Genesis Chapter 34

Simeon and Levi Massacre the Men of Shechem

A. The Rape of Dinah

1. (Genesis 34:1–4) A local prince violates Dinah and then wants to marry her.

"Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, 'Get me this young woman as a wife.'"

This chapter records one of the darkest moments in Israel’s early history. Dinah, the daughter of Leah, was violated by Shechem, the son of Hamor, a local prince of the Hivites. The moral decay of the Canaanite culture was fully revealed through this tragic event. Yet, more disturbing than the act itself was the violent and deceptive response of Dinah’s brothers. Scripture’s unflinching record of such moral failure confirms its divine authorship, for no human writer seeking to glorify his ancestors would have recorded such shameful history so candidly.

Dinah “went out to see the daughters of the land.” This phrase indicates curiosity and social engagement with the pagan women of Canaan. Jacob had settled his family near Shechem, a decision contrary to divine direction. God had commanded him to go to Bethel (Genesis 31:13), but Jacob stopped short, settling near a city steeped in idolatry and immorality. His decision to dwell close to worldly influence brought devastating consequences.

Dinah’s actions were understandable from a youthful curiosity but were unwise and unsafe in such a morally corrupt environment. Jacob and Leah bore responsibility for failing to guard her and maintain separation from pagan culture. In Canaanite cities, promiscuity was normalized, even integrated into their religious practices. As commentator Henry Morris noted, “Unattached young women were considered fair game in cities of the time, in which promiscuity was not only common but part of the very religious system itself.” Leupold similarly remarked, “Any unattended female could be raped, and in the transactions that ensue neither father nor son feel the need of apologizing or excusing what had been committed.”

Shechem’s sin was compounded by his position. As “the prince of the country,” he wielded power and authority, yet used it for exploitation. The text says he “took her and lay with her, and violated her.” His lust was not love but selfish passion. Though he “spoke kindly” afterward and claimed affection, his violation exposed his lack of godly love. His demand to his father—“Get me this young woman as a wife”—shows his sense of entitlement and the moral corruption typical of those detached from the fear of God.

Jacob’s failure to provide spiritual and moral leadership made his family vulnerable. His compromise in dwelling near Shechem reflected a weakened resolve, and that same spirit of compromise was later seen in his sons, who justified sin by the sins of others. Shechem’s soulish attraction to Dinah, devoid of genuine love or honor, illustrates how carnal desire, once indulged, leads only to destruction.

2. (Genesis 34:5–7) Jacob’s lack of outrage; the anger of Simeon and Levi.

"And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came. Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done."

When Jacob heard that his daughter had been defiled, he “held his peace until they came.” This silence reveals a troubling passivity. Instead of righteous indignation, Jacob waited for his sons to return, showing a failure of moral leadership. His sons, Simeon and Levi, however, were grieved and furious. The Hebrew text indicates deep emotional distress mingled with righteous outrage. They recognized that Shechem “had done a disgraceful thing in Israel,” defiling their sister and shaming their family name.

The cultural context helps explain their reaction. In ancient Near Eastern society, the brothers carried the duty to protect the family’s honor, especially that of a sister. To violate a woman was an act not only against her but against her entire household. Yet, the brothers’ coming vengeance would exceed justice. Their wrath, though initially grounded in legitimate anger, would soon erupt into deceit and slaughter.

Jacob’s silence contrasts sharply with his sons’ fury. When those whom God appoints as heads of households refuse to take decisive, godly action, they create a vacuum that others fill sinfully. His failure to confront Shechem promptly allowed events to spiral out of control. Leadership without conviction invites chaos, and Jacob’s weakness invited his sons to commit a terrible atrocity in the name of family honor.

Simeon and Levi’s anger, though justified in its cause, became destructive in its expression. The phrase “a thing which ought not to be done” conveys the moral revulsion inherent even in the patriarchal age toward sexual immorality. Their sense of family honor aligned with righteousness, but their coming deceit and massacre would transform legitimate indignation into murder.

3. (Genesis 34:8–12) Hamor and Shechem seek to arrange the marriage of Dinah.

"But Hamor spoke with them, saying, 'The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.' Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, 'Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.'"

Hamor and his son Shechem attempted to negotiate a marriage alliance, appealing to Jacob’s family with promises of prosperity, unity, and shared opportunity in the land. Hamor presented the proposal in economic and social terms, suggesting intermarriage, trade, and land acquisition, all of which were alluring prospects. However, this was a subtle and dangerous offer that threatened the very foundation of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

a. "Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves": This proposal was far more than a marriage request; it was an invitation for full assimilation into Canaanite society. The blending of Jacob’s covenant family with the pagan inhabitants of the land would have dissolved their distinct identity as the people through whom God’s redemptive plan would unfold. It directly contradicted the divine mandate that Israel was to remain separate and holy. Irresponsible intermarriage with the Canaanites would undermine the moral and spiritual purity of the covenant line, leading to idolatry and compromise, just as later generations of Israel would experience (as seen in Judges and Kings).

b. "So you shall dwell with us... dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it": Hamor’s invitation sounded generous, but it concealed a cultural snare. The offer to "dwell and trade" was a lure of worldly prosperity and peace at the expense of spiritual faithfulness. Jacob’s descendants were never meant to integrate with Canaanite society, for doing so would nullify their covenant distinction. This moment foreshadows Israel’s later temptation to intermingle with pagan nations—a constant struggle in their history. The prosperity offered by Hamor represented a counterfeit blessing, one that would have destroyed the covenant family’s calling to be a separate people unto the LORD.

c. "Whatever you say to me I will give": Shechem’s eagerness to pay any dowry demonstrated both guilt and arrogance. He believed that wealth or negotiation could erase his crime. His attitude—“just name your price”—revealed his blindness to moral and spiritual realities. He viewed Dinah’s violation as a matter to be settled economically, not as an act of sin. In treating her shame as a problem solvable by payment, both Shechem and his father devalued her dignity and further insulted Jacob’s household. Their worldly thinking—using wealth and power to buy resolution—was characteristic of pagan cultures that lacked a true understanding of righteousness and repentance.

4. (Genesis 34:13–17) The counteroffer of Simeon and Levi: all the men of the city of Shechem should be circumcised.

"But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said to them, 'We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.’"

This passage records the cunning and deceitful response of Jacob’s sons, particularly Simeon and Levi, as they sought to avenge Dinah’s defilement. Outwardly, their answer appeared spiritual and righteous, invoking the covenant sign of circumcision. Inwardly, however, it was a calculated plan to bring destruction upon Shechem and his people. Their deceit shows the danger of cloaking sin in religious pretense.

a. "The sons of Jacob answered... and spoke deceitfully": Their deceit was intentional and premeditated. They disguised their vengeance in the language of holiness, using the covenant symbol of circumcision as bait. While they had every reason to be angered by Dinah’s violation, their choice to pervert a sacred ordinance of God for personal revenge was a grievous sin. They took something holy—the mark of God’s covenant with Abraham—and turned it into a tool of slaughter. This act of manipulation revealed their willingness to profane the sacred to accomplish their own ends.

b. "If every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you": Hamor and Shechem readily agreed to this demand because circumcision, though sacred to Israel, was not entirely foreign to the ancient Near East. Some surrounding cultures practiced it in a non-religious context. Thus, the proposal may not have seemed as outrageous to them as it would have to a people unfamiliar with the rite. Yet, they failed to grasp that circumcision in Israel was not a social custom—it was the visible sign of belonging to the covenant of Yahweh. For Simeon and Levi to wield it deceitfully showed their disregard for God’s holiness.

c. "For that would be a reproach to us": Here the brothers cloaked their revenge in pious words. They made their condition sound as though it were about honor and righteousness, claiming they could not give their sister to one “uncircumcised.” In truth, this was part of their deception. From the very start, their plan was to destroy the city, not to reconcile or purify it. Their reasoning was built on hypocrisy—they condemned the men of Shechem for violating their sister, yet they were preparing to violate the covenant sign of God for murder.

i. They felt justified because the men of Shechem had treated Dinah as a prostitute (as they would later say in Genesis 34:31: “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?”). Their anger was understandable, but their method of vengeance was sinful. They took the holy mark of circumcision, meant to signify separation unto God, and used it as a weapon of deceit. In doing so, they “prostituted” the covenant itself, cheapening its sacred meaning to serve their bloodlust. This distortion of holy things for personal vengeance stands as a sobering reminder of how zeal without righteousness leads to evil.

5. (Genesis 34:18–24) Hamor and Shechem convince the men of the city to go along with the plan.

"And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father. And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 'These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.' And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city."

The deceitful plan of Jacob’s sons was accepted by Hamor and Shechem, who persuaded the men of their city to comply. What began as a matter of lust and sin quickly spread into an alliance of greed and manipulation. Shechem’s personal passion for Dinah combined with Hamor’s ambition to profit from Jacob’s family led to the city’s collective downfall.

a. "Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem": Despite the painful requirement of circumcision, both father and son were pleased with the agreement. Shechem’s desire for Dinah was strong enough that he would endure anything to have her, while Hamor saw an opportunity for economic and political gain. Their willingness to proceed without repentance or recognition of sin reveals their blindness to moral truth. The Canaanites valued advantage over righteousness, seeking gain rather than justice.

b. "He was more honorable than all the household of his father": The text notes that Shechem was “more honorable” than his kin, which may indicate sincerity in his affection toward Dinah compared to the general corruption of his people. Yet even the “most honorable” among the Canaanites still acted from the flesh, not from godly conviction. His character, by human measure, was better than his peers, but in divine terms he remained unregenerate and worldly. Shechem’s misplaced sincerity could not redeem his sin.

c. "Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours": Hamor and Shechem’s speech at the city gate revealed their true motivation. They enticed their fellow citizens by promising wealth and dominion. The phrase exposes their covetous intent: they did not view Jacob’s family as equals, but as future property. This was not a peaceful alliance but a veiled strategy of exploitation. Their greed was the key argument that persuaded the men of the city to undergo the painful rite of circumcision. The lure of material gain often blinds men to impending judgment.

d. "Every male was circumcised": The men of Shechem consented to the deceitful covenant, each undergoing the procedure. This mass circumcision, devoid of faith or covenantal meaning, became a tragic mockery of God’s sacred sign. What was meant to symbolize separation unto God was here performed by pagans for selfish motives. Their physical act was empty of spiritual truth, and soon, their compliance would lead to their destruction.

B. Simeon and Levi Destroy the City of Shechem

1. (Genesis 34:25) The massacre of the men of the city of Shechem.

"Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males."

On the third day, when the pain of circumcision was most severe, Simeon and Levi executed their plan. While the men of Shechem were incapacitated, the two brothers entered the city and slaughtered every male. Their deceit culminated in a bloodbath, transforming righteous indignation into unholy vengeance.

a. "When they were in pain... each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males": The timing and execution of the attack were deliberate. Circumcision, when performed crudely without proper care, caused great inflammation and weakness. As commentator Derek Kidner notes, “Crudely performed, circumcision could be quite incapacitating, particularly after two or three days.” Simeon and Levi exploited this vulnerability to exact revenge. Their method—waiting until the third day to strike—reveals calculated cruelty. What began as defense of family honor became a massacre that disgraced the covenant of God.

Their boldness was not courage born of righteousness but audacity born of wrath. The covenant sign of circumcision, meant to symbolize the cutting away of the flesh, was perverted into a weapon of fleshly violence. In this, Simeon and Levi demonstrated the deceit, rivalry, and hardness that characterized Jacob’s household.

b. "Came boldly": Their boldness is noteworthy not for its virtue but for its cold resolve. They entered a city defenseless and broken, wielding swords against men unable to resist. Barnhouse observes, “The boldness with which they executed their foul plan shows the hardness of their hearts.” What was presented as a defense of honor became a slaughter of vengeance. The act was born out of rage rather than righteousness, and it brought reproach upon the entire covenant family.

The massacre of Shechem stands as a solemn warning against vengeance disguised as justice. Though Simeon and Levi claimed to defend their sister’s honor, their actions violated divine principle. The LORD declares in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.” Their cruelty would later haunt them—Jacob, on his deathbed, would rebuke their violence and curse their anger, saying in Genesis 49:5–7, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”

Their vengeance accomplished no justice, brought shame to the covenant, and provoked Jacob’s grief. Sin multiplied upon sin, and the name of God was dishonored among the Canaanites because of their deceit and bloodshed.

2. (Genesis 34:26–29) They rescue Dinah and plunder the city.

"And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses."

After Simeon and Levi slaughtered all the males of Shechem, they extended their violence even further, murdering Hamor and Shechem, rescuing Dinah, and then plundering the entire city. The destruction was total, leaving nothing untouched. What began as vengeance for their sister’s dishonor devolved into wholesale slaughter and theft.

a. "They killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword": Even though Shechem had been described as “more honorable than all the household of his father” (Genesis 34:19), he and Hamor were killed without mercy. There was no distinction made between the guilty and the innocent. Simeon and Levi’s revenge turned into indiscriminate killing, far exceeding any concept of justice. Their actions revealed the depravity of uncontrolled anger and the corruption of the human heart when vengeance is allowed to rule.

Though the brothers justified their deeds by claiming family honor, their punishment was far out of proportion to the crime. Justice had been replaced by bloodlust. The covenant family, through this act, became guilty of the very violence and deceit characteristic of the pagan nations around them.

b. "Plundered the city... They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys... and all their wealth": After the massacre, the rest of Jacob’s sons—seeing the men of Shechem dead—joined in the looting. They plundered everything: livestock, valuables, women, and children. What was supposed to be a rescue became a raid. The text emphasizes the thoroughness of their greed: “what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth.”

Charles Spurgeon aptly observed, “By way of making some amends for their sister’s defilement, with dastardly treachery they slay the whole of the Shechemites, and so bring the guilt of murder upon a family which ought to have been holiness unto the LORD.” Their conduct was an utter betrayal of the covenant purpose God had established for them—to be a light to the nations, not a reproach among them.

This scene exposes how sin multiplies: one act of lust and violation produced another act of vengeance and slaughter. Dinah was rescued from Shechem’s house, but the cost was the moral corruption of her brothers and the defilement of Jacob’s name among the nations. The covenant people became indistinguishable from the pagans they despised.

3. (Genesis 34:30–31) Jacob’s reaction.

"Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, 'You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.' But they said, 'Should he treat our sister like a harlot?'"

After the massacre, Jacob’s first response was one of fear rather than moral conviction. His concern centered on the danger to his household, not the grievous sin his sons had committed. His lack of leadership earlier had enabled this tragedy, and now his silence turned to self-centered anxiety.

a. "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious": Jacob’s rebuke to Simeon and Levi focused on the consequences of their actions, not their morality. He feared retribution from the neighboring tribes—the Canaanites and Perizzites—and lamented that his small household could be destroyed. This was the same Jacob who had once seen angels at Bethel, heard God’s promises, and been renamed “Israel.” Yet here, his words reflected the old Jacob, the fearful and self-preserving schemer. There was no mention of God, no call for repentance, no acknowledgment of sin.

Spurgeon noted, “All was out of order, and threatened to become much worse. Even the heathen outside began to smell the ill savor of Jacob’s disorganized family, and the one alternative was—mend or end.” The moral collapse of Jacob’s house was visible to the world, and their testimony as a covenant people was in ruins.

Donald Barnhouse’s rebuke is even more direct: “Jacob! You brought that trouble on yourself. You passed your own deceitful nature into your boys. You set them a constant example of guile. They heard you lie to Esau at Peniel and start northwest after he went southeast. They saw your interest in the fat pastures when you pitched your tent in Shechem. You said nothing when Dinah was violated… Talk to God about your own sin before talking to these boys about theirs.” Jacob’s hypocrisy and failure to lead spiritually had borne bitter fruit.

b. "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?": Simeon and Levi’s reply revealed the justification they clung to. Their sense of outrage was genuine—Dinah had indeed been treated shamefully—but their response was perverted by sin. Vengeance had replaced justice. Their words expose how easily men can twist moral reasoning: they sought to defend their sister’s honor by acts that were themselves dishonorable.

Later, Jacob’s final words to his sons in Genesis 49:5–7 would reveal how he truly saw them:
"Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel."

This prophetic word came to pass exactly. God divided and scattered both tribes across Israel—yet their destinies diverged. The tribe of Simeon, due to their unfaithfulness, was eventually absorbed into Judah’s territory and lost distinct identity (Joshua 19:1–9). The tribe of Levi, however, redeemed its legacy through faithfulness during the golden calf rebellion in Exodus 32:26–28, when they stood with Moses and executed God’s judgment. As a result, the Levites were scattered throughout Israel, not as a curse, but as a blessing—set apart as priests and teachers of the Law.

Both tribes were scattered, but one in judgment and the other in grace. This stands as a profound testimony that sin brings consequences, yet repentance and faithfulness can transform a curse into a blessing. God’s mercy remains sovereign even over man’s failure.