When any of us visit a new city or country we are eager to get settled and explore the sites. This was true of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter by Leah. Dinah is a young girl who wants to make new friends. The Bible doesn’t tell us if Jacob had any knowledge of her leaving his protective environment. But, Dinah went out to have some fun some time after Jacob set up his tents outside of the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. Dinah probably intended to be gone for just a little while and then return home. However, her plans were altered suddenly.
Dinah evidently was a beautiful girl and of course as she moved about in the city she attracted attention from young men. One admirer was Shechem, son of Hamor, prince of the country. Shechem saw her and immediately desired her to the point that the Bible tells us in Genesis Chapter 34 that he took her. “Taking someone” implies that he kidnapped her. Then, Shechem defiled Dinah. He didn’t honor her as a prospective wife by going through the proper channels of talking to Jacob, her father and asking to marry his daughter. No, Shechem treated her like a harlot or a prostitute. He saw her, raped her, and in so doing disrespected Dinah and her family. As the son of Hamor, Shechem was used to getting whatever he wanted.
After he lay with Dinah, Shechem’s heart longed for her with love. He didn’t release her to go back home. Instead, he kept her in his house and went to his father, Hamor the Hivite. Shechem probably said, “Father, I’ve got Jacob’s daughter and I want you to get her to be my wife.” He knows that his actions stepped out of the boundaries of how a man should acquire a wife. But, he tells Hamor adamantly to get him this girl. Hamor had previously bargained with Jacob over the land that he purchased outside of the city and now he finds himself involved in negotiations for Jacob’s daughter.
Shechem accompanies his father, Hamor to seek out Jacob. Meanwhile, Dinah is being detained at Shechem’s house. She was probably not alone when she went to see Canaanite young women because Jacob has already heard that Shechem kidnapped and raped his daughter. Jacob is faced with a serious situation. He knows that his daughter must be tramatized by what has happened to her. Now Hamor is standing before him asking to keep Dinah for his son, Shechem to marry.
Jacob, like any caring father is irate because of the circumstances. But, the Bible tells us that he holds his peace until his sons come up out of the field where they are tending to his vast livestock. His sons hear about what has happened to their sister, Dinah and they become filled with rage. But, Hamor begs Jacob to let Shechem have Dinah to wife. And, Shechem tells the brothers and Jacob that he wants to be their friend. In other words, he asks them to forget that he dishonored Dinah because he wants to make things right by marrying her. He will give them anything as a dowry in exchange for Dinah. This gesture of Shechem gives Dinah’s brothers a way to rescue their sister.
Her brothers come up with a plan to deceive Hamor into thinking that they like the idea of Dinah becoming Shechem’s wife. Jacob let his sons speak in this matter. Since they are outnumbered by the Canaanites, the sons of Jacob tell Hamor and Shechem that the marriage arrangement can’t be sealed until every male is circumcised in the city just as they are. It is unlikely that Jacob would ever agree to such a plan because he and his household worship the God of Abraham and Isaac. Nevertheless, the Bible doesn’t tell us that Jacob raised an objection. Hamor and Shechem go back to convince every male in the city to get circumcised.
Three days later when Hamor, Shechem and other males are sore from being circumcised, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah’s brothers, lead men with swords boldly into the city. They slay every male including Hamor and Shechem. Then, they take Dinah out of Shechem’s house and leave the city. Here we see that Shechem, an idol worshipper, had the audacity to ask for Dinah to be given in marriage to him when he has already raped her and still she is in his house.
The dishonoring of Dinah extended to Jacob’s household and to his God. Jacob didn’t like the approach that Simeon and Levi took in dealing with the problem. They misused the circumcision aspect of the covenant relationship between them and God as a tool for revenge. Further, Jacob said that their solution made him stink in the land. He decides to uproot their tents and leave the area before he and his household are destroyed. Contrary to Jacob’s thinking, the people living in the surrounding cities do not go after him and his household. They are in terror of Jacob’s God.
What can we recognize from this account concerning Jacob’s daughter, Dinah? She was in the protective environment of her family who worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Her name means ‘judgment.’ Did Dinah exercise good judgment when she went to seek out the daughters in the land of Canaan when she knew that they were idol worshippers? Their association and values would have been different from Dinah’s upbringing. Consider that Jacob bought property outside of the city which meant that his household was away from its influences. Dinah’s association with the Canaanite daughters could have led her into a flirtatious situation wherein Shechem took and raped her.
In like manner, this occurrence concerning Dinah could compare to a Christian today who mentally leaves the protective environment generated from following God’s Word the Bible and strays. A Christian could begin to adopt worldly philosophies and ideas and become engulfed in idolatrous liaisons requiring help to get back to spiritual restoration. From the Bible’s account we know that Dinah was young and inexperienced. This incident can help us value the need to grow in spiritual maturity by reading and meditating on the Bible. By doing this, it can also encourage us to exercise wise judgment as we live in this world.
