Genesis 34:7

7 lo! his sons came from the field. And when this thing that befelled was heard, they were wroth greatly; for he had wrought a foul thing in Israel, and he had done a thing unleaveful in the defouling of the daughter of Jacob. (lo! his sons came in from the field. And when they heard what had befallen, they were enraged; for Shechem had done a foul, or a vile, thing in Israel, and he had done an unlawful thing in the defiling of Jacob's daughter.)

Genesis 34:7 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 34:7

And the sons of Jacob came out of the field, when they heard
[it]
. Either by a messenger Jacob sent to them, to acquaint them with it, or by some other hand: however, be it as it will, as soon as they heard of the abuse of their sister, they immediately left their flocks to the care of their servants, and came to their father's tent:

and the men were grieved and were very wroth;
they were grieved for the sin committed against God, very probably, as well as for the injury done to their sister, and they were wroth against Shechem the author of it:

because he had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter;
all sin is folly, being a transgression of the law of God founded in the highest wisdom, and particularly uncleanness, and that branch of it, deflowering a virgin; and this action being committed on Jacob's daughter, whose name was Israel, is said to be "in", or rather "against" Israel ^F8, to his grief, and to the reproach of him and his family: though these words may be rather the words of Moses, than of the sons of Jacob; or however are expressed not in the language used by them, but in what was in use in the times of Moses, when Israel was the name of a nation and church, whereas it was now but a personal name, and at most but the name of a family; and though this was done to one of the family, yet not in it, but in the house of Hamor or Shechem:

which thing ought not to be done;
being against the law and light of nature to do such an action by force and violence, and against the law of nations to suffer it to go with impunity.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (larvyb) "contra Israelem", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Calovius; so Ainsworth.

Genesis 34:7 In-Context

5 And when Jacob had heard this thing, while his sons were absent, and occupied in the feeding/in the pasturing of [the] sheep, he was still, till they came again (until they returned home).

6 Soothly when Hamor, the father of Shechem, was gone out to speak to Jacob,

7 lo! his sons came from the field. And when this thing that befelled was heard, they were wroth greatly; for he had wrought a foul thing in Israel, and he had done a thing unleaveful in the defouling of the daughter of Jacob. (lo! his sons came in from the field. And when they heard what had befallen, they were enraged; for Shechem had done a foul, or a vile, thing in Israel, and he had done an unlawful thing in the defiling of Jacob's daughter.)

8 And so Hamor spake to them (And Hamor said to them), The soul of my son Shechem hath cleaved to your daughter; give ye her (for) a wife to him,

9 and (so) join we weddings together; give ye your daughters to us, and take ye our daughters (for yourselves),