GiGi again's Genesis Chapter 34 comment on 11/18/2021, 4:04pm...
The brothers suggested making a covenant agreement with Hamor as a deception to avenge the honor of Dinah and return her to their family. Jacob, Hamor, Shechem, and the brothers agreed that Shechem could marry Dinah if all of the men were circumcised. (The brothers knew that the men of the town would be too sore to fight, therefore, sitting ducks for them to kill them and remove the men from that town, thus preventing any from marrying into their family)
Jacob agreed to the covenant, not knowing the plan of his sons. He was willing to compromise what he knew was
God's will to be expedient and protect is family from harm. If his sons hadn't done what they did, Abraham's seed would have mingled with the Canaanites, who were far, far from God. Although it seems terrible that the brothers would slaughter all of the men for the sin of Shechem, it accomplished God's purpose of keeping His chosen race of people from intermingling the seed of promise outside of the Hebrew lineage. Down the road, Dinah's daughter or granddaughters would become wives to her brother's children and grandchildren. God did not want her to marry and have children with a Canaanite and his will was accomplished in this account.
Jacob was bothered by what happened. He was afraid of having problems with those around him. Since their family had just arrived and it had been 20 years since he was in this area, he was not known. His parents maybe didn't even know he was back in the area yet. He felt vulnerable and forgot to trust in the God he was just getting to know. He doubted God's faithfulness to him and is family. He took his eyes off of the covenant and promises God had spoken to his grandfather, father, and himself (at least 3 times). Jacob still had a long ways to go to have faith like Abraham.
GiGi's Genesis Chapter 34 comment on 11/18/2021, 3:50pm...
This is an account of a young girl, Dinah, Jacob's daughter with Leah. This is early in their arrival to Canaan, having just arrived from Haran after 20 years there. Dinah was not 20 years old. She was the 7th child of Leah. Leah bore thre son (probably in a span of 6-9 years, then she didn't conceive for some time. Then she bore 3 more sons (probably a span of 6-9 years) Then she bore Dinah. Dinah was young, probably 12 years old or less. Se was a child, not able to give consent. She was grabbed by Shechem, drug away from the field, and raped by him. Dinah was a young girl, not old enough to be given in marriage, most likely. She most likely looked to have friends from the girls of the town, since she was the only sister of 11 brothers, all older than she was. She was not at fault.
Shechem could have chosen a wife from among the people of his town, but he preyed on the new girl in town, perhaps watching her for a time before advancing on her and overpowering her. Notice the text says she had to be taken from his home by his brothers. She was kidnapped and held against her will. Shechem thought that he "loved" her after he had raped her. It may have been a custom in is culture that girls can be stolen from their families, sexually violated, and then kept as a young wife as she grew into womanhood. It is this way in Islamic communities still. Maybe Shechem did not know her family was close by, thus making her "free" for the taking. But, Jacob did find out and Shechem begged his father, Hamor, to talk with Jacob and convince him to give Dinah to be his wife. So they met, and Dinah's brothers overheard the conversation. Upon discovering that Shechem raped their sister, they were greatly angered, and rightly so. Not only was Dinah a young girl who was raped, but they knew that she was to marry kin, not Canaanites. Jacob knew this, too, but he wanted to maintain peaceful relations with the people of Shechem, so he most likely would have compromised to make things.
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GiGi again's Genesis Chapter 34 comment on 11/18/2021, 4:04pm...
The brothers suggested making a covenant agreement with Hamor as a deception to avenge the honor of Dinah and return her to their family. Jacob, Hamor, Shechem, and the brothers agreed that Shechem could marry Dinah if all of the men were circumcised. (The brothers knew that the men of the town would be too sore to fight, therefore, sitting ducks for them to kill them and remove the men from that town, thus preventing any from marrying into their family)
Jacob agreed to the covenant, not knowing the plan of his sons. He was willing to compromise what he knew was
God's will to be expedient and protect is family from harm. If his sons hadn't done what they did, Abraham's seed would have mingled with the Canaanites, who were far, far from God. Although it seems terrible that the brothers would slaughter all of the men for the sin of Shechem, it accomplished God's purpose of keeping His chosen race of people from intermingling the seed of promise outside of the Hebrew lineage. Down the road, Dinah's daughter or granddaughters would become wives to her brother's children and grandchildren. God did not want her to marry and have children with a Canaanite and his will was accomplished in this account.
Jacob was bothered by what happened. He was afraid of having problems with those around him. Since their family had just arrived and it had been 20 years since he was in this area, he was not known. His parents maybe didn't even know he was back in the area yet. He felt vulnerable and forgot to trust in the God he was just getting to know. He doubted God's faithfulness to him and is family. He took his eyes off of the covenant and promises God had spoken to his grandfather, father, and himself (at least 3 times). Jacob still had a long ways to go to have faith like Abraham.
GiGi's Genesis Chapter 34 comment on 11/18/2021, 3:50pm...
This is an account of a young girl, Dinah, Jacob's daughter with Leah. This is early in their arrival to Canaan, having just arrived from Haran after 20 years there. Dinah was not 20 years old. She was the 7th child of Leah. Leah bore thre son (probably in a span of 6-9 years, then she didn't conceive for some time. Then she bore 3 more sons (probably a span of 6-9 years) Then she bore Dinah. Dinah was young, probably 12 years old or less. Se was a child, not able to give consent. She was grabbed by Shechem, drug away from the field, and raped by him. Dinah was a young girl, not old enough to be given in marriage, most likely. She most likely looked to have friends from the girls of the town, since she was the only sister of 11 brothers, all older than she was. She was not at fault.
Shechem could have chosen a wife from among the people of his town, but he preyed on the new girl in town, perhaps watching her for a time before advancing on her and overpowering her. Notice the text says she had to be taken from his home by his brothers. She was kidnapped and held against her will. Shechem thought that he "loved" her after he had raped her. It may have been a custom in is culture that girls can be stolen from their families, sexually violated, and then kept as a young wife as she grew into womanhood. It is this way in Islamic communities still. Maybe Shechem did not know her family was close by, thus making her "free" for the taking. But, Jacob did find out and Shechem begged his father, Hamor, to talk with Jacob and convince him to give Dinah to be his wife. So they met, and Dinah's brothers overheard the conversation. Upon discovering that Shechem raped their sister, they were greatly angered, and rightly so. Not only was Dinah a young girl who was raped, but they knew that she was to marry kin, not Canaanites. Jacob knew this, too, but he wanted to maintain peaceful relations with the people of Shechem, so he most likely would have compromised to make things.
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