Genesis 34:5

At that time, Jacob was in his camp, and Jacob’s sons were out in the grass lands looking after Jacob’s animals. Then somebody went and told Jacob that Shekem did that bad thing to his daughter Dinah. But Jacob didn’t say anything, because he wanted to wait for his sons to come home.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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

In Context

4Then Shekem talked to his father Hamor and said, “I want to marry that woman. Ask her father to give her to me, so that she can be my wife.”

6Then somebody went and told Jacob’s sons that Shekem did that bad thing to Dinah. So Jacob’s sons got really upset and angry. They said, “Shekem slept with our sister. That was a properly wrong thing that he did. He made our family shamed.” And Jacob’s sons left the grass lands, and they quickly went back to Jacob’s camp. Hamor, Shekem’s father, he went to Jacob’s camp to talk to Jacob, and Shekem went with him.

Read all of Genesis 34

Cross References

Genesis 37:13Then Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are looking after my sheep in Shekem. I want you to go there and see how they are going.” And Joseph said, “Yes, I will go.”

1 Samuel 16:11Do you have another son?” Jesse answered, “Yes. There is my youngest son, David. But he is looking after the sheep out in the bush.” Samuel said, “Send somebody to get him and bring him here. We will wait for him. We can’t sit down and eat the meat without him.”

Luke 15:25While all that was happening, the oldest son was working out in the garden, and he didn’t know what was going on. Then later, he knocked off work, and he started walking home. He got near to the house, and then he heard a lot of music, and he heard people dancing and having a good time.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:2-6

Dinah Dishonoured. ( b. c. 1732.) 1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter:… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 34:5