Genesis 34:8

Genesis 34:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
• New International Version (NIV)But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

Context of Genesis 34:8

6So Shechem’s father Hamor came to Jacob to speak with him. 7Jacob’s sons came in from the open country as soon as they heard the news. The men felt outraged and very angry because Shechem had committed such a godless act against Israel’s family by raping Jacob’s daughter. This shouldn’t have happened. Hamor told them. “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please let her marry him. 9Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take ours for yourselves. 10You can live with us, and the land will be yours. Live here, move about freely in this area, and acquire property here.”

Genesis 34:8 word by word

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר חֲמ֖וֹר אִתָּ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנִ֗י חָֽשְׁקָ֤ה נַפְשׁוֹ֙ בְּבִתְּכֶ֔ם תְּנ֨וּ נָ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Hamorחֲמוֹרchămôr · HamorH2544
• communedדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• with them, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• The soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• of my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• Shechemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
• longethחָשַׁקchâshaq · to desireH2836
• for your daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• I pray you giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
• her him to wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802

Cross-references for Genesis 34:8

• Genesis 34:3He became very fond of Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
• 1 Kings 11:2They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods.” But Solomon was obsessed with their love.
• Psalms 63:1O God, you are my God. At dawn I search for you. My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you in a dry, parched land where there is no water.
• Psalms 84:2My soul longs and yearns for the Lord’s courtyards. My whole body shouts for joy to the living God.
• Psalms 119:20My soul is overwhelmed with endless longing for your regulations.

Commentaries on Genesis 34:8

• 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
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-10Hamor suggested a marriage alliance for mutual economic gain. But God had already promised Jacob everything, including the land (34:10; see 14:21–24). Hamor wanted to control Israel’s wealth (34:23). Trusting the Canaanites would not lead to anything good. For some of these reasons, the law of Moses did not allow Israelites to marry Canaanites (see Exodus 23:27–33; Deuteronomy 7:1–5). The exception would be if they converted (see Joshua 2:1–15; 6:23–25…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-108-10. Hamor communed with them--The prince and his son seem at first sight to have acted honestly, and our feelings are enlisted on their side. They betray no jealousy of the powerful shepherds; on the contrary, they show every desire to establish friendly intercourse. But their conduct was unjustifiable in neither expressing regret nor restoring Dinah to her family; and this great error was the true cause of the negotiations ending in so unhappy a manner.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 34:8

• Wife

In the dictionaries

• Hamor
• Shechem
• Ask
• Consent
• Daughter
• Defile
• Dinah
• Folly
• Please
• Archaeology; Archaeology and Criticism

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