Chapter Overview
Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, goes out to see the world and immediately ends up being raped by a guy. That guy’s dad attempts to make things right, and in return, Jacob’s sons slaughter an entire city, taking all the women, children, and things as loot. Dicks.
Additional Thoughts
Given that people claim they come to the bible for instruction on how to live, I wonder what deep moral story they would take from this. Would it be that rape is bad? That slaughtering and entire city that just followed your ludicrous demands is acceptable even though only one person wronged you? It it that women are to be traded back and forth freely without the woman’s consent mattering?
The tale contained within is yet another demonstration of disproportionate retaliation. Why anyone would come to the bible to get any instruction is beyond me. These people are really not worth emulating.
Chapter 34: Young Love
AKA: Jacob’s Children Are Dicks
- And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
- And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
- And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
- And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
- And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
- And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
- 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.
- And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
- And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
- And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
- 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.
- Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
- And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
- And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
- But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
- Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
- But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
- And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
- And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
- And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
- These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
- Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
- Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of their’s be our’s? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
- And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
- And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
- And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
- The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
- They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
- And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
- And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
- And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
- A single woman traveling all by herself? This can’t end well. I mean, it could, but come on, this is the bible!
- At least there’s no attempt to rationalize that she enjoyed it like idiots do to rape victims today.
- Oh how sweet, he fell in love with the girl that he raped.
- That seems quite chauvinistic if you ask me, doesn’t she get a say in the matter?
- I’d be pressing charges personally. Is there no legal system in the land yet?
- Looks like it’s the fathers talking to try resolve this rather than Shechem.
- Did everyone come out to listen?
- Doesn’t Dinah get a say in this at all? Seriously… Women have been treated like literal objects so far throughout this entire book.
- There doesn’t seem to be any reason not to do this anyways.
- I thought Jacob was in Canaan, which was theoretically given to his father, and therefore, all of his descendents.
- At least this guy is doing what he can to try make things right as best he knew.
- AKA: Dad told me I messed up and told me to say this to try make this right with you people who showed up on our land.
- AKA: Jacob’s sons are going to be dicks after this legitimately honest attempt to make things right.
- They decide to choose a small thing that really doesn’t matter…
- …and tell them that all will be right if they just do that.
- Seriously, look at these men go. They must be some sort of wizards. Turning women into objects left and right!
- Overall not a terrible counter offer, but, as we know, this isn’t really going to happen due to the foreshadowing earlier.
- They bought it hook line and sinker.
- AKA: Shechem takes care of business immediately so he can get down to the business of doing a woman that he recently raped.
- Time to call a meeting of the elders.
- AKA: Now hear me out now… what I’m about to say is strange, but… these people are fine. We just need to do one little thing to be friends with them….
- …and that is, chopping off a small part of your dick. From everyone here…
- …deal? It sounds like they’re swell overall.
- Strangely, everyone was ok with it. These people have kept their end of the bargain, let’s go check in with Jacob’s kids.
- Looks like they’re… massacring everyone for upholding their end of the bargain? These ruffians lack honor!
- Again… did Dinah have any say in this? Was she ok with Shechem? Did she want to leave? Did she want to stay?
- I thought they were already there.
- AKA: Pillage everything
- And take all the women and children to be slaves, sexual or otherwise.
- AKA: You done messed up. Everyone is going to try kill us now.
- Good question, but shouldn’t you honor your end of the bargain you made?