Jacob’s Sons Defend Their Sister Dinah – Making it Simple – Lesson Fifteen
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Making it Simple
Lesson 15
Jacob’s Sons Defend Their Sister Dinah
Dinah, daughter to Jacob and Leah, went out to visit other girls in the land. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who is a prince in the land, abducts and forces himself on Dinah. He is very attracted to her and deals tenderly with her. Shechem goes to his father and asks him to get Dinah for his wife.
Jacob hears about what has happened, but his sons have not yet been told. When the boys find out they are very upset and angry.
Hamor comes to see Jacob. He tells Jacob that Shechem loves Dinah and wants to marry her. He explains what a good match it would be for them both. Their lands and flocks could come together and make both of them richer. Shechem also says that he is willing to give anything they ask so that he can marry Dinah.
But Jacob’s sons answered Hamor and Shechem deceitfully. Her brothers told these men that the only way Israel’s daughters would be allowed to marry these men of the area is if the men were all circumcised. If all the Hivite men are willing to do this, then Israel’s sons will allow Dinah, and any other daughters, to marry the Hivite men.
Hamor and Shechem think that this sounds reasonable. Shechem did not delay to comply with this request. He was a very respected young man in Hamor’s household.
Hamor and Shechem go to the gate of the city and discuss the matter with all the men. All the men listened to Hamor and Shechem. So every male was circumcised.
Now three days later, while all the Hivite men were in pain from being circumcised, Simeon and Levi come to the city and kill all the men. They go into Hamor’s house and kill Hamor and Shechem and take Dinah back home with them. They also loot the city taking all of the valuables, livestock, women, and children because of what Shechem had done.
When they get home, Jacob is angry because Simeon and Levi have made Jacob a bad name now to all the people around them. Jacob is afraid that all the neighboring people will band up against him to destroy him. The boys’ answer: Should Shechem have treated our sister like a harlot?
