Genesis 34

Genesis 34 is the account of Dinah and the Shechemites. Jacob's daughter Dinah went out to visit the women of the land. Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite (the local ruler), “saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.” Shechem fell in love with Dinah and asked his father to arrange a marriage. Hamor approached Jacob about the marriage and proposed an alliance between their peoples, offering intermarriage and land. Jacob’s sons, upon hearing what happened to their sister, were furious about the dishonor brought upon their family. When negotiating with Hamor and Shechem, Jacob’s sons proposed that all the men of the city must be circumcised before any marriage could take place. But it turned out to be a setup. Shechem and Hamor agreed to this condition and convinced all the men of their city to undergo circumcision. While the men were recovering and in pain, two of Jacob’s sons — Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s full brothers) — attacked the city, killed all the men, and took Dinah home. The other brothers then plundered the city, taking wealth, livestock, women, and children. Jacob chastises Simeon and Levi for endangering the family by making them odious to the surrounding peoples. But they defend their actions, asking, “Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”