CHAPTER 34

34:1-3 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 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. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 34:2-3). HOW THE SCRIPTURE GIVES THE NAME OF VIRGIN TO DINA, DISHONORED BY SHECHEM. — The Scripture says that Sychem the son of Emmor the Evite, the ruler of the land, saw her, and took her and lay with her, and humbled her. And he was attached to the soul of Dina the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the virgin, and he spoke to her according to the virgin’s heart. How can the Scripture say that she was a virgin, if he had already slept with her and humiliated her? The answer is that perhaps the word virgin is used to indicate age, according to the Hebrew expression. Or perhaps it is rather a recapitulation by means of which the author then says what happened before? In fact, he was able to take her first to love her, to be a virgin, and to talk to her as to a virgin, and then to lie down with her and humiliate her. [Question 107]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And Shechem the son of Bemor, seeing her, slept with her; he loved this girl and spoke to him about what pleased her mind. (Gen. 34:1-3) You have seen how youth is bad, if it does not have the brakes of the thoughts of piety? He saw this girl; this sight filled him with love, and he satisfied his desire. And he talked about what pleased his mind. What pleased the girl's mind? Because she was young, he talked about what could seduce her and lead her away. And he said to his father, Give me this girl for a wife. Jacob learned what had happened and he waited patiently, waiting for Dina's brothers to return because they were in their sheepfolds. Jacob was silent, said the text, until they had arrived. [Homilies on Genesis]

34:4-31 Sychem spoke to Emmor his father, saying, Take for me this damsel to wife. 5 And Jacob heard that the son of Emmor had defiled Dina his daughter (now his sons were with his cattle in the plain). And Jacob was silent until they came. 6 And Emmor the father of Sychem went forth to Jacob, to speak to him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came from the plain; and when they heard, the men were deeply pained, and it was very grievous to them, because the man wrought folly in Israel, having lain with the daughter of Jacob, and so it must not be. 8 And Emmor spoke to them, saying, Sychem my son has chosen in his heart your daughter; give her therefore to him for a wife, 9 and intermarry with us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for your sons. 10 And dwell in the midst of us; and, behold, the land is spacious before you, dwell in it, and trade, and get possessions in it. 11 And Sychem said to her father and to her brothers, I would find grace before you, and we will give whatever ye shall name. 12 Multiply your demand of dowry very much, and I will give accordingly as ye shall say to me, only ye shall give me this damsel for a wife.  13 And the sons of Jacob answered to Sychem and Emmor his father craftily, and spoke to them, because they had defiled Dina their sister. 14 And Symeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, said to them, We shall not be able to do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for it is a reproach to us. 15 Only on these terms will we conform to you, and dwell among you, if ye also will be as we are, in that every male of you be circumcised. 16 And we will give our daughters to you, and we will take of your daughters for wives to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will be as one race. 17 But if ye will not hearken to us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart. 18 And the words pleased Emmor, and Sychem the son of Emmor. 19 And the young man delayed not to do this thing, for he was much attached to Jacob’s daughter, and he was the most honourable of all in his father’s house. 20 And Emmor and Sychem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 These men are peaceable, let them dwell with us upon the land, and let them trade in it, and behold the land is extensive before them; we will take their daughters to us for wives, and we will give them our daughters. 22 Only on these terms will the men conform to us to dwell with us so as to be one people, if every male of us be circumcised, as they also are circumcised. 23 And shall not their cattle and their herds, and their possessions, be ours? only in this let us conform to them, and they will dwell with us. 24 And all that went in at the gate of their city hearkened to Emmor and Sychem his son, and they were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin every male. 25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, the two sons of Jacob, Symeon and Levi, Dina’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city securely, and slew every male. 26 And they slew Emmor and Sychem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina out of the house of Sychem, and went forth. 27 But the sons of Jacob came upon the wounded, and ravaged the city wherein they had defiled Dina their sister. 28 And their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses they took, and all things whatsoever were in the city, and whatsoever were in the plain. 29 And they took captive all the persons of them, and all their store, and their wives, and plundered both whatever things there were in the city, and whatever things there were in the houses. 30 And Jacob said to Symeon and Levi, Ye have made me hateful so that I should be evil to all the inhabitants of the land, both among the Chananites and the Pherezites, and I am few in number; they will gather themselves against me and cut me in pieces, and I shall be utterly destroyed, and my house. 31 And they said, Nay, but shall they treat our sister as an harlot?

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 33:5-34:1). HOW COULD JACOB'S CHILDREN HAVE DONE SO MUCH HARM TO THE SICHIMITES? — Speaking to Jacob shortly before with his brother Esau says that his children are still children. That word in Greek expresses by the word παιδια. We may ask how they were able to make such a massacre and devastation in the city, by putting to death, even in the midst of their sufferings, those who had circumcised themselves for their sister Dina. The answer is that we must know that Jacob lived there for a long time until his daughter became a girl and her children were young. For the Scripture says, And Jacob came to Salem, a city of the Shechemites, which is in the land of Canaan, when he departed out of Mesopotamian Syria, and encamped in front of the city. And he bought the portion of the field, where he pitched his tent, of Emmor the father of Sychem, for a hundred lambs. And he built there an alter, and called on the God of Israel. And Dina, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went forth to observe the daughters of the inhabitants, etc. By these words it is seen that Jacob stayed there not in a fleeting way, as a traveler usually does, but bought a field, established a tent, erected an altar, and so lived in that place for a long time. His daughter, when she reached the age of being able to have friends, wanted to meet the daughters of the local citizens. And on account of it took place that dreadful slaughter and plunder, I think, no longer needs an explanation. There was indeed a not small crowd with Jacob, who had grown rich. Their children are mentioned in this misdeed, because they were the main cause of the fact.  [Question 108]

(Gen. 34:30). NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM JACOB. — Jacob, fearing the war of the inhabitants of the land, when he lived in the city of Salem that destroyed his sons, says, For I am small in number, and they, meeting against me, will kill me. Out of fear of the attack of many who could rise against him, he says that he has a small number of men. He does not say that he has many less than necessary for the conquest of that city, since he divided them into two camps during his return journey. [Question 109]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And when Hémor came to meet Jacob, Dina's brothers also appeared; and having learned what had happened to them, they were greatly wounded. (Ibid. 5-7) Wounded, yes, they were sorry and did not consider the fact tolerable, but very painful, and they grieved. It was very painful for them, says the Scripture, that Shechem had insulted the family of Israel by sleeping with Jacob's daughter. (Ibid. 7) Do you see the chastity of these young people? They understood that this was a great outrage. You see how this righteous man trained his children to virtue, and how the son of Hémor, having yielded to his desire, was for his father and his entire city a cause of ruin. But first let's listen to what Hémor tells them, and you will then know the cruel ardor of Dina's brothers to avenge the crime committed against their sister. Hémor tells them Shechem, my son, chose your daughter in his soul. (8) See how he announces the calamity that will envelop him. He chose in his soul; as if he were saying: he gave his life for your daughter. He said it to express the desire that Shechem had to obtain it; but soon he learned that it would be the cause of his loss and the loss of the whole population. Then, said Hémor, let him burn for her, give her to him for a wife, and go to our family. Give us your daughters and receive our daughters for your sons, and remain among us. Behold, the earth is vast before you; live in it and go through it, and acquire possessions there. (Ibid. 8-10) See this father who, out of tenderness for his son, is kind to these strangers and wants to win them by giving them the faculty of disposing of the country. The father spoke thus; but the son having seen the love shown him by his father and how he was willing to do anything to fulfill the wishes of his child, adds something still and said to Jacob, and to the brothers of Dina: What I find Grace before you, and we will give you everything you designate. Wear the dowry high and I will pay whatever you want, but give me that girl for woman. (Ibid. 11-12) You have heard the father's urgent requests for affection for his son, and the son himself eagerly offering everything to get the girl.

It is because this disastrous passion persuades the person whom she possesses to endure everything, until she has led him to the bottom of hell. But consider what is happening. Old Jacob hears these words in silence, and according to his accustomed gentleness, he does not utter a word, but patiently endures the outrage made to his daughter: But the sons of Jacob spoke with dissimulation to Shechem and him; Hemor his father, and they told them that they had dishonored their sister. (Ibid. 13) Examine, I pray you, how, for the immorality of one, all the inhabitants of a city share his misfortune. As, when a conflagration takes place, those who live near are at risk, because the fire ravages everything; in the same way, the frenzied passion of this young man has destroyed not only his father, but the whole city. What are Jacob's children doing? they answer them with dissimulation. It is important to hear them, to be aware of the pain they felt about their sister. Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dina and son of Lia, answered: Notes can not accept your request and give our knowledge to a man who is not circumcised. If therefore you are circumcised, we will give you our daughters, and we will accept yours and we will form only one race. (Ibid. 16) This statement was reasonable and logical; but, says the text, they spoke with dissimulation. If you do not want to do it, continue the text, we will take back our daughter and we will remove notes. (Ibid. 17) This is what Simeon and Levi proposed, who meditated on the murder of all the inhabitants. But Sichem and his father, staring at the goal they wanted to reach and eager to get the girl, welcomed these words and approved this proposal. This language pleased them, and the young man did not differ in conforming to it, for he was in love with the daughter of Jacob. (Ibid. 18-19) He was entirely devoted to his passion for this young girl. And he and his father went to the door and spoke to all the people of the city (Ibid. 20); and they counseled them to accept circumcision, according to the declaration made to them, and to consent to live with the family of Israel. And the inhabitants complied without delay with the words of Hamor and Shechem; and all together received on their body the sign of circumcision. Simeon and Levi, having learned it, hasten to execute the design which they meditated. Having each taken their sword, they entered the city without danger. (Ibid. 25) How, then, without danger? they were only two against one so many. But their safety was guaranteed, because the inhabitants lay there wounded. This is what Scripture teaches us when it says: the third day while they were in pain. That's it. which made the safety of Simeon and Levi, and made two men stronger than a multitude. And they killed, said the text, all that was male. That is to say all the men who were lying in the pains of circumcision and who were somehow prepared for the massacre; and, having killed with the others: the young man who had outraged their sister, they retired. The children of Jacob did not even content themselves with this vengeance, but the text informs us that they took away the sheep and all the cattle, and withdrew, having depopulated and destroyed the city. You have seen, my beloved, what evils caused the outburst of a young man? what disaster has it attracted to all the inhabitants of this city? At the sight of this example, let us repress the passions of our children and put more restraint on youth, that of fear and that of advice; Let us watch over their chastity, spare neither care nor steps so that the young age can escape the guilty passions. That is why our common Master, seeing the weakness of human nature, instituted marriage, to divert us from illicit relations.

Let us not neglect the young men, but seeing how this furnace burns, let us strive, before they have rolled into the abyss of debauchery, to engage them, according to the law of God, in the bonds of marriage, so that their chastity may be maintained, and they may not be afflicted by the evil of fornication, provided that they will be of a sufficient remedy, able to repress the assaults of the flesh and to remain safe from punishment. But let us see what impression it made on old Jacob the conduct of his children. Jacob says to them, repeat the Scripture (Ibid. 30): You have made me odious and criminal in the eyes of the inhabitants of this land. Why, he told them, did you shoot such revenge? What you have done will bring me a deep hatred on the part of all the inhabitants of the country. Then, testifying the fear which he felt, he added: We are few; gathered together against us, they will cut us to pieces and we will crush, as if he said: do not you know that, few as we are, we will test in turn what you wanted to do to another? And just as Shechem was the cause of this disaster for his father and for all the inhabitants of his city, so will you be for me. Because, because of you, I am going to be an object of hate, and nothing will prevent that, because of your temerity, we are not crushed. They answered him, says the text: but, shall we outrage our sister? (Ibid. 31) You see it: it is a feeling of chastity that has brought the children of Jacob to revenge: their apology to their father consists in saying: they have dishonored us by the outrage done to our sister, and that is why we have been compelled to do so, so that this lesson will prevent such daring in the future. [Homilies on Genesis]