Genesis 34:11-17
New English Translation
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s[a] father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me[b] I’ll give.[c] 12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive,[d] and I’ll give[e] whatever you ask[f] of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem[g] had violated their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We cannot give[h] our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace[i] to us. 15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become[j] like us by circumcising[k] all your males. 16 Then we will give[l] you our daughters to marry,[m] and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 17 But if you do not agree to our terms[n] by being circumcised, then we will take[o] our sister[p] and depart.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 34:11 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 34:11 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
- Genesis 34:11 tn Or “pay.”
- Genesis 34:12 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
- Genesis 34:12 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
- Genesis 34:12 tn Heb “say.”
- Genesis 34:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 34:14 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
- Genesis 34:14 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
- Genesis 34:15 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
- Genesis 34:15 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
- Genesis 34:16 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
- Genesis 34:16 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 34:17 tn Heb “listen to us.”
- Genesis 34:17 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
- Genesis 34:17 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
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