_DINAH IS RAVISHED BY SHECHEM, WHO SUETH TO MARRY HER. THE SONS OF JACOB CONSENT, ON CONDITION OF THE SHECHEMITES BEING CIRCUMCISED: THEY ACCEPT THE CONDITION; WHEN SIMEON AND LEVI COME ARMED UPON THE CITY, AND DESTROY THE INHABITANTS._ _Before Christ about 1739._... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DINAH THE DAUGHTER OF LEAH, &C.— See note on Genesis 34:18 of the preceding chapter. Though we cannot ascertain the exact time of this fact, it must have been at least seven or eight years after Jacob's return to Canaan, as his sons were grown up to manhood. It has been supposed that Dinah's cur... [ Continue Reading ]
ASK ME NEVER SO MUCH DOWRY, &C.— See ch. Genesis 29:11. Thevenot, in his Travels, tells us, that the same custom of men's giving dowries for their wives prevails at this day among the Turks and Persians. See his Travels, book i. c. 41.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF JACOB, &C.— The sons of Jacob means here Simeon and Levi, who were the actors in this affair, as being the uterine brothers of Dinah. Jacob seems to have referred the matter to them, of whose deceitful and hypocritical conduct and design he appears to have been utterly unsuspicious. See... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR SWORDS PLEASED HAMOR— _The father,_ for the love he had to his son, and from his desire to gain him the object of his affection; _and Shechem his son,_ for the great love he had to Dinah. It is a proof that Hamor was well beloved by his people, in that they consented so readily for his sake, a... [ Continue Reading ]
TWO OF THE SONS OF JACOB, SIMEON AND LEVI— Though Simeon and Levi only are mentioned, there can be no doubt but their servants accompanied and assisted them in the destruction they wrought. I apprehend that, in Genesis 34:27 _the sons of Jacob_ means only Simeon and Levi, as it does not appear that... [ Continue Reading ]
JACOB SAID, &C.— We can be under no hesitation to condemn this assassination, when we find Jacob himself expressing his abhorrence of it in the strongest terms. And we conceive that no arguments can justify Simeon and Levi, especially since Shechem was desirous of repairing the injury done to Dinah... [ Continue Reading ]