And his soul cleaved unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke kindly unto the damsel.
3. his soul ] i.e. his affections. Heb. nephesh. Cf. Gen 12:13, Gen 27:4.
kindly, &c.] Heb. to the heart of the damsel. The same phrase, sometimes rendered “comfortably,” occurs in Gen 50:21; 2Sa 19:7; Isa 40:2; Hos 2:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 3. Spake kindly unto the damsel.] Literally, he spake to the heart of the damsel – endeavoured to gain her affections, and to reconcile her to her disgrace. It appears sufficiently evident from this and the preceding verse that there had been no consent on the part of Dinah, that the whole was an act of violence, and that she was now detained by force in the house of Shechem. Here she was found when Simeon and Levi sacked the city, Ge 34:26.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Perceiving her to be exceedingly enraged and perplexed at this horrid violence, he endeavours to appease and sweeten her, and to get her consent to marry him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob,…. His inclination was to her, she was always in his thoughts; it was not a mere lustful desire that was suddenly raised, and soon over, but a constant and continued affection he bore to her, as follows:
and he loved the damsel; sincerely and heartily:
and spake kindly unto the damsel; or “to the heart” g of her, such things as tended to comfort her, she being sad and sorrowful; or to soften her mind towards him, and take off the resentment of it to him, because of the injury he had done her, and to gain her good will and affection, and her consent to marry him; professing great love to her, promising her great things, what worldly grandeur and honour she would be advanced to, and how kindly he would behave towards her; which might take with her, and incline her to yield to his motion, which having obtained, he took the following method.
g “ad cor”, Pagninus, Vatablus, Drusius, Schmidt; super cor, Montanus, Munster; “cordi”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Shechem “ loved the girl, and spoke to her heart; ” i.e., he sought to comfort her by the promise of a happy marriage, and asked his father to obtain her for him as a wife.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. And his soul clave unto Dinah. Moses intimates that she was not so forcibly violated, that Shechem having once abused her, treated her with contempt, as is usual with harlots; for he loved her as a wife; and did not even object to be circumcised that he might have her; but the fervor of lust had so prevailed, that he first subjected her to disgrace. And therefore although he embraced Dinah with real and sincere attachment, yet, in this want of self-government, he grievously sinned. Shechem “spoke to the heart” of the maid, that is, he addressed her courteously, to allure her to himself by his bland speeches: whence it follows, that when she was unwilling and resisted, he used violence towards her.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. Spake kindly Hebrews, spoke to the heart of the girl . He won her by tender words . She appears not to have been an unwilling party to the sin . “A gadding girl,” says Schroder, “and a lad who has never gone beyond the precincts of home, are good for nothing . ”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And his soul was powerfully attached to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke kindly to the girl.’
The love was genuine, and his final aim was honourable. But as his actions showed it was a selfish love which had not considered the consequences of its actions. He possibly even thought that the girl should be grateful for his interest. He could probably hardly conceive that Jacob might not want his daughter married to a prince, even if he was a Canaanite and not of the tribe.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 34:3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
Ver. 3. And his soul clave unto Dinah. ] He kicked her not out of doors, as Amnon did Tamar, far sweeter to him in the ambition, than in the fruition; but to make amends, as they call it, by marriage, he seeks to go by the old rule in that case, Et doter, et ducat. Howbeit, marriage, God’s ordinance, is not to be entered into through the devil’s portal.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
his soul = himself. Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part). App-6, Hebrew. nephesh.
kindly. Hebrew on her heart (as though making an impression on it).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
soul: Rth 1:14, 1Sa 18:1
kindly unto the damsel: Heb. to the heart of the damsel, 2Sa 19:7, 2Ch 30:22, Isa 40:2, Hos 2:14, *marg.
Reciprocal: Gen 34:8 – The soul Gen 50:21 – kindly unto them Deu 21:11 – desire Jos 23:12 – cleave Jdg 19:3 – friendly unto her Rth 2:13 – friendly 1Sa 18:20 – loved David 2Sa 13:1 – loved her 1Ki 11:2 – Solomon 2Ch 32:6 – comfortably to them Mat 19:5 – cleave
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 34:3. He spake kindly unto the damsel Desiring not only to comfort her after the ignominy he had brought upon her, but to conciliate her mind, and get her consent to marry him, that he might thereby repair, as far as possible, the injury he had done her. So that, though his behaviour had been very sinful in the first action; yet in the sequel it was honest and noble, and such as may fill with confusion of face too many who, with the utmost baseness, act a very different part.