341 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah , whom she had borne to Jacob , went out to visit the daughters of the land . 2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite , the prince of the land , saw her, he took her and lay with her by force . 3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob , and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor , saying , "Get me this young girl for a wife ." 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter ; but his sons were with his livestock in the field , so Jacob kept silent until they came in.
6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved , and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter , for such a thing 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 in marriage . 9 "Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 "Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it." 11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers , "If I find favor in your sight , then I will give whatever you say to me. 12 "Ask me ever so much e bridal payment and gift , and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl in marriage ." 13 But Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit , because he had defiled Dinah their sister . 14 They said to them, "We cannot e do this thing , to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised , for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 "Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised , 16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people . 17 "But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised , then we will take our daughter and go ."
18 Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem , Hamor's son . 19 The young man did not delay to do the thing , because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter . Now he was more respected than all the household 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.