Gen 34 & 35 - The outcome of when you expose your family to evil knowing you could have avoided it.

3 days ago
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Gen 34:1
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.

Gen 34:2
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

Dinah went to town to see the women there and Shechem took her by "force." The normal thought would mean that he raped her. But that might not necessarily be so. The Hebrew word for "force" is anah. H6031a. anah, [776a]; a prim. root; to be bowed down or afflicted:-- afflict(16), afflict at all(1), afflicted(22), affliction(1), by force(m)(1), disturbed(1), do violence(1), humble(12), humbled(6), humbling(1), Leannoth(1), mistreat(1), oppressed(1), oppressors(1), ravish(1), ravished(2), silenced(m)(1), submit(1), treated harshly(1), violate(1), violated(5), weakened(1). The same Hebrew word is used in describing how an Israelite can take a captive woman as his wife (Deut. 21:13-14). Ezekiel describes the sins of Israel and uses this same term in describing their sin and it does not appear to be describing rape (Ezek. 22:10-11). It could just indicate a sexual encounter that should not have taken place. It is possible, if not likely, that this was something short of "rape" on the part of Shechem.

Gen 34:3
And he was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.

Shechem loved Dinah and spoke tenderly to her. The thought of violent rape does not fit very well. The biggest problem with this union is that it's not allowed according to Torah. Jacob should not have set up his home so close to the pagan city. He exposed his family to evil that otherwise could have been avoided.

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