Year of the Bible
Genesis 34
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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 34:
After many years of challenges, Jacob is finally in a position to put down roots with his family. He purchases land near the town of Shechem, but another crisis quickly develops. A local prince, also named Shechem, desires Jacob’s daughter Dinah. The prince rapes her, then seeks her hand in marriage. In contrast, Dinah’s brothers seek revenge. They lay a trap for the men of the town, and while the townsmen are weakened, Dinah’s full blood siblings, Simeon and Levi, slaughter them and plunder the town. Jacob is furious because his hoped-for peaceful existence in the area has been ruined.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 24:
Shechem Defiles Dinah
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land; 2 and when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humbled her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob; he loved the maiden and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this maiden for my wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of it; and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; I beg you, give her to him in marriage. 9 Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You shall dwell with us; and the land shall be open to you; dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.” 11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Ask of me ever so much as marriage present and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; only give me the maiden to be my wife.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only on this condition will we consent to you: that you will become as we are and every male of you be circumcised. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. 17 But if you
will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.”
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his family. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 “These men are friendly with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their cattle, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city hearkened to Hamor and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
Dinah Is Avenged by Her Brothers
25 On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came upon the city unawares, and killed all the males. 26 They slew Hamor and his son
Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away. 27 And the sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled; 28 they took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field; 29 all their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my house- hold.” 31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Are there times lately that I've compromised my faith out of fear or an attempt to please others? Lord, give me the zeal of a big brother protecting his little sister. How can I protect the honor and dignity of those who are most vulnerable in my life?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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Dina, la hija que Lía había dado
a Jacob, salió a ver a las jóvenes
de la región. 2 La vio Siquem, hijo de Jamor
el jiveo, príncipe del país, se la llevó,
se unió a ella y la humilló. 3 Se enamoró
de Dina, hija de Jacob, amó a la
muchacha y le habló al corazón. 4 Siquem
dijo a su padre Jamor:
–Toma a esta joven para mí como
esposa.
5 Jacob se enteró de que habían deshonrado
a su hija Dina; pero como sus
hijos estaban con el ganado en el campo,
Jacob guardó silencio hasta su vuelta.
6 Jamor, padre de Siquem, salió a
donde estaba Jacob para hablar con él.
7 Los hijos de Jacob, al volver del campo,
se enteraron; los hombres se llenaron
de pena y de furia porque se había
hecho una infamia contra Israel al haberse
unido a una hija de Jacob; y eso
no es lícito.
8 Jamor habló con ellos diciendo:
–Mi hijo Siquem ama de corazón a
vuestra hija; dádsela, por favor, como
esposa. 9 Emparentad con nosotros,
dadnos vuestras hijas y tomad para vosotros
las nuestras. 10 Os quedaréis a vivir
con nosotros; el país estará a vuestra
disposición; estableceos, recorredlo
y adquirid posesiones en él.
11 También Siquem habló al padre y a
los hermanos de Dina:
–Que halle yo favor ante vosotros;
cualquier cosa que me pidáis os la daré.
12 Subidme mucho el precio y los regalos
por la novia, que os lo entregaré como
me digáis; pero dadme a la muchacha
como esposa.
13 Los hijos de Jacob respondieron a
Siquem y a su padre Jamor hablándoles
con engaño, porque aquél había deshonrado
a su hermana Dina. 14 Les dijeron:
–No podemos hacer tal cosa, dar
nuestra hermana a un hombre que es
incircunciso, pues sería una afrenta para
nosotros. 15 Solamente os lo consentire
mos con esta condición: que seáis como
nosotros, circuncidándoos todos los varones.
16 Entonces os daremos a nuestras
jóvenes y tomaremos las vuestras; habitaremos
con vosotros y seremos como
un solo pueblo. 17 Pero si no estáis de
acuerdo en circuncidaros, tomaremos a
nuestra hija y nos iremos.
18 Su propuesta pareció bien a Jamor
y a Siquem, hijo de Jamor; 19 y el joven
no tardó en hacerlo, porque estaba enamorado
de la hija de Jacob, y era el más
influyente de la casa de su padre.
20 Después Jamor y su hijo Siquem
fueron a la puerta de su ciudad y hablaron
a sus conciudadanos diciéndoles:
21 –Esos hombres están en son de paz
hacia nosotros. Que habiten en la región
y puedan recorrerla, ya que es una
región espaciosa para ellos. Tomaremos
a sus hijas por esposas y les daremos las
nuestras. 22 Pero estos hombres sólo consentirán
en habitar con nosotros y llegar
a ser un solo pueblo con una condición:
que nos circuncidemos todos
los varones, como ellos están circuncidados.
23 Sus ganados, sus posesiones y
sus animales, ¿no serán entonces nuestros?
Así que demos nuestro consentimiento,
y que habiten con nosotros.
24 Todos los que salían por la puerta
de la ciudad escucharon a Jamor y a
su hijo Siquem; y se circuncidaron todos
los varones, todos los que salían por
la puerta de la ciudad.
25 Al tercer día, cuando aquellos estaban
en medio de los dolores, dos hijos
de Jacob, Simeón y Leví, hermanos
de Dina, empuñaron cada uno su espada,
penetraron en la ciudad que estaba
desguarnecida y mataron a todos los varones.
26 También pasaron a espada a Jamor
y a su hijo Siquem; sacaron a Dina
de casa de Siquem y se marcharon.
27 Los hijos de Jacob se lanzaron sobre
los muertos, y saquearon la ciudad,
porque habían deshonrado a su hermana.
28 Se llevaron ovejas, vacas, asnos, y
lo que había en la ciudad y en el campo;
29 tomaron como botín todas sus riquezas,
sus niños y sus mujeres, y saquearon
lo que había en las casas.
30 Entonces Jacob dijo a Simeón y a
Leví:
–Me habéis traído la desgracia haciéndome
odioso a los habitantes del
país, cananeos y perezeos. Somos pocos
y ellos se reunirán contra mí, me atacarán
y me aniquilarán a mí y a mi familia.
31 Le respondieron:
–¿Se podía tratar a nuestra hermana
como a una prostituta?
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).