The Dinah Incident

Jacob had made peace with his brother Esau and returned to the land of Canaan. He settled

at a place called Shechem, and camped in front of the city. He purchased a section of the field

where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, a prince of the country. One of the sons

of Hamor was named Shechem—the same name as the city. Being new to the area, Dinah,

the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to find some young women to have as friends. But

during her visit she caught the attention of Hamor’s son Shechem, who forcefully took and

raped her. The Bible says that Shechem loved her and ordered his father to get Dinah as a

wife for him. While this may have been a cultural norm for the Hivites to obtain a wife, it was

a most grievous thing for Jacob and his sons. As a prince of the country, Hamor had the right

to make an agreement with Jacob for his daughter, who was now a landowner in the region.

Hamor negotiated in good faith with Jacob because he had been trustworthy in past business

dealings. But Jacob’s older sons answered Hamor and the Hivite leaders deceitfully.