66 | Genesis 33:9
9
But Esau said,“ I al ready have plen ty, my brother. Keep what you have for your self.”
10
“ No, please!” said Ja cob.“ If I have found fa vor in your eyes, ac cept this gift from me. For to see your face is like see ing the face of God, now that you have re ceived me fa vor ably. 11 Please ac cept the pres ent that was brought to you, for God has been gra cious to me and I have all I need.” And be cause Ja cob in sist ed, Esau ac cept ed it.
12
Then Esau said,“ Let us be on our way; I’ ll ac com pa ny you.”
13
But Ja cob said to him,“ My lord knows that the chil dren are ten der and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nurs ing their young. If they are driv en hard just one day, all the an i mals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his ser vant, while I move along slow ly at the pace of the flocks and herds be fore me and the pace of the chil dren, un til I come to my lord in Seir.”
15
Esau said,“ Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“ But why do that?” Ja cob asked.“ Just let me find fa vor in the eyes of my lord.”
16
So that day Esau start ed on his way back to Seir. 17 Ja cob, how ev er, went to Suk koth, where he built a place for him self and made shel ters for his live stock. That is why the place is called Suk koth. a
18
Af ter Ja cob came from Pad dan Aram, b he arrived safe ly at the city of She chem in Ca naan and camped with in sight of the city. 19 For a hun dred piec es of sil ver, c he bought from the sons of Hamor, the fa ther of She chem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. 20 There he set up an al tar and called it El Elo he Is ra el. d
Dinah and the Shechemites
Now Di nah, the daugh ter Leah had borne
34 to Ja cob, went out to vis it the wom en of the land. 2 When She chem son of Ha mor the Hi vite, the rul er of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Di nah daughter of Ja cob; he loved the young wom an and spoke ten der ly to her. 4 And She chem said to his fa ther Ha mor,“ Get me this girl as my wife.”
5
When Ja cob heard that his daugh ter Di nah had been de filed, his sons were in the fields with his live stock; so he did noth ing about it un til they came home.
6
Then She chem’ s fa ther Ha mor went out to talk a
17 Sukkoth means shelters. b
18 That is, Northwest
Mesopotamia c
19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value. d
20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.
33:9 – 11 This verbal exchange illustrates the cultural expectations of ancient Near Eastern etiquette with respect to receiving gifts. Whereas Jacob earlier used the Hebrew word minchah of his gift to Esau( 32:13,18,20,21)— a term associated with offering tribute to a superior— in v. 11 he uses berakhah( meaning“ blessing”; see note on 27:4). This term, spoken directly to Esau, suggests that Jacob views the gift as reparation for his theft of Esau’ s blessing years ago.
33:12 I’ ll accompany you Esau presumed that Jacob traveled to Edomite country in order to visit him. He is unaware of both Jacob’ s flight from Laban( ch. 31) and Jacob’ s encounter with God in which he was granted the land of Canaan( 28:10 – 22). As Esau turns south toward Seir, Jacob turns north toward Sukkoth. Jacob’ s actions betray continuing uncertainty about Esau’ s feelings toward him. 33:17 to Sukkoth This Hebrew term means“ booths” or“ shelters,” hence the reasoning given for the name in this verse. It is located in the plain north of the Jabbok( 32:22) and east of the Jordan River. 33:18 Paddan Aram See 25:20 and note. Shechem The city where Abraham built an altar after God appeared to him and promised him the land of Canaan( 12:6 – 7). 33:20 There he set up an altar Jacob’ s act echoes what Abraham and Isaac had done before him( 12:6 – 8; 26:25). See the infographic“ Ancient Altars” on p. 127; see the table“ Altars in the Old Testament” on p. 249. El Elohe Israel This name means“ El( or God), the God of Israel.” This name, along with Jacob’ s own new name of Israel( see note on 32:28), marks the land as belonging to him and his descendants, by mandate of God.
34:1 – 31 The rape of Dinah in the city of Shechem( 33:18 – 20)— the only daughter mentioned in the account of Jacob’ s children( 29:31— 30:24)— creates conflict between Jacob and his sons and the people of Canaan. Jacob remains mostly passive throughout the passage, allowing his sons to speak for him. After Shechem rapes Dinah, he seeks permission to marry her. Jacob’ s sons agree on the condition that all the males in the city get circumcised( 34:22 – 24). When the men are recovering, Simeon and Levi return and kill them( vv. 25 – 29).
34:1 Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne The specific reference to Dinah’ s mother establishes that Simeon and Levi( v. 25) are her full brothers, not half-brothers. to visit the women of the land It would have been unusual in the ancient Near East for young girls( or women) to leave the camp without a chaperone, especially when going to a city in a new land. Dinah’ s act represents a youthful indiscretion, as it placed her in the company of women not bound to the covenant that Jacob and his family were. However, the narrative does not suggest that Dinah bears responsibility for what happened to her— she is a victim. 34:2 Hivite Nothing is known of the Hivites outside of the Biblical account. They appear in the Table of Nations( 10:17) and are often listed among the Canaanite nations( Dt 7:1; Jos 3:10; Jdg 3:3 – 5). ruler of that area Hamor is not described as a king, since this title describes a leadership role over a wide area of land, not just the city. Instead, it seems that Hamor is the leader of the region— perhaps of a tribal confederacy. 34:3 and spoke tenderly to her The perverse Shechem, who has already raped Dinah, now seems to change his approach from forceful and brutal to attempted kindness. 34:5 had been defiled In Hebrew, the term for religious impurity is used here( compare Lev 11:24 – 44). Its use here suggests that Dinah has been violated in a way that makes her unacceptable to her culture.