341 And 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, the prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. 3 And his soul fastened on Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the maiden, and spoke consolingly to the maiden. 4 And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Take me this girl as wife. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his cattle in the fields, and Jacob said nothing until they came.
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem came out to Jacob, to speak to him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came from the fields when they heard [it]; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought what was disgraceful in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor spoke to them, saying, My son Shechem's soul cleaves to your daughter: I pray you, give her to him as wife. 9 And make marriages with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you. 10 And dwell with us, and the land shall be before you: dwell and trade in it, and get yourselves possessions in it. 11 And Shechem said to her father and to her brethren, Let me find favour in your eyes; and what ye shall say to me I will give. 12 Impose on me very much as dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say to me; but give me the maiden as wife. 13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and spoke—because he had defiled Dinah their sister— 14 and said to them, We cannot do this, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach to us. 15 But only in this will we consent to you, if ye will be as we, that every male of you be circumcised; 16 then will we give our daughters to you, and take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and be one people. 17 But if ye do not hearken to us, to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and go away.
18 And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. 19 And the youth did not delay to do this, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was honourable above all in the house of his father.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 34:1-19
Commentary on Genesis 34:1-19
(Read Genesis 34:1-19)
Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion. Those parents are very wrong who do not hinder their children from needlessly exposing themselves to danger. Indulged children, like Dinah, often become a grief and shame to their families. Her pretence was, to see the daughters of the land, to see how they dressed, and how they danced, and what was fashionable among them; she went to see, yet that was not all, she went to be seen too. She went to get acquaintance with the Canaanites, and to learn their ways. See what came of Dinah's gadding. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. How great a matter does a little fire kindle! We should carefully avoid all occasions of sin and approaches to it.