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.
2. Hivite ] See Gen 10:17. The name of a Canaanite tribe. In Jos 9:7 the Hivites are found in Gibeon; but, from Jdg 3:3 and Jos 11:3, their dwelling-place was traditionally connected with Lebanon.
LXX has “Horite,” as in Jos 9:7.
“Hamor,” as the name of an animal, means “he-ass.”
the prince ] This word, in Heb. nasi, is used frequently by P, Gen 17:20, Gen 23:6, Gen 25:16. Lat. princeps.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. Prince of the country] i.e., Hamor was prince; Shechem was the son of the prince or chief. Our version appears to represent Shechem as prince, but his father was the chief of the country. See Ge 34:6; Ge 34:8, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And when Shechem the son of Hamor,…. From whom the city had its name, near which Jacob and his family now were:
the Hivite, prince of the country; Hamor was an Hivite, which was one of the nations of the land of Canaan, and this man was the prince or a principal man of that nation, as well as of Shechem. Josephus c calls him a king: when the son of this man
saw her; that is, Dinah, what a beautiful person she was, and was enamoured with her:
he took her: by force, as the Targum of Jonathan:
and lay with her, and defiled her; or “humbled” or “afflicted her” d; and it is a rule with the Jews, that every such act, which is done by force, is called an humiliation and affliction e: the child begotten in this act of fornication is said f by them to be Asenath, who was had into Egypt, and brought up by Potipherah’s wife as her daughter, and afterwards married to Joseph, Ge 41:45.
c Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 1.) d , , Sept. & afflixit eam, Pagninus, Montanus. e Gerundensis apud Munster, & Drusium in loc. f Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 33. fol. 42. 2.)
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
‘And Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. And he took her, and lay with her and humbled her.’
Like many petty princes Shechem was proud and arrogant and considered he did not have to behave as others did. When he saw the tribal girl who aroused his feelings more than any woman had before, he did not think twice about taking her and having his way with her. To him she was simply a ‘stranger’ in the land and therefore not very important. It may well be that he felt that by taking her he would render it impossible for her to marry anyone else.
“Humbled her.” That is, changed her status. There is an advancement in thought. First he took her, that is sent his men to fetch her, and then he raped her. And the final result was that she was ‘humbled’ and lost her status. She was morally and socially degraded and lost the expectancy of a fully valid marriage. No act to a woman of Dinah’s status could have been more cruel. We must recognise this when we consider the passage.
“Hamor the Hivite.” He was clearly the ‘king’ of Shechem. We do not know who the Hivites were but they are regularly mentioned as one of the tribes in Canaan. They were possibly connected with the Horites (compare Zibeon in Gen 36:2 with 36:20-21, and indeed the name may be an alternative rendering, ‘v’ instead of ‘r’, either as an error in copying or otherwise. The LXX of Gen 34:2 here and Jos 9:7 renders Hivite as Horite which may suggest an original different reading ).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Pro 13:20Pro 13:20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
This was lust, not love.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 34:2 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.
Ver. 2. Saw her, he look her, and lay with her. ] Ut vidit, periit. By those windows of the eyes and ears, sin and death often enter: through them the devil throws balls of wild fire into the soul, and sets all into a combustion. Visus, colloquium, contactus, osculum, concubitus, do too oft one succeed another. a See to the five senses, if ye would keep out the enemy. Shut up the five windows, if ye would have the house, the heart, full of light, saith the Arabian proverb. Joseph’s mistress cast her eyes upon him; but when she laid hands on him, she was the more inflamed, and set agog, as it were. The viewing, touching, or familiar talking with a woman, either without necessary occasion, or then, without prayer for holy affection, is dangerous, saith a grave divine. b Thou mayest not look intently upon what thou mayest not love. Democritus the philosopher pulled out his eyes, that he might not look upon forbidden beauties. This was no part of his wisdom: but it shall be ours, by mortification, to pluck the wanton eye out of old Adam, and to set it sober into the new man: to get that occulum irretortum, that well-ordered eye, that Job had; Job 31:1 that Joseph had; that Gregory Nazianzen had, who could , tutor his eyes; that Charles V, Emperor of Germany, had, who would shut the casements, when at any time he saw fair women afar off, or heard that such were to pass by his window c It is not safe to pry into the beauty of a fair woman. Circe d often used allusively. may enchant us, the cockatrice slay us with her sight. “Let her not take thee with her eyelids,” saith Solomon; Pro 6:25 as larks, while they gaze in a glass, are taken in a hunter’s net. See Trapp on “ Gen 6:2 “ See Trapp on “ Gen 26:7 “
a Mars videt hanc, visamque cupit, potiturque cupita. – Ovid.
b Time Well Spent, by Ezek. Culverwel, p. 53.
c Saepe clausit fenestram, ne inspiceret formosiores foeminas, &c. – Par., Hist. Profan., p. 908.
d In Greek and Latin mythology the name of an enchantress who dwelt in the island of Aea, and transformed all who drank of her cup into swine.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
defiled. Hebrew humbled.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Shechem: Gen 10:17, Gen 33:19
saw her: Gen 6:2, Gen 39:6, Gen 39:7, Jdg 14:1, 2Sa 11:2, Job 31:1, Job 31:9, Pro 13:20, Mat 5:28
took her: Gen 20:2
defiled her: Heb. humbled her, Deu 21:14, Deu 22:24, Deu 22:29, Jdg 19:24, Jdg 19:25, Eze 22:10, Eze 22:11
Reciprocal: Gen 12:6 – Sichem Gen 27:46 – because Gen 34:27 – they Gen 35:2 – clean Gen 38:2 – saw Exo 22:16 – a man entice Exo 23:23 – thee in Jos 9:7 – Hivites Jos 17:7 – Shechem Jdg 9:1 – Shechem Jdg 9:28 – Hamor 2Sa 13:12 – force me 2Sa 13:20 – desolate Jer 41:5 – Shechem Joh 4:18 – is not Act 7:16 – Emmor
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 34:2. Shechem took her, and defiled her Hebrew, humbled her. The word, says Bishop Kidder, intimates his violence, as well as her dissent. Young women may learn from this to be chaste, keepers at home, (Tit 2:5,) which qualities have a closer connection than many are willing to believe. They that are fond of going abroad, and intermixing in company with persons of whose piety and good conduct they have no proof, often expose their virtue to a snare. From what happened to Dinah, all may learn to avoid all occasions of falling into temptation, or leading others into it.