Genesis 34:25

And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
third	הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י ha.she.li.Shi	H7992	third · definite article + ordinal number, masculine singular absolute
day	בַיּ֨וֹם vai.Yom	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
sore	כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים ko.'a.Vim	H3510	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
two	שְׁנֵֽי she.nei-	H8147	two · cardinal number, both genders dual construct
sons	בְנֵי ve.nei-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Jacob	יַ֠עֲקֹב ya.'a.ko	H3290	Jaakob · proper noun, a man's name
Simeon	שִׁמְע֨וֹן shim.'on	H8095	Shimon · proper noun, a man's name
Levi	וְלֵוִ֜י ve.le.Vi	H3878	Levi · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
Dinah’s	דִינָה֙ di.Nah	H1783	Dinah · proper noun, a woman's name
brethren	אֲחֵ֤י 'a.Chei	H251	a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relation… · noun, common masculine plural construct
took	וַיִּקְח֣וּ vai.yik.Chu	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
man	אִ֣ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
sword	חַרְבּ֔וֹ char.Bo	H2719	drought · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
came	וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ vai.ya.Vo.'u	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
city	הָעִ֖יר ha.'Ir	H5892	a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
boldly	בֶּ֑טַח Be.tach	H983	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
slew	וַיַּֽהַרְג֖וּ vai.ya.har.Gu	H2026	to smite with deadly intent · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
males	זָכָֽר za.Khar	H2145	properly · adjective, masculine 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 49:5-7 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Genesis 29:33-34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: a…
Numbers 31:7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
Joshua 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were con…
Joshua 5:8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and…
Proverbs 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:25–end

Here, we have Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, young men not much above twenty years old, cutting the throats of the Shechemites, and thereby breaking the heart of their good father. I. Here is the barbarous murder of the Shechemites. Jacob himself was used to the sheep-hook, but his sons had got swords by their sides, as if they had been the seed of Esau, who was to live by his sword; we have them here, 1. Slaying the inhabitants of Shechem - all the males, Hamor and Shechem particularly, with whom they had been treating in a friendly manner but the other day, yet with a design upon their lives. Some think that all Jacob's sons, when they wheedled the Shechemites to be circumcised, des…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:20

Hamor and Shechem . . . came unto the gate of their city--That was the place where every public communication was made; and in the ready obsequious submission of the people to this measure we see an evidence either of the extraordinary affection for the governing family, or of the abject despotism of the East, where the will of a chief is an absolute command.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:25

On the third day, when they were sore - When the inflammation was at the height, and a fever ensued which rendered the person utterly helpless, and his state critical, Simeon and Levi, the half brothers of Dinah, took each man his sword, probably assisted by that portion of the servants which helped them to take care of the flock, came on the city boldly, בטח betach, securely - without being suspected, and being in no danger of meeting with resistance, and slew all the males. Great as the provocation was, and it certainly was very great, this was an act or unparalleled treachery and cruelty.

John Gill on Genesis 34:25

And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore,.... Or in "pain" (k), when their pains were strong upon them, as the Targum of Onkelos; or when they were weak through the pain of circumcision, as the Targum of Jonathan; for it seems that the pain of circumcision was more intense on the third day (l), and the part the more inflamed, and the person more feverish, and which is observed by physicians of other wounds; and therefore Hippocrates (m) advised not to meddle with wounds on the third or fourth days, or do anything that might irritate them, for on those days they were apt to rankle or be inflamed, and bring on fevers; and in this case, not only the wound was sore in itself and…

The Church Fathers

(Verse 25) And they entered the city diligently, and they killed every male. Because it is read in Greek as ἀσφαλὼς, which means diligently: it is written in Hebrew as Bete (), which means boldly and confidently.
— Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

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…
Levi — Adhesion. (1.) The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the name is found in Leah’s words (Gen. 29:34), “This time will my husband be joined [Heb. yillaveh] unto me.” He is mentioned as taking a…
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…
Simeon — Hearing. (1.) The second son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:33). He was associated with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites (34:25, 26). He was detained by Joseph in…
Deception · .Jacob’s — .Jacob’s
Dishonesty · .Simeon and Levi — .Simeon and Levi
Homicide · .Simeon and Levi — .Simeon and Levi
Revenge · .By Simeon and Levi — .By Simeon and Levi
Sword, The · Was used: By the patriarchs — Was used: By the patriarchs
Vengeance · . — .

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 34:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:25–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:20

Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:25

John Gill on Genesis 34:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 34:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:25–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 34:20

Adam Clarke on Genesis 34:25

John Gill on Genesis 34:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 34:25-26

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 34:25-29

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 34:25-29

Rashi on Genesis 34:2