Genesis 34:20

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

18Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal. 19Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate. 21“These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. 22But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are.

Genesis 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. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
• Genesis 23:10Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town.
• Deuteronomy 17:5then the man or woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death.
• Ruth 4:1Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together.
• Job 29:7“Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders.
• Proverbs 31:23Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders.
• Amos 5:10How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth!
• Zechariah 8:16But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.

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

• Deception
• Dishonesty
• Gates
• Vengeance

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