Matthew Poole and continuators on Genesis 34

1 AND Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

From her fathers house into the City, out of curiosity, there being then, as Iosephus reports, a great concourse of people to a Feast. Thus she put her self out of her Fathers protection, and meerly out of a vain humor, exposed both her self and others to Temptation, which was the worse because it was amongst them that had no fear of God to restrain them from the most enormous crimes. She was now fourteen or fifteen years old.

Marginal references: Chap. 30. 21.

3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel .

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.

Marginal references: Heb. to the heart of the Damsel. See Isa. 40. 2. Hos. 2. 14.

4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife .

He desires both his fathers consent and assistance herein.

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter (now his sons were with his cattel in the field) and Jacob held his peace until they were come .

Being unable to punish the delinquent, and not knowing what to do he waits for his sons coming and advice.

7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field, when they heard it, and the men were grieved: and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel , in lying with Jacobs daughter, which thing ought not to be done .

That is, wickedness, which howsoever vain men many times esteem their wisdom, by the sentence of the all-wise God is accounted and commonly in Scripture called folly, as Deut. 22. 21. Ios. 7. 15. Iudg. 19. 23. and 20. 6. &c.

Or, against Israel, either 1. against the person, and in or against the Family of Israel, a person near and dear to God and highly honoured by him and in Covenant with God; who therefore esteems the injuries done to Israel, as if they were done to himself. See Gen. 12. 3. Exod. 23. 22. Zech. 2. 8. Or 2. in or against the Church of God, which then was in a manner confined to that family, and which is oft called by the name of Israel. See Deut. 22. 21. Ios. 7. 15. And Moses may here vary the phrase from what was used in Iacobs time to what was usual in his time, the fence being in both the same, and therefore not altered by such a change.

Heb. shall not be done, i. e. should not, &c. But in the Hebrew language words of the future time oft signifie duty and decency, as Mal. 1. 6. and 2. 7.

8 And Hamor communed with them , saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter : I pray you give her him to wife.

With Iacobs sons, to whom Iacob committed the business, being himself oppressed with shame and grief and fear for his daughter.

The daughter of your family: or he thus speaketh to her brothers, because they transacted all in their fathers name.

10 And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you : dwell and trade you therein, and get you possessions therein .

(i. e.) In your power, to dwell where you please, and to have the same rights and priviledges in it which we enjoy. See Gen. 20. 15.

Or, take possession in it, i. e. in any vacant part of it, use it for pasture or tillage, as you think good, and take the benefit to your selves.

12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift , and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

Dowry to her for her portion, according to the ancient custom of mens buying their wives: of which see Exod. 22. 17. and gift to you either for reparation of the past injury, or in testimony of my respect to you and desire of her, as Gen. 24. 53.

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem, and Hamor his father deceitfully , and said, (because he had defiled Dinah their sister.)

Pretending and promising marriages with them upon that condition, which they never intended.

14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised : for that were a reproach unto us.

There was no such law yet in force, as the Examples of Isaac and Iacob shew, who married the daughters of uncircumcised persons, and therefore they do not here reject it as simply unlawful, but onely as dishonourable and reproachful.

Marginal references: Jos. 5. 9.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city , and communed with the men of their city, saying,

The place where all publick affairs were debated and concluded. See on Gen. 22. 17. and 23. 10.

23 Shall not their cattel, and their substance, and every beast of theirs be ours ? onely let us consent unto them and they will dwell with us.

Either for our use and benefit in way of commerce and trade: or because they will descend to the issue of our children as well as theirs: or because we being more numerous and potent than they can easily over-rule them, and, when we think meet, dispose all things to our own advantage. Thus they cover their private design with the specious shew of publick good.

24 And unto Hamor, and unto Shechem his son, hearkned all that went out of the gate of his city , and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

They yielded to circumcision, partly in compliance with their young Prince whom they either loved or feared: and partly for the prospect of their own advantage; for which men are frequently willing to expose themselves to great pains and hazards.

All the citizens, that went out of the gate, &c. Or, came in at the gate as they are described, Gen. 23. 10. Ier. 17. 20. For when the chief persons had consented they could easily perswade or over-rule others to comply with them.

25 And it came to pass on the third day , when they were sore , that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi , Dinahs brethren , took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males .

When the pain and grief of wounds is the greatest, as Physitians note.

And therefore not well able to defend themselves; for circumcision caused great pain in children, which was the ground of that exclamation, Exod. 4. 25. much more in grown men. See Ios. 5. 8.

These two onely are mentioned, because they were authors of the counsel, and conductors of the rest in the Execution; but it is probable from ver. 27. that most of their brethren were confederate with them, and that they had a considerable number of their servants with them who would be ready enough to revenge their masters quarrel and to punish so great a Villany: but all that was done is justly ascribed to them two, as it is common for all writers to say this or that was done by such a Captain or General, when in truth it was done by his Souldiers.

So they were both by the father and mother; which made them more forward and zealous than the rest.

Such of them as were grown up, by comparing, ver. 29. for these or some of them seem to have been the abettors of the injury against their sister and family. Their sin in this act was manifold; that they did it without sufficient authority; and against their fathers mind, as appears from ver. 30. and Gen. 49. 6. which they well knew; and without all bounds, rashly, unjustly and cruelly punished the innocent and the guilty together, and usher'd in this fact with horrible deceit and lying, and that under pretence of friendship and shew of Religion.

Marginal references: chap. 49. 6.

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

(i. e.) One of them, as oft-times that which is done by one man is imputed to the whole body. See Ios. 7. 1, 11, 12. and 22. 20. Mat. 2. 20. Or they impute Shechems fact to all either invidiously and cunningly to take off from themselves the reproach of this cruel action; or because they made themselves guilty of it either by not discouraging and hindring that filthiness, as far as they might; or by their being instrumental in it; or by their approbation of it, and complacency in it.

28 They took their sheep and their Oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field .

Thus they adde to their cruelty, the[illegible: 1+ letters] and robbery: which doubtless Iacob disowned when they brought the spoil home, and returned back both the surviving people and their goods, though it be passed over in silence, as many other things are. See on Gen. 33. 14.

29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house .

Either in the princes house, or in their several houses: or within doors, as the word signifies.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, amongst the Canaanites, and the Perizzites: and I being few in number , they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me , and I shall be destroyed, I, and my house.

You have not onely discomposed my mind but perplexed my affairs and brought me into such troubles and dangers as I am never likely to escape.

You have made me odious to them who will impute this perfidious and bloody fact to my contrivance.

Heb. men of number, i. e. few, for such can easily be numbred. So this phrase is used, Deut. 4. 27. and 33. 6. opposite to which are men without number, 2 Chron. 12. 3.

He could expect no other in humane reason, and they were hindred from so doing onely by the hand of the great God smiting [illegible: 1+ letters]hem with terrour, Gen. 35. 5.

Marginal references: chap 49. 6.; Exod 5. 21.

31 And they said, should he deal with our sister as with an harlot ?

Shall we express no more resentment of this abominable abuse of our sister than if she had been some common harlot whose abuse no man either regardeth or revengeth? Thus they excuse one fault by committing another, and defend themselves by accusing their father of stupidity and insensibleness of so great an indignity and injury.