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THE MASSACRE OF SHECHEM

Chapter 34

The city of Shechem, is named after its founder, the son of a Hivite (a tribe of the Canaanites) named Hamor (Ass), of whose sons Jacob bought a field near the city to reside. The city was located in a narrow valley between two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim.

Coming back unhurriedly to his father's house, Jacob took up residence there: a big mistake, as he discovered shortly after.

His daughter Dinah (justice), left home to see the daughters of the land, or walked into town to see how the girls were there and also, of course, to be seen - she would have been between sixteen and eighteen years old. It was recklessness on her part, going out unaccompanied to visit the Canaanites, known for their low morality and idolatry.

The powerful Shechem, the most exalted man in town among the sons of Hamor, saw her, found her attractive, and raped her. Falling in love and wishing to marry her, he requested his father Hamor to ask for her in marriage to Jacob (as was customary at the time).  She stayed in the house of Shechem, as we understand from verse 26.

Jacob, now more than 100 years old, received the news of this event in silence and waited for the return of his sons, who were tending the cattle. It seems he no longer had much control over them, allowing them to take the initiative. Hamor in turn left town and went to see Jacob to propose the marriage of their children.

When the sons of Jacob learned what had happened, they were furious at the outrage that their family had suffered, which seems to have been much more important in their eyes than the immorality of the act committed, for it is a sin before God.

Hamor had come to talk with Jacob, but ended up talking to his sons. He gave them what he thought was a very generous proposal, hoping thereby to erase the dishonour done to their sister by his son, and to form an alliance that would be profitable for both sides. Shechem had gone along with him, and was so in love with Dinah, that he offered to give whatever they asked as a dowry to make her his wife.

But the sons of Jacob decided that the outrage suffered had to be avenged and used a ruse to weaken the men of Shechem in order to defeat them. Claiming that it would be a reproach to them to give their sister in marriage to an uncircumcised man, they said they would allow marriage only under one condition: that all men of Shechem were circumcised. For added incentive, they added that after that they would integrate with the townspeople, and would become one people.

If the sons of Jacob had been sincere, there might have been something useful in their proposal: the people of God could not mix with the idolatrous Canaanites, but if these left their idols and started to serve the true God, the barriers might be raised. But for this to occur a complete transformation in their character would be required, not just the adoption of a religious rite such as circumcision. The intent of the sons of Jacob, however, was malicious, and they made use of "religion" as a pretext to carry out their wicked designs.

The proposal pleased Hamor and Shechem, and Shechem soon had the operation because he really loved Dinah. The two went to the gate of their city, and convinced all men to be circumcised, claiming that they could then take wives out of Jacob´s people, and own their livestock, property and every animal (he was very rich!). In today's terms, Jacob and his family would be naturalized as citizens of Shechem, helping to pay their taxes. Circumcision in their view was just a religious rite, a small price to pay for these benefits. The men were persuaded, and were all circumcised.

Simeon and Levi, after Reuben, were the older brothers of Dinah by their mother Leah, and were little more than twenty years old. But their fury was so great, that they took their swords and entered the city by surprise, then killed all the men who lived there, and also Shechem and his father Hamor. This was possible because they were all weakened by the operation to which they had submitted.

Little is known about the people of Shechem, but being Canaanites they were subject to the curse of Noah. They were probably idolaters and had a low moral level - like the inhabitants of Sodom, which were destroyed by God Himself. To top their transgressions, the most honourable man among them had defiled the daughter of Israel. The punishment which came to them was permitted by God, and their proposal for a generous compensation or submission to a religious rite to become acceptable to God was worth nothing.

It was however a treacherous and barbaric slaughter of friendly people, without any justification in human terms; the other sons of Jacob took no part in the massacre, probably because they were not as bloodthirsty as Simeon and Levi. Dinah had acted very unwisely, perhaps contributing to the advances of Shechem, and he really loved her and wanted to right the wrong he had done at any cost to him, showing honesty. The other men of the city were apparently innocent of Shechem´s crime, and it was not fair for them to be punished with the guilty.

As we understand from verse 17, Jacob and his sons could have freed Dinah and gone away. But by taking the women and children as slaves, looting and pillaging everything that was in the city, they became accomplices in the crime of Simeon and Levi.

On the other hand, we recall that the men of Shechem aspired to take possession of  the property belonging to Jacob: the opposite happened, they lost everything, including their own life.

Jacob rebuked Simeon and Levi, but, surprisingly, not because they had sinned against God by committing murder (Chapter 9:6), and treason: he only mentions two things:

1. damage to his reputation: he had become odious among the Canaanites and Perizzites. The barbarity of the actions of his sons would be known everywhere.

2. danger of destruction: if the Canaanites and Perizzites were to join up against him, he and his household would be destroyed because they were few in comparison with them.Jacob knew God's promise, that He would be with him and that He would make of him a great nation.Was his faith wavering?It is more likely that he now feared that God would leave him because of  the wickedness of his sons.

The response of his sons shows no repentance. They took an arrogant attitude, and put all the blame on Shechem because he abused their sister.

In obedience to God, Jacob should have gone straight over to his land, to the presence of his father. Instead he first stopped in Succoth (Chapter 33:17) where his children grew into adults, and then in Shechem where this episode took place. He must have thought a lot about this, because he did not continue the conversation.

R David Jones

 

1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.
3 His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as a wife."
5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.
6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.
7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
9 And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.
10 So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it."
11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.
12 Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.
14 And they said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.
15 But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,
16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."
18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.
19 So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:
21 "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22 Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.
23 Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us."
24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.
26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.
28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field,
29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."
31 But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"

Genesis chapter 34