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Genesis 34

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1 And Dinah, daughter of Leah, whom she hath borne to Jacob, goeth out to look on the daughters of the land,

2 and Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the land, seeth her, and taketh her, and lieth with her, and humbleth her;

3 and his soul cleaveth to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and he loveth the young person, and speaketh unto the heart of the young person.

4 And Shechem speaketh unto Hamor his father, saying, `Take for me this damsel for a wife.'

5 And Jacob hath heard that he hath defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob kept silent till their coming.

6 And Hamor, father of Shechem, goeth out unto Jacob to speak with him;

7 and the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard, and the men grieve themselves, and it [is] very displeasing to them, for folly he hath done against Israel, to lie with the daughter of Jacob -- and so it is not done.

8 And Hamor speaketh with them, saying, `Shechem, my son, his soul hath cleaved to your daughter; give her, I pray you, to him for a wife,

9 and join ye in marriage with us; your daughters ye give to us, and our daughters ye take to yourselves,

10 and with us ye dwell, and the land is before you; dwell ye and trade [in] it, and have possessions in it.'

11 And Shechem saith unto her father, and unto her brethren, `Let me find grace in your eyes, and that which ye say unto me, I give;

12 multiply on me exceedingly dowry and gift, and I give as ye say unto me, and give to me the young person for a wife.'

13 And the sons of Jacob answer Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and they speak (because he defiled Dinah their sister),

14 and say unto them, `We are not able to do this thing, to give our sister to one who hath a foreskin: for it [is] a reproach to us.

15 `Only for this we consent to you; if ye be as we, to have every male of you circumcised,

16 then we have given our daughters to you, and your daughters we take to ourselves, and we have dwelt with you, and have become one people;

17 and if ye hearken not unto us to be circumcised, then we have taken our daughter, and have gone.'

18 And their words are good in the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shechem, Hamor's son;

19 and the young man delayed not to do the thing, for he had delight in Jacob's daughter, and he is honourable above all the house of his father.

20 And Hamor cometh -- Shechem his son also -- unto the gate of their city, and they speak unto the men of their city, saying,

21 `These men are peaceable with us; then let them dwell in the land, and trade [in] it; and the land, lo, [is] wide before them; their daughters let us take to ourselves for wives, and our daughters give to them.

22 `Only for this do the men consent to us, to dwell with us, to become one people, in every male of us being circumcised, as they are circumcised;

23 their cattle, and their substance, and all their beasts -- are they not ours? only let us consent to them, and they dwell with us.'

24 And unto Hamor, and unto Shechem his son, hearken do all those going out of the gate of his city, and every male is circumcised, all those going out of the gate of his city.

25 And it cometh to pass, on the third day, in their being pained, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, take each his sword, and come in against the city confidently, and slay every male;

26 and Hamor, and Shechem his son, they have slain by the mouth of the sword, and they take Dinah out of Shechem's house, and go out.

27 Jacob's sons have come in upon the wounded, and they spoil the city, because they had defiled their sister;

28 their flock and their herd, and their asses, and that which [is] in the city, and that which [is] in the field, have they taken;

29 and all their wealth, and all their infants, and their wives they have taken captive, and they spoil also all that [is] in the house.

30 And Jacob saith unto Simeon and unto Levi, `Ye have troubled me, by causing me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanite, and among the Perizzite: and I [am] few in number, and they have been gathered against me, and have smitten me, and I have been destroyed, I and my house.'

31 And they say, `As a harlot doth he make our sister?'

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4471

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4471. Verses 18-24. And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shechem Hamor’s son. And the lad delayed not to do the word, because he was well pleased in Jacob’s daughter; and he was honored above all the house of his father. And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and spoke unto the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us, and let them dwell in the land, and range through it trading, and behold the land is broad in spaces before them; let us take their daughters to us for women, and let us give our daughters to them. Nevertheless in this will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to be for one people, in every male being circumcised to us, even as they are circumcised. Their acquisition, and their purchase, and all their beast, will they not be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us. And they listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son, all that went out of the gate of his city; and they circumcised every male, all that went out of the gate of his city. “And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor,” signifies condescension in respect to the life; “and in the eyes of Shechem Hamor’s son,” signifies in respect to the doctrine; “and the lad delayed not to do the word,” signifies a longing to accept; “because he was well pleased in Jacob’s daughter,” signifies in relation to the religiosity of that church; “and he was honored above all the house of his father,” signifies what is primary of the truths of the Church among the Ancients; “and Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city,” signifies the goods and truths that were in the doctrine of those who belonged to the Church among the Ancients; “and spoke unto the men of their city, saying,” signifies persuasion; “these men are peaceable with us,” signifies agreement; “and let them dwell in the land,” signifies in respect to life; “and range through it trading,” signifies in respect to doctrine; “and behold the land is broad in spaces before them,” signifies the extension; “let us take their daughters to us for women, and let us give our daughters to them,” signifies conjunction; “nevertheless in this will the men consent to us to dwell with us,” signifies that they would agree in respect to life; “to be for one people,” signifies in respect to doctrine; “in every male being circumcised to us even as they are circumcised,” signifies provided they would be initiated thereby into their representatives and significatives in respect to external things alone; “their acquisition, and their purchase,” signifies their truths; “and all their beast,” signifies their goods; “will they not be ours?” signifies that these were alike and of one form; “only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us,” signifies if we condescend; “and they listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son,” signifies consent; “all that went out of the gate of his city,” signifies that they would recede from the doctrine of the Church among the Ancients; “and they circumcised every male, all that went out of the gate of his city,” signifies accession to external things.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.