Genesis 34:14

And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
said	וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ vai.yo.me.Ru	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
cannot	לֹ֤א lo'	H3808	not (the simple or abs. negation) · negative particle
do	לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ la.'a.soT	H6213	to do or make · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
thing	הַדָּבָ֣ר ha.da.Var	H1697	a word · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
give	לָתֵת֙ la.Tet	H5414	to give · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
sister	אֲחֹתֵ֔נוּ 'a.cho.Te.nu	H269	a sister (used very widely (like brother) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
one	לְאִ֖ישׁ le.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
uncircumcised	עָרְלָ֑ה 'a.re.Lah	H6190	the prepuce · noun, common feminine singular absolute
reproach	חֶרְפָּ֥ה cher.Pah	H2781	contumely · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken m…
Joshua 5:2-9 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
1 Samuel 14:6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that t…
1 Samuel 17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproa…
1 Samuel 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of…
2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the unci…
2 Samuel 15:7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the L…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:6-17

Jacob's sons, when they heard of the injury done to Dinah, showed a very great resentment of it, influenced perhaps rather by jealousy for the honour of their family than by a sense of virtue. Many are concerned at the shamefulness of sin that never lay to heart the sinfulness of it. It is here called folly in Israel (Gen 34:7), according to the language of after-times; for Israel was not yet a people, but a family only. Note, 1. Uncleanness is folly; for it sacrifices the favour of God, peace of conscience, and all the soul can pretend to that is sacred and honourable, to a base and brutish lust. 2. This folly is most shameful in Israel, in a family of Israel, where God is known and worship…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:13

The sons of Jacob answered--The honor of their family consisted in having the sign of the covenant. Circumcision was the external rite by which persons were admitted members of the ancient Church. But that outward rite could not make the Shechemites true Israelites; and yet it does not appear that Jacob's sons required anything more. Nothing is said of their teaching the people to worship the true God, but only of their insisting on their being circumcised; and it is evident that they did not seek to convert Shechem, but only made a show of religion--a cloak to cover their diabolical design. Hypocrisy and deceit, in all cases vicious, are infinitely more so when accompanied with a show of re…

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Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:14

That were a reproach unto us - Because the uncircumcised were not in the covenant of God; and to have given an heiress of the promise to one who had no kind of right to its spiritual blessings, from whom might spring children who would naturally walk in the way of their father would have been absurd, reproachful and wicked. Thus far they were perfectly right; but to make this holy principle a cloak for their deceitful and murderous purposes, was the full sum of all wickedness

John Gill

Dictionary and topics

Dinah — Judged; vindicated, daughter of Jacob by Leah, and sister of Simeon and Levi (Gen. 30:21). She was seduced by Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite chief, when Jacob’s camp was in the neighbourhood…
Shechem — Shoulder. (1.) The son of Hamor the Hivite (Gen. 33:19; 34). (2.) A descendant of Manasseh (Num. 26:31; Josh. 17:2). (3.) A city in Samaria (Gen. 33:18), called also Sichem (12:6), Sychem (Acts…
Circumcision · The Jews: Held it unlawful to intermarry with those not of the — The Jews: Held it unlawful to intermarry with those not of the
Deception · .Jacob’s — .Jacob’s

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 34:14

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:6-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:13

Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:14

John Gill

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 34:14

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:6-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:13

Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:14

John Gill

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 34:13-17

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 34:13-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 34:13-17

Rashi on Genesis 34:2