Chuàngshìjì 34

1 Lìyà gĕi Yǎgè suǒ shēng de nǚér Dǐná chū qù , yào jiàn nà dì de nǚzi men .

2 Nà dì de zhǔ Xīwèirén , Hāmā de érzi Shìjiàn kànjian tā , jiù là zhù tā , yǔ tā xíng yín , diànrǔ tā .

3 Shìjiàn de xīn jì liàn Yǎgè de nǚér Dǐná , xǐaì zhè nǚzi , tián yán mì yǔ dì ānwèi tā .

4 Shìjiàn duì tā fùqin Hāmā shuō , qiú nǐ wèi wǒ pìn zhè nǚzi wèi qì .

5 Yǎgè tīngjian Shìjiàn diànwū le tāde nǚér Dǐná . nàshí tāde érzi men zhèng hé qún chù zaì tiānyĕ , Yǎgè jiù bì kǒu bú yán , dĕng tāmen huí lái .

6 Shìjiàn de fùqin Hāmā chūlai jiàn Yǎgè , yào hé tā shāngyì .

7 Yǎgè de érzi men tīngjian zhè shì , jiù cóng tiānyĕ huí lái , rénrén fèn hèn , shí fèn nǎonù . yīn Shìjiàn zaì Yǐsèliè jiā zuò le chǒu shì , yǔ Yǎgè de nǚér xíng yín , zhè bĕn shì bù gāi zuò de shì .

8 Hāmā hé tāmen shāngyì shuō , wǒ érzi Shìjiàn de xīn liànmù zhè nǚzi , qiú nǐmen jiāng tā gĕi wǒde érzi wéi qì .

9 Nǐmen yǔ wǒmen bǐcǐ jié qéng . nǐmen kĕyǐ bǎ nǚér gĕi wǒmen , yĕ kĕyǐ qǔ wǒmen de nǚér .

10 Nǐmen yǔ wǒmen tóng zhù ba . zhè dì dōu zaì nǐmen miànqián , zhǐguǎn zaì cǐ jūzhù , zuò mǎimaì , zhì chǎnyè .

11 Shìjiàn duì nǚér de fùqin hé dìxiōng men shuō , dàn yuàn wǒ zaì nǐmen yǎnqián méng ēn , nǐmen xiàng wǒ yào shénme , wǒ bì gĕi nǐmen .

12 Rènpíng xiàng wǒ yào duō zhòng de pìn jīn hé lǐwù , wǒ bì zhào nǐmen suǒ shuō de gĕi nǐmen . zhǐyào bǎ nǚzi gĕi wǒ wéi qì .

13 Yǎgè de érzi men yīnwei Shìjiàn diànwū le tāmende meìzi Dǐná , jiù yòng guǐzhà de huà huídá Shìjiàn hé tā fùqin Hāmā

14 Duì tāmen shuō , wǒmen bùnéng bǎ wǒmen de meìzi gĕi méiyǒu shòu gēlǐ de rén wéi qì , yīnwei nà shì wǒmen de xiūrǔ

15 Wéiyǒu yī jiàn cái kĕyǐ yīngyún , ruò nǐmen suǒyǒude nán dīng dōu shòu gēlǐ , hé wǒmen yíyàng ,

16 Wǒmen jiù bǎ nǚér gĕi nǐmen , yĕ qǔ nǐmen de nǚér . wǒmen biàn yǔ nǐmen tóng zhù , liǎng xià chéngwéi yíyàng de rénmín .

17 Tǎngruò nǐmen bú tīng cóng wǒmen shòu gēlǐ , wǒmen jiù daì zhe meìzi zǒu le .

18 Hāmā hé tāde érzi Shìjiàn xǐhuan zhè huà .

19 Nà shàonián rén zuò zhè shì bìng bù chíyán , yīnwei tā xǐaì Yǎgè de nǚér . tā zaì tā fùqin jiā zhōng yĕ shì rén zuì zūnzhòng de .

20 Hāmā hé tā érzi Shìjiàn dào bĕn chéng de ménkǒu , duì bĕn chéng de rén shuō ,

21 Zhèxie rén yǔ wǒmen hémù , bú rú xǔ tāmen zaì zhè dì jūzhù , zuò mǎimaì . zhè dì yĕ kuānkuò , zú kè róng xià tāmen . wǒmen kĕyǐ qǔ tāmende nǚér wéi qì , yĕ kĕyǐ bǎ wǒmen de nǚér jià gĕi tāmen .

22 Wéiyǒu yī jiàn shì wǒmen bìxū zuò , tāmen cái kĕn yīngyún hé wǒmen tóng zhù , chéngwéi yíyàng de rénmín , jiù shì wǒmen zhōngjiān suǒyǒude nán dīng dōu yà shòu gēlǐ , hé tāmen yíyàng .

23 Tāmende qún chù , huò cái , hé yīqiè de shēngkou qǐbù dōu guī wǒmen ma . zhǐyào yīcóng tāmen , tāmen jiù yǔ wǒmen tóng zhù .

24 Fán cóng chéng mén chūrù de rén jiù dōu tīng cóng Hāmā hé tā érzi Shìjiàn de huà . yúshì fán cóng chéng mén chūrù de nán dīng dōu shòu le gēlǐ .

25 Dào dì sān tiān , zhòngrén zhèngzaì téngtòng de shíhou , Yǎgè de liǎng gè érzi , jiù shì Dǐná de gēge Xīmiǎn hé Lìwèi , gè ná dāo jiàn , chèn zhe zhòngrén xiǎng bú dào de shíhou lái dào chéng zhōng , bǎ yīqiè nán dīng dōu shā le ,

26 Yòu yòng dāo shā le Hāmā hé tā érzi Shìjiàn , bǎ Dǐná cóng Shìjiàn jiā lǐ daì chūlai jiù zǒu le .

27 Yǎgè de érzi men yīnwei tāmende meìzi shòu le diànwū , jiù lái dào beì shā de rén nàli , lǔlǜe nà chéng ,

28 Duó le tāmende yáng qún , niú qún , hé lü , bìng chéng lǐ tiánjiān suǒyǒude .

29 Yòu bǎ tāmen yīqiè huò cái , háizi , fùnǚ , bìng gè fáng zhōng suǒyǒude , dōu lǔlǜe qù le .

30 Yǎgè duì Xīmiǎn hé Lìwèi shuō , nǐmen liánlĕi wǒ , shǐ wǒ zaì zhè dì de jūmín zhōng , jiù shì zaì Jiānán rén hé Bǐlìxǐrén zhōng , yǒu le chòu míng . wǒde rén dīng jìrán xīshǎo , tāmen bì jùjí lái jī shā wǒ , wǒ hé quán jiā de rén dōu bì mièjué .

31 Tāmen shuō , tā qǐ kè daì wǒmen de meìzi rútóng jìnǚ ma ,

Chuàngshìjì 34 Commentary

Chapter 34

Dinah defiled by Shechem. (1-19) The Shechemites murdered by Simeon and Levi. (20-31)

Verses 1-19 Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion. Those parents are very wrong who do not hinder their children from needlessly exposing themselves to danger. Indulged children, like Dinah, often become a grief and shame to their families. Her pretence was, to see the daughters of the land, to see how they dressed, and how they danced, and what was fashionable among them; she went to see, yet that was not all, she went to be seen too. She went to get acquaintance with the Canaanites, and to learn their ways. See what came of Dinah's gadding. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. How great a matter does a little fire kindle! We should carefully avoid all occasions of sin and approaches to it.

Verses 20-31 The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion, are the worst enemies of the truth, and harden the hearts of many to destruction. The crimes of others form no excuse for us. Alas! how one sin leads on to another, and, like flames of fire, spread desolation in every direction! Foolish pleasures lead to seduction; seduction produces wrath; wrath thirsts for revenge; the thirst of revenge has recourse to treachery; treachery issues in murder; and murder is followed by other lawless actions. Were we to trace the history of unlawful commerce between the sexes, we should find it, more than any other sin, ending in blood.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 34

This chapter gives an account of the ravishment of Dinah by Shechem, Ge 34:1-5; of his father Hamor and him treating with Jacob and his sons about the marriage of her, Ge 34:6-12; of the condition proposed by Jacob's sons, circumcision of all the males in Shechem, which was agreed to by Shechem and his father, Ge 34:13-19; of the men of Shechem being persuaded to yield to it, Ge 34:20-24; and of the destruction of them on the third day by Simeon and Levi, and of the plunder of their city and field, and of the captivity of their wives and children by Jacob's sons, which gave Jacob great offence, and in which they justified themselves, Ge 34:25-31.

Who is supposed to be at this time about fourteen or fifteen years of age: for that she was but about nine or ten years old is not to be credited, as some compute it {z}: she is observed to be the daughter of Leah, partly that the following miscarriage might bring to mind her forwardness to intrude herself into Jacob's bed, and be a rebuke unto her; and partly to account for Simeon and Levi being so active in revenging her abuse, they being Leah's sons: of Dinah it is said, that she

\\went out to see the daughters of the land\\; of the land of Canaan, to visit them, and contract an acquaintance with them; and she having no sisters to converse with at home, it might be a temptation to her to go abroad. According to the Targum of Jonathan, she went to see the manners, customs, and fashions of the women of that country, to learn them, as the Septuagint version renders the word; or to see their habit and dress, and how they ornamented themselves, as Josephus {a} observes; and who also says it was a festival day at Shechem, and therefore very probably many of the young women of the country round about might come thither on that occasion; and who being dressed in their best clothes would give Dinah a good opportunity of seeing and observing their fashions; and which, with the diversions of the season, and shows to be seen, allured Dinah to go out of her mother's tent into the city, to gratify her curiosity. Aben Ezra's note is, that she went of herself, that is, without the leave of either of her parents: according to other Jewish writers {b} there was a snare laid for her by Shechem, who observing that Jacob's daughter dwelt in tents, and did not go abroad, he brought damsels out of the city dancing and playing on timbrels; and Dinah went forth to see them playing, and he took her, and lay with her, as follows.

{z} R. Ganz. Tzemach David, par. l. fol. 6. 2. {a} Antiqu. l. 1. c. 21. sect. 1. {b} Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. fol. 42. 2. 08940-950104-0921-Ge34.2