Genesis 34:11-12
Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss here is Shechem's eagerness to not just apologize but also to fully compensate, emphasizing his desire to "find grace" and offering to give whatever they ask. This isn't just a casual request; it's an open-ended offer to meet any demands, highlighting how deeply he wanted Dinah and was willing to pay any price to make amends and secure her as his wife.
After Shechem has violated Dinah and fallen in love with her, he humbly pleads with her father Jacob and her brothers. He asks for their favor and promises to give anything they ask in exchange for being allowed to marry Dinah, showing his willingness to meet any demands for the sake of making amends.
Shechem's words sound so sincere. He’s willing to do anything to marry Dinah. But what’s driving him?
Shechem’s proposal to Dinah’s family is striking in its apparent sincerity and generosity.
A Plea for Favor
He begins by asking for 'grace in your eyes.' This isn't just a polite greeting; it's a direct appeal for forgiveness and acceptance after the grievous wrong he committed.
Unconditional Offer
'Whatever you say to me I will give' is a powerful statement. He’s not haggling or setting limits. He’s demonstrating a willingness to pay any price – bride price, gifts, whatever it takes – to make amends and secure Dinah as his wife.
Love or Lust?
While his words convey deep affection and a desire to make things right, the context reveals a complex motive. His initial act was driven by uncontrolled lust. Though he now professes love and a desire for marriage, the foundation of the relationship is tainted by the forceful way it began. It’s a mix of genuine affection and the consequence of earlier sin.
Jacob's sons respond to Shechem's offer with a condition that sounds reasonable, but it's a trap.
The response of Jacob's sons is a masterclass in strategic deception, cloaked in religious legitimacy.
A Religious Pretext
Their condition for marriage is that all the men of Shechem must be circumcised. On the surface, this appears to be a demand for religious unity – becoming 'one people' as they stated. However, it's a calculated move.
Exploiting Weakness
As Calvin points out, they used God's name as a pretext. Their true motive wasn't spiritual unity but revenge. They knew circumcision was a painful, disabling procedure, especially for a whole city at once. This created a window of vulnerability.
Understand the original words
chen · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew term implies finding grace, approval, or acceptance in the sight of another, often used when seeking favor from superiors or God. It reflects a desire for a positive relationship or the granting of a request.
mohar · Hebrew Noun
In ancient Near Eastern marriage customs, this was a payment made by the groom to the bride’s family, representing compensation for the loss of her labor and economic contribution to her father's house, as well as a formalizing of the covenant of marriage.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Jacob and his family settle in Canaan
Jacob and his large family, having prospered in their dealings with Laban, return to Canaan and settle near Shechem, establishing a new phase of their nomadic existence.
c. 1800-1700 BC— this verse
Shechem the Hivite assaults Dinah
Shechem, a Hivite prince and son of Hamor, forcibly takes Dinah, Jacob's daughter, and lies with her, causing deep distress to the family.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Shechem seeks to marry Dinah
After the assault, Shechem, now genuinely in love with Dinah and desiring to make amends, asks his father Hamor to secure Dinah as his wife, offering to pay any price.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Jacob's sons demand circumcision
Simeon and Levi, enraged by the defilement of their sister, trick Hamor and Shechem, demanding that all males in their city be circumcised as a condition for alliance and marriage.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Shechemites are massacred
This passage addresses the scenario where a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and requires him to pay a bride-price and marry her, mirroring Shechem's willingness to pay whatever is asked to marry Dinah.
Joshua 24:11-12In his speech to the Israelites, Joshua recounts how they took cities and drove out the inhabitants, and God sent hornets ahead of them, which parallels the violent and forceful actions taken by Jacob's sons to secure their family's honor.
1 Corinthians 6:18This verse warns against sexual immorality, stating that 'the sexually immoral person sins against his own body,' which speaks to the profound violation Dinah experienced and the spiritual consequences of such actions, even when Shechem later expresses remorse.
Proverbs 29:3This proverb states that 'whoever is a partner with a prostitute destroys both himself and the prostitute,' highlighting the dangerous entanglement and moral compromise that Dinah's encounter represented, and by extension, the compromised situation her family found themselves in.
Romans 12:17-19Paul's instruction to 'repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all' stands in stark contrast to the deceitful and violent actions of Jacob's sons, reminding us of the godly way to respond to injustice.
calvinGenesis 34:1-31: "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."
And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
Porro filii Iahacob venerunt de agro: qui quum audierunt ipsi, dolore affecti sunt viri, iratique sunt valde: quia flagitium designasset in Israel, ut…
pooleGenesis 34:11: "And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give."
No text from Poole on this verse.
What's easy to miss here is Shechem's eagerness to not just apologize but also to fully compensate, emphasizing his desire to "find grace" and offering to give whatever they ask. This isn't just a casual request; it's an open-ended offer to meet any demands, highlighting how deeply he wanted Dinah and was willing to pay any price to make amends and secure her as his wife.
After Shechem has violated Dinah and fallen in love with her, he humbly pleads with her father Jacob and her brothers. He asks for their favor and promises to give anything they ask in exchange for being allowed to marry Dinah, showing his willingness to meet any demands for the sake of making amends.
After Shechem has violated Dinah and fallen in love with her, he humbly pleads with her father Jacob and her brothers. He asks for their favor and promises to give anything they ask in exchange for being allowed to marry Dinah, showing his willingness to meet any demands for the sake of making amends.
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The True Cost of Their 'Yes'
Their agreement to marry their daughters and take wives from Shechem, while demanding circumcision, was a deceptive ploy. It wasn't a genuine attempt at integration but a well-laid plan to weaken and then destroy the city, turning a diplomatic proposal into a devastating ambush.
While the Shechemite men are incapacitated by circumcision, Simeon and Levi, with others of Jacob's sons, attack the city, killing all males and plundering their possessions.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Jacob condemns his sons' actions
Jacob rebukes Simeon and Levi for their brutal and deceitful act, fearing the repercussions from the Canaanites and Perizzites, which could lead to his family's destruction.
"Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the…" — What's easy to miss here is Shechem's eagerness to not just apologize but also to fully compensate, emphasizing his desire to "find grace" and offering to give whatever they ask. This isn't just a…
