacob's intention, passing round the Dead Sea, to visit his brother in Seir, and thus, without crossing the Jordan, go to Beer-sheba to Isaac; but he changed his plan, and whether the intention was carried out then or at a future period has not been recorded.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-31**
The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion...
Read full commentary →