Genesis of Justice : Gen 34

THE GENESIS OF JUSTICE by Alan Dershowitz

The Genesis of Justice 8.
Dina Is Raped - and Her Brothers Take Revenge Schocken Bible Translation

Genesis 34:

to see: To visit.

1 Now Dina, Lea’s daughter, whom she had borne to Yaakov, went out to see the women of the land.

Hamor: Heb. “donkey.” Some take the name to prove that they were donkey-drivers, while others see it as an insult to the character. forcing: Or “humbling.”

2 And Shekhem son of Hamor the Hivvite, the prince of the land, saw her:
he took her and lay with her, forcing her.
3 But his emotions clung to Dina, Yaakov’s daughter—he loved the girl,
and he spoke to the heart of the girl.
4 So Shekhem said to Hamor his father, saying:
Take me this girl as a wife!
5 Now Yaakov had heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter,
but since his sons were with his livestock in the fields, Yaakov kept silent until they came home.
6 Hamor, Shekhem’s father, went out to Yaakov, to speak with him.
7 But Yaakov’s sons came back from the fields when they heard,
and the men were pained, they were exceedingly upset,
for he had done a disgrace in Israel by lying with Yaakov’s daughter,
such (a thing) is not to be done!

his emotions are so attached: Speiser uses “has his heart set on.” pray give: The repetition of “give” suggests a greediness on their part.

8 Hamor spoke with them, saying:
My son Shekhem—
his emotions are so attached to your daughter,
(so) pray give her to him as a wife!
9 And make marriage-alliances with us:
give us your daughters, and our daughters take for yourselves,

travel about: Or “trade.”

10 and settle among us!
The land shall be before you:
settle down, travel about it, obtain holdings in it!
11 And Shekhem said to her father and to her brothers:
May I only find favor in your eyes!
However much you say to me, I will give-in-payment,
12 to whatever extreme you multiply the bride-price and the marriage-gift,
I will give however much you say to me—
only give me the girl as a wife!

with deceit: Another example of a key word in the Yaakov stories; see 27:35 and 29:25.

13 Now Yaakov’s sons answered Shekhem and Hamor his father with deceit,
speaking (thus) because he had defiled Dina their sister,
14 they said to them:
We cannot do this thing,
give our sister to a man who has a foreskin,
for that would be a reproach for us!
15 Only on this (condition) will we comply with you:
if you become like us, by having every male among you circumcised.
16 Then we will give you our daughters, and your daughters we will take for ourselves,
and we will settle among you, so that we become a single people.
17 But if you do not hearken to us, to be circumcised,
we will take our daughter and go.
18 Their words seemed good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shekhem son of Hamor,

desired: Not the same Hebrew term as in 2:9. carried more weight: I.e., was more respected.

19 and the young man did not hesitate to do the thing,
for he desired Yaakov’s daughter.
Now he carried more weight than anyone in his father’s house.
20 When Hamor and Shekhem his son came back to the gate of their city,
they spoke to the men of their city, saying:

peaceably disposed: Or “friendly,” “honest.”

21 These men are peaceably disposed toward us;
let them settle in the land and travel about in it,
for the land is certainly wide-reaching enough for them!
Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and let us give them our daughters.
22 But only on this (condition) will the men comply with us, to settle among us, to become a single people:
that every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 Their acquired livestock, their acquired property and all their beasts—will they not then become ours?!
Let us only comply with them, that they may settle among us!

all who go out…: I.e., all able-bodied men.

24 So they hearkened to Hamor and to Shekhem his son, all who go out (to war) from the gate of his city:
all the males were circumcised, all who go out (to war) from the gate of his city.

Shim’on and Levi: They are condemned for this incident by Yaakov in 49:5–7.

25 But on the third day it was, when they were still hurting,
that two of Yaakov’s sons, Shim’on and Levi, Dina’s full-brothers, took each man his sword,
they came upon the city (feeling) secure, and killed all the males,
26 and Hamor and Shekhem his son they killed by the sword.
Then they took Dina from Shekhem’s house and went off.
27 Yaakov’s (other) sons came up upon the corpses and plundered the city,
because they had defiled their sister.
28 Their sheep, their oxen, their donkeys—whatever was inside the city and out in the field, they took,
29 all their riches, all their little-ones and their wives they captured and plundered,
as well as all that was in the houses.
30 But Yaakov said to Shim’on and to Levi:
You have stirred-up-trouble for me,
making me reek among the settled-folk of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites!
For I have menfolk few in number;
they will band together against me and strike me,
and I will be destroyed, I and my household!
31 But they said:
Should our sister then be treated like a whore?

The Schochen Bible
The Genesis of Justice