Jacob at Shechem

     “On his return from Mesopotamia Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan and set up his camp in a field near the city. 19 He bought that part of the field from the descendants of Hamor father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 He put up an altar there and named it for El, the God of Israel.”  Gen 33:18-20 (TEV)

     Jacob returned in peace with a large family and many possessions. • Jacob, like Abraham, built an altar at Shechem (see 12:6-8) and purchased land from the family of Hamor.

33:19 100 pieces of silver.   El-Elohe-Israel means "God, the God of Israel." The name of the altar commemorated Jacob's relationship with God. Jacob publicly proclaimed that God was his God, and that God had led him back to the land he would inherit.

     Jacob's Family in Canaan (32:1-38:30). When Jacob returned  to Canaan from Haran, after making a treaty with Laban at Mizpah (31:48-49), he met angels at Mahanaim (32:1-2) and wrestled with God at Peniel (32:22-32). After making peace with Esau (33:1-16), Jacob traveled to Succoth (33:17) and then Shechem (33:18-20; cp. 12:6-7). After the conflict with the people of Shechem (ch 34), at God's instruction Jacob moved to Bethel (35:1-15; cp. 12:8; 13:1-4; 28:10-22). After Jacob left Bethel, Rachel died in childbirth on the way to Ephrath (=Bethlehem, 35:16-20; cp. 1 Sam 10:2; Jer 31:15). Jacob continued to Hebron (35:27), where he was reunited with his father. There he settled, and from there Joseph later went to find his brothers (37:14). Joseph's route to Shechem and then Dothan is shown (37:14-17), as is the possible route of the Ishmaelite traders from Gilead to Egypt (37:25-36). Adullam, where Judah moved (38:1), is also shown.”  —NLT Study Bible

     Genesis 34:1  The Bible shows all the warts & wrinkles of real people doing real things.  There is much evil in our world.  People react violently.  Yet God is on His throne, and He can overrule evil to create good.  The Canaanites were evil people whom God was punishing.  They had no good motives in what they did.  Yet Jacob’s sons overreacted in their desire for vengeance.

     “One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 But he found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her and tried to win her affection. 4 He told his father, "I want you to get Dinah for me as my wife."  Gen 34:1-4 (TEV)

     “And Dinah—went out to see the daughters of the land—It is supposed that Jacob had been now about seven or eight years in the land, and that Dinah, who was about seven years of age when Jacob came to Canaan, was now about fourteen or fifteen. Why or on what occasion she went out we know not, but the reason given by Josephus is very probable, viz., that it was on one of their festivals.” —Adam Clarke's Commentary

     “Jacob learned that his daughter had been disgraced, but because his sons were out in the fields with his livestock, he did nothing until they came back. 6 Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob, 7 just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. When they heard about it, they were shocked and furious that Shechem had done such a thing and had insulted the people of Israel by raping Jacob's daughter. 8 Hamor said to him, "My son Shechem has fallen in love with your daughter; please let him marry her. 9 Let us make an agreement that there will be intermarriage between our people and yours. 10 Then you may stay here in our country with us; you may live anywhere you wish, trade freely, and own property."  Gen 34:5-10 (TEV)

     “34:1-2 As far as we know, Dinah was Jacob's only daughter (30:21). Her seemingly innocent but unguarded visit to some of the young women who lived in the area was actually naive and foolish, because the local Hivites were very corrupt, not safe or trustworthy. • Shechem... seized her and raped her: Shechem violated and debased Dinah, so she had no chance for a proper marriage.”  —NLT Study Bible

     “Three days later, when the men were still sore from their circumcision, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, took their swords, went into the city without arousing suspicion, and killed all the men, 26 including Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 After the slaughter Jacob's other sons looted the town to take revenge for their sister's disgrace. 28 They took the flocks, the cattle, the donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 29 They took everything of value, captured all the women and children, and carried off everything in the houses.”

Gen 34:25-29 (TEV)

     “34:30 Jacob responded again out of fear of what would happen to him, but God caused the people of this land to fear him instead (35:5).”  —NLT Study Bible

     “Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have gotten me into trouble; now the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and everybody else in the land will hate me. I do not have many men; if they all band together against me and attack me, our whole family will be destroyed." 31 But they answered, "We cannot let our sister be treated like a common whore." Gen 34:30-31 (TEV)

     God Blesses Jacob at Bethel

     “Arise, go up to Beth-el—The transaction that had lately taken place rendered it unsafe for Jacob to dwell any longer at the city of Shechem; and it seems that while he was reflecting on the horrible act of Simeon and Levi, and not knowing what to do, God graciously appeared to him, and commanded him to go up to Beth-el, build an altar there, and thus perform the vow he had made”—Adam Clarke's Commentary

     “God said to Jacob, "Go to Bethel at once, and live there. Build an altar there to me, the God who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau." 2 So Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that you have; purify yourselves and put on clean clothes. 3 We are going to leave here and go to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who helped me in the time of my trouble and who has been with me everywhere I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and also the earrings that they were wearing. He buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem.”  Gen 35:1-4 (TEV)

     “Put away the strange gods—‏the gods of the foreigners, which were among them. Jacob's servants were all Syrians, and no doubt were addicted less or more to idolatry and superstition. These gods might belong to them, or, as some have conjectured, they were the teraphim which Rachel stole; but these have already been supposed to be astrological tables, or something of this kind, called by Laban his gods, because by them he supposed he could predict future events, and that they referred to certain astral and planetary intelligences, by whose influences sublunary things were regulated. But it is more natural to suppose that these gods found now in Jacob's family were images of silver, gold, or curious workmanship, which were found among the spoils of the city of Shechem. Lest these should become incitements to idolatry, Jacob orders them to be put away.”  —Adam Clarke's Commentary

     Altars of the Patriarchs (35:1-15). Several of the patriarchs built altars, including Noah (8:20), Abraham (12:7, 8; 13:18; 22:9), Isaac (26:25), and Jacob (33:20; 35:7). These altars were probably made of piles of uncut stone, as God later instructed Israel (Exod 20:25; Deut 27:5-6; cp. Josh 8:30-31)." —NLT Study Bible

     “God's reference to himself as God Almighty assured Jacob that his promise could and would be fulfilled. At Bethel, God had promised that Jacob would have descendants in the land (cp. 28:13-14); here he added that his descendants would include kings (see 17:6).  In fulfilling his vow (28:20-22), Jacob's actions were almost identical to his actions in the earlier experience at Bethel (cp. 28:16-19).  Benjamin's birth completed the family, but it was a sorrowful event because Rachel died in childbirth (see note on 31:32).”

     “Jacob and his family left Bethel, and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, the time came for Rachel to have her baby, and she was having difficult labor. 17 When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, Rachel; it's another boy." 18 But she was dying, and as she breathed her last, she named her son Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. 19 When Rachel died, she was buried beside the road to Ephrath, now known as Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a memorial stone there, and it still marks Rachel's grave to this day. 21 Jacob moved on and set up his camp on the other side of the tower of Eder.”  Gen 35:16-21 (TEV)

     “Rachel found the name son of my sorrow (Benoni) appropriate to the situation, but Jacob did not want such a sad name for his son, so he changed it to son of my right hand (Benjamin). Jacob thus turned the day of sorrow into a day of hope that gave his son the prospect of success.  Jacob did not carry Rachel's body to the family tomb at Machpelah, but buried her in the territory that would be Benjamin's (see Josh 18:21-28; 1 Sam 10:2).

     “It can be seen there to this day: This seems to be a later editorial comment by someone who was living in the land after the conquest and giving directions to the tomb.”—NLT Study Bible