Dina is ravished, for which the Sichemites are destroyed.
For rauishing Dina, the Sichimetes (being first circumcised) are slaine by Simeon and Leui her brothers. 27. The rest of Iacobs sonnes spoile the citie. 30. Iacob blameth them, fearing harme may come by this fact.
1And Dina the daughter of Lia went out to see the women of that country.Ma Dina figliuola di Lia uscì di casa per vedere le donne di quel paese.AND Dina the daughter of Lia went forth to see the wemen of that countrie.Egressa est autem Dina filia Liæ ut videret mulieres regionis illius. 2And when Sichem the son of Hemor the Hevite, the prince of that land, saw her, he was in love with her: and took her away, and lay with her, ravishing the virgin.E avendola veduta Sichem figliuolo di Hemor Heveo, principe di quella terra, se ne innamorò: e rapilla, e violentemente disonorò la fanciulla.Whom when Sichem had seene the sonne of Hemor the Heuite, the prince of that land, he was in loue with her: and he tooke her away, and lay with her, by force rauishing the virgin.Quam cum vidisset Sichem filius Hemor Hevæi, princeps terræ illius, adamavit eam: et rapuit, et dormivit cum illa, vi opprimens virginem. 3And his soul was fast knit unto her; and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.E concepì per lei un'ardente passione, ed essendo ella afflitta l'acquietò con carezze.And his soule was fast kint vnto her, and wheras she was sad, he comforted her with sweete wordes.Et conglutinata est anima ejus cum ea, tristemque delinivit blanditiis. 4And going to Hemor his father, he said: Get me this damsel to wife.E andato dal padre suo Hemor: Prendi, disse, per me in moglie questa fanciulla.And going to Hemor his father, he said: Take me this wench to be my wife.Et pergens ad Hemor patrem suum: Accipe, inquit, mihi puellam hanc conjugem. 5But when Jacob had heard this, his sons being absent, and employed in feeding the cattle, he held his peace till they came back.La qual cosa avendo udita Giacobbe, mentre i figli erano assenti, e occupati a pascer le pecore, si tacque finché non furon tornati.Which when Iacob had heard, his sonnes being absent, and occupied in feeding of the cattle, he held his peace til they returned.Quod cum audisset Jacob absentibus filiis, et in pastu pecorum occupatis, siluit donec redirent. 6And when Hemor the father of Sichem was come out to speak to Jacob,Ma essendo andato Hemor, padre di Sichem, a parlare a Giacobbe;And when Hemor Sichems father was come forth to speake vnto Iacob,Egresso autem Hemor patre Sichem ut loqueretur ad Jacob, 7Behold his sons came from the field: and hearing what had passed, they were exceeding angry, because he had done a foul thing in Israel, and committed an unlawful act, in ravishing Jacob’s daughter.Eccoti che i figliuoli di lui tornavan dalla campagna: e inteso quel ch'era avvenuto, ne concepirono grande sdegno, perché sì brutta cosa avesse fatta (Sichem) contro Israele, e violata la figliuola di Giacobbe, avesse commesso un'azione vituperosa.behold his sonnes came out of the field: and hearing what had passed, they were passing wrath, because he had done a foule thing in Israel, and committed an vnlawful fact, in rauishing Iacobs daughterecce filii ejus veniebant de agro: auditoque quod acciderat, irati sunt valde, eo quod fœdam rem operatus esset in Israël et, violata filia Jacob, rem illicitam perpetrasset.
8And Hemor spoke to them: The soul of my son Sichem has a longing for your daughter: give her him to wife:Disse pertanto ad essi Hemor: L'anima di Sichem mio figlio è unita inseparabilmente a questa vostra fanciulla: dategliela in moglie.Hemor therfore spake to them: The soule of my sonne Sichem is sastned to your daughter: Geue her vnto him to wife:Locutus est itaque Hemor ad eos: Sichem filii mei adhæsit anima filiæ vestræ: date eam illi uxorem: 9And let us contract marriages one with another: give us your daughters, and take you our daughters.E facciamo scambievoli matrimoni; date le vostre fanciulle a noi, e sposate delle nostre fanciulle.and let vs contract mariages one with an other: geue vs your daughters, and take you our daughters.et jungamus vicissim connubia: filias vestras tradite nobis, et filias nostras accipite, 10And dwell with us: the land is at your command, till, trade, and possess it.E abitate tra noi: la terra è in poter vostro, lavoratela, trafficate, voi siete i padroni.And dwel with vs: the land is at your commandement, tille, occupie, and possesse it.et habitate nobiscum: terra in potestate vestra est: exercete, negotiamini, et possidete eam. 11Sichem also said to her father and to her brethren: Let me find favour in your sight, and whatsoever you shall appoint I will give:Anzi lo stesso Sichem disse al padre, e a' fratelli di lei: Piegatevi a' miei desideri, e darò tutto quello che vi parrà.Yea and Sichem also said to her father and to her brethren: Let me finde grace in your sight: and what soeuer you shal appointe I wil geue:Sed et Sichem ad patrem et ad fratres ejus ait: Inveniam gratiam coram vobis: et quæcumque statueritis, dabo: 12Raise the dowry, and ask gifts, and I will gladly give what you shall demand: only give me this damsel to wife.Augumentate la dote, e chiedete donora, e volentieri darò quello che chiederete: purché mi diate in moglie questa fanciulla.raise the dowrie, and require giftes, and I shal gladly geue, what you shal demande: only geue me this wench to wife.augete dotem, et munera postulate, et libenter tribuam quod petieritis: tantum date mihi puellam hanc uxorem. 13The sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged at the deflowering of their sister:Risposero i figliuoli di Giacobbe a Sichem, e al padre di lui con fraude, essendo esacerbati pel disonore della sorella:Iacobs sonnes answered Sichem & his father in guile, being wrath for the deflouring of their sister:Responderunt filii Jacob Sichem et patri ejus in dolo, sævientes ob stuprum sororis: 14We cannot do what you demand, nor give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; which with us is unlawful and abominable.Non possiam fare quello che voi bramate, né dar la nostra sorella ad un uomo incirconciso: la qual cosa è illecita, e abbominevole presso di noi.We can not doe that which you demande, nor geue our sister to an vncircumcised person: which with vs is an vnlawful & abhominable thing.Non possumus facere quod petitis, nec dare sororem nostram homini incircumciso: quod illicitum et nefarium est apud nos.
15But in this we may be allied with you, if you will be like us, and all the male sex among you be circumcised:Ma potrem fare alleanza con questa condizione, se vorrete farvi simili a noi, e se si circoncideranno tra voi tutti i maschi;But in this order we may be confederate, if you wil be like to vs, and al the man sex among you be circumcised:Sed in hoc valebimus fœderari, si volueritis esse similes nostri, et circumcidatur in vobis omne masculini sexus; 16Then will we mutually give and take your daughters, and ours; and we will dwell with you, and will be one people:Allora vi daremo le nostre fanciulle, e prenderem parimente le vostre: e abiteremo con voi, e faremo un sol popolo.then wil we geue and take mutually your daughters, and ours: and we wil dwel with you, and wil be one people:tunc dabimus et accipiemus mutuo filias vestras ac nostras: et habitabimus vobiscum, erimusque unus populus. 17But if you will not be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart.Ma se non vorrete circoncidervi, prenderemo la nostra fanciulla, e ce ne anderemo.but if you wil not be circumcised, we wil take our daughter, and depart.Si autem circumcidi nolueritis, tollemus filiam nostram, et recedemus. 18Their offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem, his son:Piacque la loro offerta ad Hemor, e a Sichem suo figliuolo.The offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem his sonne:Placuit oblatio eorum Hemor, et Sichem filio ejus, 19And the young man made no delay, but forthwith fulfilled what was required: for he loved the damsel exceedingly, and he was the greatest man in all his father’s house.E il giovane non differì ad eseguire quello che era stato richiesto: perocché amava grandemente la fanciulla, ed egli era in grande onore presso tutta la famiglia del padre suo.neither did the young man make delay, but forthwith fulfilled that which was demanded: for he loued the wench exceedingly, and he was the greatest man in al his fathers house.nec distulit adolescens quin statim quod petebatur expleret: amabat enim puellam valde, et ipse erat inclytus in omni domo patris sui. 20And going into the gate of the city, they spoke to the people:Ed entrati dentro la porta della città, dissero al popolo:And going into the gate of the citie, they spake to the people:Ingressique portam urbis, locuti sunt ad populum: 21These men are peaceable, and are willing to dwell with us: let them trade in the land, and till it, which being large and wide wanteth men to till it: we shall take their daughters for wives, and we will give them ours.Costoro son buona gente, e amano di abitare tra noi: trafficheranno qui, e lavoreranno la terra, la quale, spaziosa e vasta com'è, ha bisogno di coltivatori: noi sposeremo le loro fanciulle, e daremo loro delle nostre.These men are men of peace, and are willing to dwel with vs: let them occupie in the land, and til it, which being large and wide doth lacke men to tille it: their daughters we shal take to wife, and ours we wil geue to them.Viri isti pacifici sunt, et volunt habitare nobiscum: negotientur in terra, et exerceant eam, quæ spatiosa et lata cultoribus indiget: filias eorum accipiemus uxores, et nostras illis dabimus.
22One thing there is for which so great a good is deferred: We must circumcise every male among us, following the manner of the nation.Una sola cosa è d'ostacolo a un bene si grande: vuolsi, che noi circoncidiamo i nostri maschi, imitando il rito di questa gente.One thing there is for the which so great a good is differred: If we circumcise our men sexe, folowing the rite of the nation.Unum est quo differtur tantum bonum: si circumcidamus masculos nostros, ritum gentis imitantes. 23And their substance, and cattle, and all that they possess, shall be ours; only in this let us condescend, and by dwelling together, we shall make one people.Con questo saran nostre le loro ricchezze, e i bestiami, e tutto quello ch'ei posseggono: accordiamoci solo in questo, e vivendo insieme faremo un sol popolo.And their substance, and cartle, and al things that they possesse, shal be ours: only in this let vs condescend, and dwelling togeather, we shal make one people.Et substantia eorum, et pecora, et cuncta quæ possident, nostra erunt: tantum in hoc acquiescamus, et habitantes simul, unum efficiemus populum. 24And they all agreed, and circumcised all the males.Diedero tutti il loro assenso, e circoncisero tutti i maschi.And they al assented, and circumcised al the man sex.Assensique sunt omnes, circumcisis cunctis maribus. 25And behold the third day, when the pain of the wound was greatest: two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, taking their swords, entered boldly into the city and slew all the men.Ed ecco il terzo giorno, quando il dolore delle ferite è più acerbo, i due figli di Giacobbe, Simeone, e Levi, fratelli di Dina, impugnate le spade, entrarono a man salva nella città: e uccisi tutti i maschi,And behold the third day, when the griefe of the woundes is most paineful: Iacobs two sonnes, Simeon and Leui the brothers of Dina, taking their swordes, entred into the citie boldly: and killing al the man sex,Et ecce, die tertio, quando gravissimus vulnerum dolor est: arreptis duo filii Jacob, Simeon et Levi fratres Dinæ, gladiis, ingressi sunt urbem confidenter: interfectisque omnibus masculis, 26And they killed also Hemor and Sichem, and took away their sister Dina out of Sichem’s house.Trucidarono anche Hemor, e Sichem, e tolsero Dina loro sorella dalla casa di Sichem.murdred withal Hemor and Sichem, taking away Dina their sister out of Sichems house.Hemor et Sichem pariter necaverunt, tollentes Dinam de domo Sichem sororem suam. 27And when they were gone out, the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain; and plundered the city in revenge of the rape.E quando questi si furono ritirati, gli altri figliuoli di Giacobbe si gettarono sopra gli uccisi: e saccheggiarono la città per vendetta dello stupro.When they were gone forth, the other sonnes of Iacob ranne in vpon them that were slaine: and spoiled the citie in reuenge of the rape.Quibus egressis, irruerunt super occisos ceteri filii Jacob: et depopulati sunt urbem in ultionem stupri.
28And they took their sheep, and their herds, and their asses, wasting all they had in their houses and in their fields.Preser le loro pecore, e gli armenti, e gli asini, e diedero il guasto a quanto era per le case, e alla campagna.And wasting al things that were in their houses, and fildes, their sheepe and heardes, and asses,Oves eorum, et armenta, et asinos, cunctaque vastantes quæ in domibus et in agris erant, 29And their children and wives they took captive.E menarono anche schiavi i fanciulli, e le donne loro.their little ones also, and their wiues they led away captiue.parvulos quoque eorum et uxores duxerunt captivas. 30And when they had boldly perpetrated these things, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me, and made me hateful to the Chanaanites and Pherezites, the inhabitants of this land. We are few: they will gather themselves together and kill me; and both I, and my house shall be destroyed.Eseguite che ebbero essi queste cose con tanta audacia disse Giacobbe a Simeon, e a Levi: Voi mi avete posto in affanno, e mi avete renduto odioso ai Chananei, e a' Pherezei, abitatori di questa terra: noi siam pochi: quegli uniti insieme mi verranno addosso, e io sarò sterminato con la mia famiglia.Which things when they had boldly atcheiued, Iacob said to Simeon and Leui: You haue trubled me, and made me odious to the Chananites, and Pherezites the inhabiters of this land. we are few: they being gethered together wil strike me; and I, and my house shal be destroyed.Quibus patratis audacter, Jacob dixit ad Simeon et Levi: Turbastis me, et odiosum fecistis me Chananæis, et Pherezæis habitatoribus terræ hujus: nos pauci sumus; illi congregati percutient me, et delebor ego, et domus mea. 31They answered: Should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?Risposer quegli: E dovean essi trattar la nostra sorella come una donna di mal affare?They answered: What should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?Responderunt: Numquid ut scorto abuti debuere sorore nostra ?
34:1
Year of the World about 2273, Year before Christ 1731.
Country, when a great festival was celebrated. (Josephus, Antiquities 1:18.[21.?]) Dina was urged by curiosity to see and to be seen. Let others take example from her, and beware of associating with infidels, and of opening their hearts to pleasure at fairs and nocturnal meetings.
34:2
Haydock
Virgin. Hebrew and Septuagint, "He humbled or afflicted the virgin." It is well if she made all the resistance she was able, and resented the indignity; as she seems to have done, though Sichem tried all means to comfort her. (Haydock)
34:5
Menochius
Heard this, perhaps, from Dina's companion. (Menochius)
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In Israel, or against the honour and peace of their father and all his family.
An unlawful act, which some nevertheless commit without scruple, and even dare to represent as a matter of small consequence if they marry afterwards!
34:10
Haydock
Command, or you are at liberty to purchase and till it as you please. (Haydock)
34:12
Dowry for Dina.
34:13
Challoner
Deceitfully. The sons of Jacob, on this occasion, were guilty of a grievous sin, as well by falsely pretending religion, as by excess of their revenge. Though, otherwise their zeal against so foul a crime was commendable. (Challoner)
34:14
34:17
Calmet
Our daughter, the only one of our father; who, it would hence appear, was detained by Hemor, ver. 26. (Calmet)
34:19
Haydock
The greatest man, (inclytus) perhaps associated to his father in the government of the town. Yet he is willing to submit to this painful operation. (Haydock)
34:20
Menochius
Gate. Here judgment was given, the markets held, etc. They endeavoured to convince the people, that the conditions offered would be for their interest. (Menochius)
34:23
Menochius
Ours, by mutual commerce. The Rabbin pretend the Sichemite designed to circumvent Jacob and his family. But their conduct seems to screen them from any reproach of this kind, and Jacob throws the blame upon his own sons, Genesis 49:6. If Hemor said more than he was authorized by them to do, this will not palliate their injustice and sacrilegious perfidy. (Calmet) (Menochius)
34:25
Menochius
Greatest. On that day a fever and inflammation likewise often take place. See Hippocrates on fractures, Valesius sac. (Phil. xii.) (Menochius)
Brothers of Dina by Lia, and both of a fiery temper. They were assisted by some servants, (Menochius) and afterwards the other children helped to pillage the city. (Theodot. ap. Eus. 9:22.)
34:29
Calmet
Captive. No doubt Jacob would force them to restore such ill-gotten goods. (Calmet)
Haydock
They had acted without authority, and even contrary to the known disposition of their father. They rashly exposed him to destruction, which would inevitably have taken place, if God had not protected him, Genesis 35:5. (Haydock)
34:31
Calmet
Should they, etc. This answer, full of insolence, to a father who was as much hurt by the indignity offered to Dina as they could be, heightens their crime. Sichem was the only one among the citizens really guilty, unless perhaps some of his servants might have given him assistance; and Hemor, the king, might contract some stain by not causing a better police to be observed, and by not punishing his son with greater severity, and not sending Dina home, etc. But why are the harmless citizens to be involved in ruin? unless Quicquid delirant Reges, plectuntur Achivi. (Haydock) Procopius says Hemor also abused Dina; but the plural is here used for the singular, and this author builds upon a false supposition. (Calmet)
34:13
Deceitfully.... The sons of Jacob, on this occasion, were guilty of a grievous sin, as well by falsely pretending religion, as by excess of revenge: though otherwise their zeal against so foul a crime was commendable.
34:1
O Dina (saith S. Bernard) what nedewas there to see wemen of a strange countrie? Tract. de gradib. humilitatis.
34:13
They offended by falsly pretending religion, and by excesse in reuenge, & therfore are reproued by their father. v 30. & chap. 49 v 5. Otherwise their zeale was iust to punish so foule a fault Iudith. 9.
34:1
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.29
… For it is written, Dinah went out to see the women of that land; and when Sichem, the son of Hemor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he loved her, and seized her, and lay with her, and defiled her by force; and his soul clave unto her, and he soothed her with kind blandishments when she was sad (
34:2
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.23
23. The holy patriarch Israel fled from his country, was exiled from his father, relatives, and home, he mourned over the shame of his daughter
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 3.67
… For, although, since you will have it so, its meaning may not suit my case, yet, from its very context, what was said as being drawn from it may be held without hesitation. For her violator ( i.e. Dinah’s ) is called the prince of the country (
34:5
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.25
… Can there be higher justice than his in dividing with his brother what he had acquired, and offering it as a gift? What greater fortitude than his in striving with God? What moderation so true as his, who acted with such moderation as regards time and place, as to prefer to hide his daughter’s shame rather than to avenge himself?
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.5
… Who will deny that Isaac was blessed, who did not see in his old age, and yet gave blessings with his benediction? Was not Jacob blessed who, leaving his father’s house, endured exile as a shepherd for pay, and mourned for the violated chastity of his daughter,
34:7
Pseudo-Clement The Second Epistle of the Same Clement 11
Hast thou not read concerning Amnon and Tamar, the children of David? This Amnon conceived a passion for his sister, and humbled her, and did not spare her, because he longed for her with a shameful passion; and he proved wicked and profligate because of his constant intercourse with her, without the fear of God, and he “wrought uncleanness in Israel.”
34:25
Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 10
He, again, will be the “bull” elsewhere too in the same scripture. When Jacob pronounced a blessing on Simeon and Levi, he prophesies of the scribes and Pharisees; for from them is derived their origin. For (his blessing) interprets spiritually thus: “Simeon and Levi perfected iniquity out of their sect,”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 3.67
… 31 ). And he also seeks her for his wife, because the evil spirit hastens to possess lawfully the soul which he has first corrupted by hidden seduction. Wherefore the sons of Jacob, being very wroth, take their swords against the whole house of Sichem and his country (
34:30
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 84.7
… and, though many have asked me, I have always refused. For it has never been my habit to crow over the mistakes of men whose talents I admire. Origen himself, were he still alive, would soon fall out with you his would-be patrons and would say with Jacob: “Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land.”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 3.67
… Hence also to these his sons Jacob says, Ye have troubled me, and made me odious to the Canaanites (
34:1
1. NOW DINAH WENT OUT TO SEE THE WOMEN OF THAT COUNTRY. The occasion of Dinah's fall was her going out. For it is the part of women to keep themselves at home, and there to occupy themselves with spinning, weaving, and needlework. The ancients did this, and for this reason in marriages, when the bride was led from her father's house to the bridegroom's house with solemn rite, the distaff adorned with spindle and thread accompanied her among the Romans, as Brissonius teaches from Plutarch and Pliny in his work On the Rite of Marriages. Moreover, Pliny, lib. VIII, cap. XLVIII, assigns the cause and origin of this rite, saying: "That wool with spindle and thread remained in the temple of Saint [Sancus] through Tanaquil, who was also called Caecilia, and that a royal undulating toga was made by her in the temple of Fortune, which Servius Tullius used, and from this it came about that virgin brides were accompanied by the adorned distaff with spindle and thread." Dinah, because she idly set aside the distaff, went out and destroyed herself and the Shechemites. Concerning the seclusion of women I have spoken at Titus II, 5. Rightly of Laevina, chaste and stern, but wandering, Martial sang: "Now to Lucrine, now to Avernus she commits herself, etc. She fell into flames, and following a youth, abandoning her Husband, she became Penelope, she became Helen."
Let virgins learn morally here how much they ought to flee the eyes of men, so that they neither desire to be seen nor to see. Sophronius relates in the Spiritual Meadow, chapter 179, of a certain virgin who, fleeing her lover lest she scandalize him, withdrew into the desert, and there lived for 17 years; who for this flight received a twofold privilege from God: first, that, although she herself saw all things, she herself was seen by no one; second, that although she brought with her few provisions into the desert, and ate from them continually, they were nevertheless not diminished. The same author, in chapter 60, relates a remarkable example of a nun who, fleeing her lover, when he sought through intermediaries why he pursued her thus, what in her he most loved, and he answered that he was captivated by her eyes: she immediately sent him her eyes torn out, that he might satiate himself with them. By which deed the astonished youth turned his lust into penance and compunction, and having renounced enticements embraced the monastic life. Do you want more recent examples? listen. St. Giles, one of the first companions of St. Francis, asked the brothers in their assembly: What do you do against the temptations of the flesh? Rufinus answered: I commend myself to God and the Blessed Virgin, and humbly cast myself to the ground. But Juniper said: When I feel such thoughts, I immediately say: Away, away, for the lodging is taken. To whom Giles said: I feel with you; for it is best to flee: for chastity is a clear mirror, which is obscured by sight and breath alone. From the same family, Brother Roger, a holy man, looked at no woman, not even his mother, and she an old woman, in the face. Asked why? he answered: "Because when a man does what is in him, God in turn does what is his, and preserves the man from a fall; but if a man expose himself to danger, especially in a matter so slippery, God leaves him to his own strength, which he cannot long resist." For as iron draws the magnet, so does Agnes draw the man. St. Xavier used to say that women are approached with greater danger either to chastity or to reputation than to fruit. Hence that prudent and strict ordinance of our Society, that we are not permitted to visit women even for the sake of piety, unless they are sick and dying, and that not except with a companion, who can be a witness of all that takes place. Finally, hear what a harlot taught St. Ephrem: He was going from the desert into the city, that he might draw some pious instruction from meeting someone: a harlot met him, who fixed her gaze upon him; when Ephrem asked the reason, the harlot answered: What wonder if I gaze upon you, since woman was made from man? But you fix your eyes upon your mother, that is, the earth from which you were formed. See more in Numbers 25, at the end. Prudently therefore St. Martin: "A woman," he says, "ought to keep herself within the fortifications of walls, whose first virtue and consummation of victory is this, not to be seen," as Sulpicius relates, Dialogue 2.
DINAH. -- Dinah was, when she was raped, about fifteen years old. This is evident from the fact that Dinah was born almost at the same time as Joseph, as appears from Genesis 30:21 and 24. But Joseph, shortly after this, was sold, was sixteen years old, as appears in chapter 37, verse 2. Again, this is evident from the fact that Simeon and Levi were then about twenty years old, as I shall presently say: but these were five years older than Dinah and Joseph. Therefore this rape of Dinah, and the destruction of Shechem, occurred about nine years after Jacob's departure from Haran and his arrival in Canaan, when Jacob was in his 106th year of age, namely one year before the death of Rachel and the birth of Benjamin, of which in the following chapter, verse 18.
THAT SHE MIGHT SEE THE WOMEN. -- In Hebrew banot, that is, daughters, namely virgins of her own age in that region, who then in great number and adorned had come together for a solemn feast, if we believe Josephus; this was the curiosity of Dinah, which she paid for by her rape, and so infamous a defilement. For, as Tertullian says: "The public appearance of a good virgin is the suffering of defilement." The same thing, alas! we see daily: virgins who go out to walk with young men, go out as Penelopes, return as Helens; go out as virgins, return as women, indeed as harlots.
34:2
2. PRINCE OF THE LAND, -- the son of the prince Hamor.
34:5
5. HIS SOUL WAS GLUED TO HER, -- he loved her vehemently and desperately: for the soul of a lover is more where it loves than where it gives life.
34:7
7. IN ISRAEL, -- against Israel, the father of Dinah.
34:11
11. TO HER FATHER (of Dinah, namely to Jacob) AND TO HER BROTHERS, -- namely to Reuben, Simeon, Levi and the other brothers of Dinah.
34:12
12. INCREASE THE DOWRY, -- as if to say: I do not require that Dinah, as a bride, bring a dowry, but I myself will endow her as much as you wish, and that in compensation for the injury inflicted upon her and upon you by me through the rape.
34:13
13. IN DECEIT, -- because they feign peace, while they plot the slaughter of the Shechemites. St. Thomas asks, question 105, article 3, whether it is lawful to use stratagems, that is, deceits in war? And he answers that it is lawful, provided it is not done against justice and faith given.
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15. But in this we shall be able to make a covenant. -- Not that they advised their own circumcision, but they imposed it upon the Shechemites, so that they might thus weaken them.
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17. But if you will not be circumcised. -- Not that the sons of Jacob truly wished the Shechemites to be of their religion, but they demanded circumcision so that they might weaken them, and thus more easily slaughter them.
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19. AND HE DELAYED NOT -- Note the ardor and vehemence of Shechem's love, who could not bear any delay.
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21. THESE MEN ARE PEACEABLE. -- Hence it is clear that Hamor and the Shechemites circumcised themselves, not from love of piety and Jewish religion, but from hope of gain and marriage alliances with the Israelites. LET THEM EXERCISE IT. -- Through the exercise of agriculture and pasture.
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23. THEY SHALL BE OURS, -- through mutual marriages and commerce.
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25. ON THE THIRD DAY, WHEN THE PAIN OF WOUNDS IS MOST SEVERE. -- Josephus falsely says that the Shechemites were oppressed by deceit by Simeon and Levi, while they indulged in feasting and wine. Secondly, Calvin wrongly denies that on the third day the pain of wounds is most severe: for the contrary is taught, not by Simeon and Levi, from whose mind and sense Calvin thinks these things are said, but by Moses himself, and by Holy Scripture itself here: for these are his words. The same is taught by Hippocrates, in the book On Fractures, and the reason is that on the first day, only the division in the wound itself is felt, which scarcely lasts; on the second day phlegm flows to the place of the wound, which is a mild and gentle humor; on the third day bile flows there, which is sharp and hot and causes pain: hence blood rushing in follows inflammation, fever, etc., which scarcely abate in the space of 24 hours. Thus Francis Valesius in Sacred Philosophy, chapter XIII.
SIMEON AND LEVI, -- as leaders with a band of servants; for the other brothers did not take part in this slaughter, but after it was done rushed upon the spoils, as is clear from verse 27. Simeon was then about 21 years old, Levi 20; thus St. Chrysostom, Abulensis, Cajetan and Pererius, and it is gathered from the words of verse 1.
Whether the sons of Jacob sinned You may ask whether these sons of Jacob, in carrying out this slaughter of the Shechemites, sinned? Some excuse them on the ground that they avenged the injury inflicted on their sister and themselves by a just war and stratagem. For since they were foreigners, having as it were a separate commonwealth, and Hamor and Shechem, as princes of the people, could not be brought to any higher tribunal, they seem to have had the right of war against them, since in no other way than by war and arms could they repair the injury inflicted on them; and in this war, since they were few, they used deceit as a stratagem, saying: "Is deceit or valor to be sought in an enemy?" But I answer that they sinned, because they invaded and slaughtered the Shechemites contrary to the pacts made with them in verse 15. They sinned therefore, first, by deceitful and pernicious falsehood, as is clear from verse 13. Second, by treachery: for they had already forgiven the injury, having received just satisfaction, and had given their pledge of the covenant, indeed of marriage. Third, by imprudence and disobedience, in that young men inflamed with anger undertook so difficult and dangerous a matter without the counsel and authority of their father, whom they knew would utterly disapprove of this scheme. Hence they also sinned by injustice of war: for they waged this war against the Shechemites by private authority, not public; for this was in Jacob, as in the head and prince of the family, not in these two sons of his. Fourth, by sacrilege: for they abused circumcision for their deceit and unjust slaughter. Fifth, by cruelty, in that they invaded them on the third day when afflicted with pain and as if dying. Sixth, by excess of vengeance: for they killed not only Shechem, but all the males of the city, among whom many were innocent; they took captive the boys and women; they plundered all the fields and flocks, indeed they even destroyed the walls of the city, as is sufficiently suggested in Genesis XLIX, 6. Seventh, by rashness and impiety, in that they exposed their father Jacob and his whole family to the hatred, death and plunder of the Canaanites. Thus St. Thomas, Cajetan, Pererius, indeed Jacob himself in Genesis chapter XLIX, verse 5, where he says thus: Simeon and Levi are instruments of iniquity, warring; let not my soul enter into their counsel, nor my glory be united with their assembly: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung a wall: cursed be their anger, for it is stubborn; and their wrath, for it is cruel.
The praise of Simeon is explained from Judith You will say: In Judith chapter IX, verse 2, it seems to praise this deed and the zeal of Simeon and Levi; for it says: O God of my father Simeon, who didst give him a sword for the defence (in Greek ekdikisin, that is, vengeance) of strangers, who became violators in their uncleanness, and uncovered the thigh of the virgin in confusion, and didst give their women for a prey, and their daughters into captivity, and the prey into division to thy servants, who were zealous with thy zeal. I answer: Judith here praises not Simeon, but the justice of God, by which He permitted the unclean Shechemites to be slaughtered, using for this purpose the audacity and strength as much as the wickedness and treachery of Simeon and Levi. For thus God is said to give a sword to the Canaanites, Turks and Pagans, when He uses their strength and arms to punish the sins of the faithful. Thus Isaiah chapter X says: Assur is the rod of my fury. Thus Attila said he was the scourge of God. In like manner therefore God gave a sword, that is, strength, to Simeon and Levi for the vengeance of the rape of Dinah, but not in such a manner and with such treachery to be carried out: for thus they themselves abused it: although they did it from zeal, as Judith says, yet this zeal was against justice, because it was against the covenants made; nevertheless God permitted all these things, and ordained them for the punishment of the stuprum of their prince. It is therefore said that He gave to Simeon the sword of vengeance for two reasons: first, because He gave him the courage, strength and arms, which he himself however abused treacherously; secondly, because He permitted this treachery, and of set purpose ordained it for the avenging of the stuprum. Again, by these words Judith insinuates that the people favoured their prince in this crime, and helped, cherished and praised him in the rape and detention of Dinah; and therefore by the just judgment of God, all were involved in this calamity. Thirdly, note here the divine vengeance of lust and stuprum, which Judith rightly adapts to herself and to her deed, by which she cut off Holofernes. Fourthly, Judith says that God gave all the spoil of the Shechemites to His servants, namely to Simeon and Levi, because they had zeal for chastity, insofar namely as this zeal was zeal for chastity, but not insofar as it was indiscreet, unjust, and mixed with treachery and other crimes. Thus God built houses for the midwives of the Egyptians, who by lying preserved the male children of the Hebrews, not on account of the lying, but on account of the pious affection and benefit bestowed on the children: for in one and the same deed, there is sometimes something good, which God rewards; and something evil, which He hates and abhors.
TO ALL THE MALES. -- For most of them had applauded their prince the ravisher, and had helped him in the rape.
Note that stuprum and rape are almost never perpetrated without great parricide or war. The destruction of Troy on account of Helen ravished testifies to this. The slaughter perpetrated by Absalom on his brother Amnon on account of Tamar violated testifies to this. The slaughter of the whole tribe of Benjamin on account of the wife of the Levite corrupted testifies to this, Judges chapter XX. Finally our Shechemites here testify to the same thing. Wherefore St. Chrysostom wisely admonishes parents and teachers, and gives them prudent counsel, homily 59: Let us restrain, he says, the impulses of our boys, and let us care for their chastity, etc.; knowing the burning of the furnace, before they are entangled in lust, let us strive to join them in marriage according to the law of God. And at the end: Therefore I beseech that a hand be extended to our boys, that we may not also suffer punishments on account of those things which they have sinned, like Eli, I Kings IV.
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26. TAKING DINAH: -- Rupertus from Philo relates that Dinah afterwards married, and was the wife of Job, of which Job I. For Job was born shortly after Dinah, as will appear in the following chapter, verse 36. But this is scarcely probable; nor is such a thing found in Philo or other ancients.
Tropologically Philo in De Migratione Abrahae: Dinah is a curious soul, which is seized by brute nature to sensual things, which are dangerous; whence she is violated, and loses the purity of mind, and becomes carnal and an ass: for Shechem the ravisher is the son of Hamor, that is, of an ass; but Levi and Simeon, that is, prudence and fortitude of spirit, slay him, and thus restore to the soul its integrity.
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29. THEY TOOK CAPTIVE WOMEN FOR WIVES. -- Since Jacob disapproves of this slaughter, as treacherous and rash, verse 30, there is no doubt that he immediately ordered all the captives to be sent back, and the goods that had been plundered and remained to be restored.
34:30
30. YOU HAVE TROUBLED ME. -- You have troubled my mind with fear and anguish, because you have made me anxious and fearful: for I greatly fear lest the Canaanites rise up against me and you for the vengeance of their Shechemites. Secondly, you have troubled my fame, because you have stained it with so infamous a slaughter, and because you have made me hateful (in Hebrew, stinking) to the Canaanites. Thirdly, you have troubled the peace of my family, because you have exposed it to the danger of death and reciprocal spoiling, among the neighbouring Palestinians round about.
Note: Perfidy, like perjury, greatly disturbs God's covenant and human society, and therefore both God and men are accustomed to pursue and avenge it. Thus Sedecias, violating the covenant made with Nabuchodonosor, was captured by him, stripped of his kingdom and blinded. Thus Saul, afflicting the Gabaonites against the faith given to them, became the cause of common famine and the destruction of his own people, II Kings XXI. Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse, transgressed the oath given to enemies, and having slain the captives, laughing said to his friends: Let us dine and swear; let us vomit religion from our minds; but he paid dearly for this perfidy. Tissaphernes, leader of the Persians, violated the covenant made with Agesilaus out of fear, and declared war upon him; which Agesilaus gladly seized upon, and said to his legates that he had great gratitude to Tissaphernes, because by his perjury he had made both gods and men hostile to himself, but favorable to the opposing side, as Plutarch testifies in the Laconian. Alexander the Great oppressed certain Indians hostile to him, against the faith given, on the march: hence a stain adhered to him, and a brief and sad end, as all know: Plutarch is witness in the Alexander. The Carthaginian senate not only approved the destruction of Saguntum by Hannibal against the covenant which Hasdrubal had made with the Romans, but also defended it in the Roman curia. Truly this quibble and this perfidy was avenged by the destruction of Carthage. Theodatus, king of the Goths, pressed by war on all sides, sent legates to the Emperor Justinian, seeking peace, and offered him the entire empire of the Gauls and Italians: but afterwards, emboldened by the death of Mundi the duke of Justinian, he broke faith, took up arms; but he fell in them, and was slain by his own people in the third year of his reign. Thus Procopius and Blondus. Aistulphus, king of the Lombards, because he was waging war against Pope Gregory III contrary to the faith given, the Pontiff caused the formula of peace suspended from the standard of the cross to be carried before the army, with all invoking God against the perfidious man: whence Aistulphus was subdued by Pepin, and miserably perished at last. Charles of Burgundy, bold and unconquered, in Lotharingia circumvented 250 Swiss by treachery and put them to death by hanging, soon after killed 300 others at Granson in the year of the Lord 1476; but on the third day after the Swiss attacked Charles, put him to flight, and finally in the following year completely defeated and slaughtered him. Wherefore rightly Valerius Maximus, book IX, chapter VI: Perfidy, he says, brings as much harm to the human race as good faith brings salvation. Let it therefore have no less reproach than that receives praise. And Tacitus, book I of the Annals: Traitors, he says, are hated even by those who prefer them: for they themselves love the thing, not the guilty party. Excellently Augustus in Plutarch in the Apophthegms: I, he says, love treason, I do not approve traitors. But more acutely Philip of Macedon in Stobaeus, discourse 52, said that he loves those who betray, not traitors.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
34:1
v. 1 « Egressa est autem Dina filia Liae, ut videret mulieres regionis tllius », occasione cuiusdam solemnitatis, inquit Jos. In cuius curiositatem facunde invehitur Bern. (Tract. de gradibus humilitatis et superbiae cap. 10; M.
34:2
182. 958). v. 2 « Quam cum vidisset Sichem, filius Hemor Hevaei , princeps » — vel rectius principis (Calm.) —« terrae zllius, [adamavit eam et| rapuit et dormivit cum lla, vt opprimens virginem ». Egit, quod alii 12,15; 20,2; 26,10 agere attentaverant (Kn.). Nvv3 principem significabat Hebraeis 17,20, Hethaeis 23,6, Ismaelitis 25,16, Hevaeis h.
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1l. — v. 3 « Et conglutinata est anima eius cum ea, tristemque delinivit blanditiis ». Cf. Hebr. —
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v. & « Et pergens ad Hemor patrem suum : Accipe, inquit, mihi puellam hanc coniugem ». Parentum est (cf. 21,21) providere filiis de uxore. qui nomine Israel utatur pro aevo, quo populus Israel nondum exstaret (cf. 47, 27) : potuit enim patriarchae familia Israel appellari, licet populus nondum esset (Del.). nvy* Nb T2, et ita non debuit fieri, hoc non erat secundum morem et decentiam.
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v. 8 « Locutus est itaque Hemor ad eos : Sichem filii mei adhaesit anima filiae vestrae : date eam illi uxorem »,
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v. 9 « et dungamus vicissim connubia : filias vestras tradite nobis, et filias nostras accipite ».
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v. 10 « Et habitate nobiscum », cf. 20,15 : sedes intra fines, quod principis est, offert (Di/Im.). « Terra ?n potestate vestra est : exercete, negotiamzni et possidete eam ». Hebr. : incolite et peragrate eam et sedes figtte in ea. Omnia civium iura et usus concedit.
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v. 11 « Sed et Sichem ad patrem et ad fratres eius ait : Inveniam gratiam coram vobis et, quaecunque statueritis , dabo ».
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v. 19 « Augete dotem et munera postulate, et libenter tribuam quod petieritis : tantum date mihi puellam hanc auzorem ». Putabat Mar., dotem 352 tribuendam fuisse puellae, munera 1n'2 cognatis. At $12 dabatur patri : cf. Ex. 22,16 sq. (15 sq.). v5 intelligit Kn. danda puellae, uti 254,53 : at ib. recensentur munera et puellae et cognatis data, et haec altera h. 1l. intelligere praeplacet, cum reparationem cognatis offerat Sichem, dona autem ab uxore in domum mariti auferenda vix ut reparatio a cognatis accepta considerari queant.
34:13
v. 13 « Responderunt filii Iacob. Sichem et patri eius in dolo, saevientes ob. stuprum sororis ». Sententia ab ?vw incipiens post 217" claudicat, reddit vero rationem vocis 2122 : ergo cum Syr. legenda verba hoc ordine nm-23523 num. Cf. Dilm. — Dolus non solum in eo erat, ut simulata amicitia necem pararent, sed ut legem aliquam circumcisionis ementirentur. Etenim non prohibebantur tum posteri Abrahae ducere filias incirceumeisorum : duxerat ipse Iacob, ducturus erat Iuda. Possumus cum Bonfr. dicere, id paulatim coepisse illicitum haberi, quoad a Moyse lege sit interdictum.
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v. 1& « Non possumus facere quod petitis, nec dare sororem nostram homini inctrcumciso, quod [illicitum et] nefarium est apud nos ».
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v. 15 « Sed in hoc valebimus foederari » seu assentiri, « si volueritis esse similes nostri, el circumcidatur in vobis omne masculini sexus ».
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v. 16 « Tunc dabimus et accipiemus mutuo filias vestras ac nostras, et habitabimus vobiscum, erimusque unus populus ».
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v. 171 « St autem circumcidi nolueritis, tollemus filiam nostram et recedemus ». Videntur porro Hevael id in votis habuisse, ut familia Iacob nonrecederet, quo ipsi numeris et opibus augerentur. | circumcisus est : cuius exemplum maxime valuit ad reliquos, ut idem praestarent, permovendos.
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v. 20 « [ngressique portam urbis », ubi de re publica deliberare consueverant, « locuti sunt ad populum » :
34:21
v. 94 « Viri isti pacifici sunt et volunt habitare nobiscum ». Vulg. uà Sam. pro "av" legebat 13v? : lectio praeferenda attento contextu et v. 10. Etiam quoad sequentia cf. v. 10. « Negotientur in terra et exerceant eam, quae spatiosa [et lata] cultoribus indiget ». avnDT nam: eadem expressio habetur Ps. 103 (104), 25 et Is. 33,21; sensus est spatiosa quoad utrumque latus (cf. Ex. 2,5), late patens. « F?/tas eorum accipiemus uxores , et nostras illis dabimus ».
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v. 22 « Unum est, quo differtur tantum bonum, si circumcidamus masculos nostros , ritum gen- (is imitantes ». Sat libere versum, uti etiam sequentia, sensu manente substantialiter eodem.
34:23
v. 23 « Et substantia eorum et pecora et cuncta, quae possident , nostra erunt », quia erimus unus cum ipsis populus. « Tantum in hoc acquiescamus, et habitantes simul unum efficiemus populum ».
34:24
v. 9& « Assensique sunt omnes, circumcetsis cunctis maribus ».
34:25
v. 95 « Et ecce die tertio, quando gravissimus vulnerum dolor est », — teste experientia tam in reliquis quam in circumcisionis vulneribus; Hebr. : dum essent in doloribus — « arreptis duo filii Iacob, Simeon et Levi, fratres Dinae » ideoque eius prae ceteris ultores, « gladizs tngressi sunt urbem confidenter », sane non sine sociis aliquibus (Ca:.), « interfectisque omnibus masculis »,
34:26
v. 96 » Hemor et Sichem pariter necaverunt , tollentes Dinam de domo Sichem, sororem suam ». Adverbium nva (confidenter) non ad fratres refert CAhald., sed ad urbem : quae habitabat secure; Vat. « incautam » cf. Ez. 30,9. Miratur Dill»»., Ruben se non iunxisse fratribus, virum ait nullibi prostare pro suae gentis honore : tamen non esí vituperandus, quod ab eo scelere abstinuerit; fortasse etiam ipse primogenitus non sibi putabat in re tam gravi inconsulto et, si consuleretur, invito parente esse procedendum.
34:27
v. 97 « Quibus egressis, irruerunt super occisos [ceteri] filii Iacob », non necessario omnes (Ca:.), » et depopulati sunt urbem £n ulttonem stupri », hanc proferebant ipsi excusationem. Movebantur desiderio vindictae, spe lucri et etiam ea ratione, ubi ad arma et necem ventum esset, tutius eam civitatem penitus opprimi , ne ullus opis a vicinis ferendae - reJinqueretur locus.
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v. 28 « Oves eorum et armenta et asinos cunctaque vastantes , quae in domibus et in agris erant »,
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v. 99 « parvulos quoque eorum et wuzores duxerunt captivas ». Sequentia verba Iacob utique demonstrant, rem eo inscio a filiis actam esse (Ca?.) ; tamen reprehensio est sat lenis, non tam facti atrocitatem quam invidiam carpens. Longe severior est reprehensio 49,5 sqq.
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v. 30 « [Quibus patratis audacter), - Unanimes iam sunt interpretes in condemnandis Simeon et Levi. Merito utique stuprum sororis indigne tulerunt illudque potuere vel totius urbis - excidio ulcisci. At amplam reparationem a Sichem oblatam acceptaverant ipsi, pactum ferierant omnino observandum. Gravi dolo cireumvenerunt eos, qui sinceris ad eos animis accesserant; circumcisione sacrilege abusi sunt; doloribus oppressos aggressi, eos qui nulla ratione defendere se possent, ferali crudelitate trucidarunt; hac in re patris auctoritatem, cuius imprimis erat filiae honori prospicere, anticipantes. Cf. Per., Bonfr. etc. Severe factum reprobavit Iacob 49, 5 sqq., Deo inspirante locutus. Cuius verbis non licet opponere encomium Iudith 9, 2, quae non potest demonstrari Deo inspirante esse locuta. Duo eventus commemorantur : altare in Bethel ex voto consecratum v. 1-7, titulus ib. in novae divinae revelationis memoriam erectus v. 9-15; quibus interponitur illud de morte Deborae. Cap. XXXV. Recedendi Bethelam ratio affertur Dei v. 1 mandatum, votum 98,22 ib. exsolvendum; ita etiam subducebantur indignationi accolarum ob vastatam Sichem (Per.).
34:1
… In particular, the action of inducing to idolatry (cf. Deut. 7:4) and to impurity (cf. Prov. 5:20; cf. also Gen. 34:1-31; II Sam. 13) is called seduction.
Simeon (Heb. Šim'ôn; Gr. Symzōn)
… At his birth his mother linked his name to the Lord's answer, "because I have heard (šāma') that I am unloved, and he gave me this one also." He took part with Levi in the fierce and treacherous repression of the Shechemites, who had dishonored their sister Dinah (ibid. 34:1-31): the deed incurred Jacob's reproach (ibid. 49:5 ff.), but for a certain aspect of heroism and religious-patriotic zeal it was also celebrated (Judg. 9:2). On the first journey he …
34:2
… He stirred up his fellow Shechemites, claiming the government of the city for the descendants of Hamor the Hivite (Judg. 9:28; cf. Gen. 34:2).
… The fact that in Gen. 36, 2 hā-hīwāš is read (in vv. 20, 29) as hā-hōrī and that the Septuagint translates hā-hīwāš (in Gen. 34, 2; Josh. 9, 7; 11, 3; Judg. 3, 3) as χορραῦος may come from an easy confusion of the second letter, but, according to E. Speiser, it presupposes an original hā-hōrī. …
34:12
In Hebrew law there is mention of a sum or its equivalent in kind, which the bridegroom must deliver to the father of the betrothed (cf. Gen. 34:12; Ex. 22:16; I Sam. 18:25; Hos. 3:2). In Deut. 22:28 ff. the price is set at 50 shekels, which the seducer of a virgin must pay to her father before marrying her. In the code …
34:14
… Neh. 10:30; 13:23-25). In a particular way the prohibition applied to the various Canaanite populations of Palestine or of the neighboring regions (cf. Ex. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-4). But in the most ancient times such a law appears less rigorous (cf. Gen. 34:14; 41:45; Ex. 2:21; Jud. 3:6; 14:3, 10; Ruth 1:4). Even Moses had a Midianite as his wife (Ex. 2:21; Num. 12:1). After the exile, on the other hand, the exclusion becomes ever …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.