And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
13. the sons of Jacob ] In Gen 34:13-18 we have the treacherous proposal, made by the sons of Jacob, by which they would be able to revenge themselves upon the Shechemites, and attack them, when they would be incapacitated for defence.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Answered – deceitfully] Which nothing could excuse; yet, to show that they had had much provocation, it is immediately subjoined vaidabberu, they spoke thus because he had defiled Dinah their sister; for so this parenthesis should be read.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Deceitfully; pretending and promising marriages with them upon that condition which they never intended.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. The sons of Jacob answeredThehonor of their family consisted in having the sign of the covenant.Circumcision was the external rite by which persons were admittedmembers of the ancient Church. But that outward rite could not makethe Shechemites true Israelites; and yet it does not appear thatJacob’s sons required anything more. Nothing is said of theirteaching the people to worship the true God, but only of theirinsisting on their being circumcised; and it is evident that they didnot seek to convert Shechem, but only made a show of religionacloak to cover their diabolical design. Hypocrisy and deceit, in allcases vicious, are infinitely more so when accompanied with a show ofreligion; and here the sons of Jacob, under the pretense ofconscientious scruples, conceal a scheme of treachery as cruel anddiabolical as was, perhaps, ever perpetrated.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor deceitfully,…. Proposing the marriage of their sister on terms after mentioned, when they never intended it should ever be: Onkelos, Jonathan, and Jarchi interpret it, “with wisdom”, as if they answered wisely and prudently, but the word is never used in a good sense; and if it was wisdom, it was carnal wisdom and wicked cunning, and was disapproved of by plain hearted Jacob:
and said: or spoke in this deceitful manner:
because he had defiled Dinah their sister; and therefore were filled with indignation at him, and fired with resentment against him, and vowed within themselves revenge upon him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Attractive as these offers of the Hivite prince and his son were, they were declined by Jacob’s sons, who had the chief voice in the question of their sister’s marriage (vid., Gen 24:50). And they were quite right; for, by accepting them, they would have violated the sacred call of Israel and his seed, and sacrificed the promises of Jehovah to Mammon. But they did it in a wrong way; for “ they answered with deceit and acted from behind ” ( : ) is to be rendered dolos struxit; would be the expression for “giving mere words,” Hos 10:4; vid., Ges. thes.), “ because he had defiled Dinah their sister.” They told him that they could not give their sister to an uncircumcised man, because this would be a reproach to them; and the only condition upon which they would consent ( imperf. Niph. of ) was, that the Shechemites should all be circumcised; otherwise they would take their sister and go.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
13. And the sons of Jacob answered. The commencement of their perfidious course is here related: for they, being outrageous rather than simply angry, wish to overthrow the whole city, and not being sufficiently strong to contend against so great a number of people, they contrive a new fraud, in order that they may suddenly rise upon the inhabitants weakened by wounds. Therefore, since the Shechemites had no strength to resist, it became a cruel butchery rather than a conquest, which increased the atrocity of wickedness in Jacob’s sons, who cared for nothing so that they might but gratify their rage. They allege in excuse, that, whereas they were separated from other nations, it was not lawful for them to give wives of their own family to the uncircumcised. Which indeed was true if they said it sincerely; but they falsely use the sacred name of God as a pretext; yea, their double profanation of that name proves them to be doubly sacrilegious; for they cared nothing about circumcision, but were intent on this one thing, how they might crush the miserable men in a state of weakness. Besides, they wickedly sever the sign from the truth which it represents; as if any one, by laying aside his uncircumcision, might suddenly pass over into the Church of God. And in this mode they pollute the spiritual symbol of life, by admitting foreigners, promiscuously and without discrimination, into its society. But since their pretense has some color of probability, we must observe what they say, that it would be disgraceful to them to give their sister to a man uncircumcised. This also is true, if they who used the words were sincere; for since they bore the mark of God in their flesh, it was wicked in them to contract marriages with unbelievers. So also, at the present time, our baptism separates us from the profane, so that whoever mixes himself with them, fixes a mark of infamy upon himself.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13, 14) And said . . . and they said.These are two different verbs in the Hebrew, and should be translated and spake (because he had defiled Dinah their sister), and said. The intermediate words are parenthetical, and there is no reason for translating spake by plotted, laid a snare, as Gesenius and others have done.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Sons of Jacob answered “Jacob had scarcely time to advance a reply; for his sons eagerly availed themselves of their share of the influence generally allowed to brothers in the matrimonial arrangements of their sisters; and they acted with a zeal to which he thought he might safely trust the matter. But he was doomed to soon perceive his error.” Kalisch.
Deceitfully In this they seem to have inherited something of their father’s duplicity in his younger days. And men, like Hamor and Shechem, under the impulses of ambition and of love, are easily deceived, and led to concede or adopt any thing that will serve their purpose and desire.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, and said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you, if you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you and we will become one people. But if you will not listen to us then we will take our daughter and we will be gone.” ’
“With guile.” It is unusual in Genesis for an explanation to be given for the motive of what is said. Thus the reference to guile shows that the writer wants us to know that what later happened was the brothers’ intention from the start. It is again stressed that their motive is based on what has been done to their sister Dinah. She has been defiled, both socially and religiously. All that follows is thus but preparation for their revenge.
The issue that they take up is circumcision. It is probable that more explanation was actually given at the meeting but the writer is aware that such was not really in question and omits any mention of it. There was no real idea of the men of Shechem entering the covenant community. The fact was that the brothers simply saw it as a means of disabling the men of Shechem. Outwardly they are agreeing to the terms outlined by Hamor, but inwardly they have only one purpose in mind, justice and revenge, for before we judge them too harshly we must recognise that this was a case where justice and revenge went hand in hand. A terrible sacrilege had been committed and they required justice to take its course. They felt that they had no choice. Sacrilege must be expiated. And that involved the death of the offender. And because the offender was the king’s firstborn and the darling of the people, they knew that they too would have to be dealt with.
We rightly cringe at what follows. But we must remember that it was then a regular occurrence for cities to be invaded and taken over, and that it was necessary for semi-nomads to make clear to others that they could not be trifled with. All too often they were the sufferers. But unquestionably here this is all exacerbated by the sense that a great sacrilege has been committed against ‘God, the God of Israel’.
“We will take our daughter and be gone.” Here ‘daughter’ is used to signify a daughter of the tribe. This last phrase is a deliberate attempt to accomplish what they want, the disablement of the men of Shechem. They clearly hoped that Shechem’s passion was enough for him to agree to their proposal. Had he not done so murder might have taken place on the spot regardless of the consequences. They did not really intend to ‘be gone’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Demand of Jacob’s Sons
v. 13. And the sons of Jacob, v. 14. 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. v. 15. But in this will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; v. 16. 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.
v. 17. But if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. v. 18. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor’s son.
v. 19. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter; and he was more honorable than all the house of his father.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Gen 34:13. 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 Gen 34:30.
REFLECTIONS.We have here,
1. The resentment of Jacob’s sons; highly provoked at the dishonour done the family, and, like many others, more incensed at the shame than grieved at the sin. They call it folly. Sin deserves that name. What so foolish as to offend the Holy God for a bestial indulgence, and wound not our own souls only, but every friend and relation? And how much more scandalous in a house where religion is professed? O did we know all the miseries of sin before we commit it, which we feel afterwards, nothing could tempt us to it!
2. Hamor’s proposal to heal the breach by marriage, with the most generous offer of any dowry. Jacob’s sons, under a pretence most specious, but with hearts panting for revenge, consent to the proposal, on condition of the Shechemites being circumcised. They cannot, they say, intermarry with the uncircumcised; that would be a reproach to them. Note; The most bloody designs have been often covered with the cloak of religion; but God seeth and judgeth; hypocrisy with him will be counted the deadliest of crimes.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 12:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 34:13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
Ver. 13. Deceitfully, and said, Because he had, &c. ] Therefore they thought they had reason to do as they did. Satan doth so bemist men, many times, that they think they have reason to be mad, and that there is some sense in sinning; when as, indeed, our only wisdom is to keep God’s laws; Deu 4:6 all which are founded upon so good reason, that, had God never made them, yet it had been best for us to have practised them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 34:13-17
13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcized, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised, 16then 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. 17But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”
Gen 34:13
NASBwith deceit”
NKJVspoke deceitfully”
NRSV, Peshitta”answered. . .deceitfully”
TEVin a deceitful way”
NJBa crafty answer”
LXX”craftily”
JPSOA”speaking with guile”
The NOUN “deceit” (BDB 941) means treachery. It is used by Isaac of Jacob’s trick in Gen 27:35. The same root is used to describe Laban’s trickery of Jacob with Leah in Gen 29:25. This characteristic of Jacob remains in his family.
Gen 34:14-17 “one who is uncircumcized” Circumcision was a sign of the covenant of YHWH (cf. Gen 17:9-14). Here, Dinah’s brothers are using it in the physical rather than its intended spiritual sense. They had ulterior motives. The violent attack of Shechem is now used as an excuse for a violent attack on the whole tribe! This kind of revenge is exactly what the Hebrew “Eye for an eye” (cf. Exo 21:24; Lev 24:20) law was meant to stop.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
deceitfully. Jacob’s character his own scourge. The first and only occurance in Genesis.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
deceitfully: Gen 25:27-34, Jdg 15:3, 2Sa 13:23-29, Job 13:4, Job 13:7, Psa 12:2, Pro 12:13, Pro 12:18-20, Pro 24:28, Pro 24:29, Pro 26:24-26, Isa 59:13, Mic 7:2, Rom 12:19, 1Th 5:15, Mat 28:13
Reciprocal: Gen 34:27 – General Gen 34:31 – General Gen 37:29 – he rent Jos 9:4 – work wilily 1Ki 21:9 – Proclaim a fast Dan 11:23 – work
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deception and Slaughter Jacob’s sons agreed to the marriage contract, but the text tells us they were acting deceitfully. They told Hamor they could not allow one of the women of Israel to marry an uncircumcised man. They said if Hamor and the other men of Shechem would agree to be circumcised, then the two peoples could intermarry. Hamor went to the leaders of the city who met at its gates to ask for their support. He argued that they would gain women to marry and Jacob’s wealth would be theirs. So every male in Shechem was circumcised.
On the third day after circumcision was performed, the men were sore. It was then that Simeon and Levi took their swords and slaughtered all the men. They also took the wealth of the city including the wives. When Jacob found out what his sons had done, he said they had acted hastily without taking into account potential consequences of their actions. It was possible the allies of Hamor would attack Jacob and his family. However, even these words from their father did not elicit a penitent response from Simeon and Levi ( Gen 34:13-31 ).