God’s Word Translation
Genesis 34:20
20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to their city gate to speak to the men of their city. They said,
Genesis 34:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
- New International Version (NIV)So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:
Context of Genesis 34:20
18Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man didn’t waste any time in doing what they said because he took such pleasure in Jacob’s daughter. He was the most honored person in all his father’s family. So Hamor and his son Shechem went to their city gate to speak to the men of their city. They said, 21“These people are friendly toward us, so let them live in our land and move about freely in the area. Look, there’s plenty of room in this land for them. We can marry their daughters and let them marry ours. 22These people will consent to live with us and become one nation on one condition: Every male must be circumcised as they are.
Read all of Genesis 34Genesis 34:20 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֥א חֲמ֛וֹר וּשְׁכֶ֥ם בְּנ֖וֹ אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר עִירָ֑ם וַֽיְדַבְּר֛וּ אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֥י עִירָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Hamorחֲמוֹרchămôr · HamorH2544
- and Shechemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
- his sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- unto the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of their cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and communedדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- with the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
Cross-references for Genesis 34:20
- Genesis 22:17I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of their enemies’ cities.
- Genesis 23:10Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. He answered Abraham so that everyone who was entering the city gate could hear him. He said,
- Deuteronomy 17:5then bring the man or woman who did this evil thing to the gates of your city, and stone that person to death.
- Ruth 4:1Boaz went to the city gate and sat there. Just then, the relative about whom he had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, “Please come over here and sit, my friend.” So the man came over and sat down.
- Job 29:7When I went through the city gate and took my seat in the town square,
- Proverbs 31:23“Her husband is known at the city gates when he sits with the leaders of the land.
- Amos 5:10Israel, you hate anyone who speaks out against injustice. You are disgusted by anyone who speaks the truth.
- Zechariah 8:16You must do these things: Speak the truth to each other. Give correct and fair verdicts for peace in your courts.
Commentaries on Genesis 34:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-31Verses 1-31 - Dinah‘s Dishonor This chapter records the rape of Dinah and the revenge of her brothers. Genesis 34:1-5 Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land. The Jewish doctors of a later period fix the marriageable age of a female at twelve years and a day. It is probable that Dinah was in her thirteenth year when she went out to visit the daughters of the land. Six or seven years, therefore, must have been spent by Jacob between Sukkoth, where…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-31Verses 20-31 The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion, are the worst enemies of the truth, and harden the hearts of many…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-24The Canaanite men agreed to the condition, and every male in the town was circumcised. This was not only to allow Shechem to marry Dinah. They also saw it as a way to gain everything that Jacob owned (34:23).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. 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.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 34:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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