Lives of Scripture

Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite and prince of the city that bore his family's name, saw Dinah, Jacob's daughter, seized her, and raped her (Genesis 34:1-2). Scripture does not soften this: he "violated her." Afterward, however, "his soul was strongly attracted to Dinah," and he asked his father to arrange marriage (34:3-4). Hamor proposed intermarriage and trade between the two peoples; Shechem himself, undeterred by what he had done, offered any bride-price and dowry the family required (34:8-12). Dinah's brothers answered deceitfully: they would agree only if every male of the city was circumcised. Shechem and Hamor persuaded their city to accept the terms, and "Shechem did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter" (34:19). Three days later, while the men of the city were still in pain, Simeon and Levi -- Dinah's full brothers -- attacked, killed every man including Shechem and Hamor, plundered the city, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house (34:25-29). Jacob rebuked his sons for endangering the family among the Canaanites, but they replied, "Should he treat our sister as a harlot?" (34:30-31). The episode leaves no one blameless -- Shechem's violence, and his sons' violent deceit in response -- a chapter Genesis narrates without endorsing any party's conduct.