Genesis 34:6 - Meaning and Application

Jacob’s sons, when they heard about the harm done to Dinah, reacted with great anger. But their concern may have come more from family pride than from a true love of virtue. Many people are upset by the shame of sin without truly grieving over how sinful it is.

The text calls this deed folly in Israel (Gen 34:7). That phrase uses later language, because Israel was not yet a nation, only a family. Sexual uncleanness is foolish, because it trades God’s favor, peace of conscience, and everything holy and honorable for base desire. This kind of folly is especially shameful in Israel, among people who know and worship God, as he was known in Jacob’s tents as the God of Israel. It is a good thing when sin is given a bad name. Here uncleanness is bluntly called folly in Israel, as in Sa2 13:12. Dinah is called Jacob’s daughter, which warns the daughters of Israel not to bring themselves into this folly.

Hamor came to speak with Jacob himself, but Jacob sent him to his sons. In the account that follows, it is a shame to say that the Canaanites seem more straightforward than the Israelites. Hamor and Shechem openly proposed this marriage so the two families could also join in trade. Shechem was deeply in love with Dinah, and he wanted her at any price (Gen 34:11, Gen 34:12). His father not only agreed, but urged the match and spoke about the benefit of uniting the families (Gen 34:9, Gen 34:10). He showed no suspicion of Jacob, even though Jacob was a stranger, and instead warmly offered him the land and free trade, saying, “The land is before you, trade in it.”

Jacob’s sons, however, wrongly pretended to require religious unity when they meant something very different. If Jacob himself had handled the matter, he likely would have reached an agreement with Hamor quickly. But Jacob’s sons were planning revenge, and they devised a terrible scheme, the Shechemites must be circumcised, not to make them holy, for they never meant that, but to make them weak and sore so they would be easier to kill.

Their excuse sounded fair. They said it would disgrace Jacob’s family to join so closely with people who were not circumcised (Gen 34:14), and that if the men were circumcised, then the two groups could become one people (Gen 34:15, Gen 34:16). If they had meant this sincerely, there would have been something right in it. Israelites should not marry Canaanites, and believers should not be joined too closely with those who live without faith. That often leads to great harm. Any influence we have over others should be used wisely to lead them toward religion, as the wise person who wins souls does. But we must not stop at getting people to accept outward religious signs. We should also try to show them why faith is true and lead them to the power of it.

Their real purpose was malicious, as the rest of the story makes clear. They only wanted to get the men ready for the day of slaughter. Bloody plans have often been hidden under a religious excuse. That makes them seem more respectable and helps them succeed more safely. But this false show of devotion is double evil. Religion is never more harmed, and God’s sacred signs are never more misused, than when they are used as a cover for evil intent.

In fact, even if Jacob’s sons had not meant to kill them, it is hard to see how they could justify offering circumcision, the holy sign of God’s covenant, to these doomed Canaanites, who had no share in the promise. Those who had no right to the promise had no right to the sign. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to dogs. But Jacob’s sons ignored that, as long as it served their purpose.