May the mumbling commence!
Jacob fell silent.
He was distraught about what had happened to his daughter Dinah. Read from Peterson’s The Message:
One day Dinah, the daughter Leah had given Jacob, went to visit
some of the women
in that country.
Shechem, the
son of Hamor the Hivite who was chieftain there, saw
her and raped her. Then he felt a strong attraction to Dinah, Jacob’s
daughter, fell in love with her, and wooed over her. Shechem went to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
Jacob
heard that Shechem had raped his daughter Dinah, but his sons were out in the fields with the livestock so he didn’t say
anything until they got home. Hamor, Shechem’s
father, went to Jacob to work out marriage arrangements. Meanwhile Jacob’s
sons on their way back from the fields heard
what had happened. They were outraged,
explosive with anger. Shechem’s rape of Jacob’s daughter was
intolerable in Israel and not to be put up with.
Hamor
spoke with Jacob and his sons, “My son Shechem is head
over heels in love with your daughter – give
her to him as his wife. Intermarry with
us. Give your daughters to us and we’ll give our daughters to you. Live together with us as one family. Settle down among us and make yourselves at home.
Prosper among us.”
Shechem
then spoke for himself, “Please, say yes. I’ll pay anything. Set the
bridal price as high as you will – the sky’s the limit! Only give me this
girl for my wife.” (Genesis 34:1-12)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had
borne to Jacob, went
out to visit the
women of the land. When Shechem
son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area,
saw her, he took her
and violated
her. His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob,
and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife."
When Jacob heard that his
daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it
until they came
home.
Then Shechem's father Hamor went
out to talk with Jacob. Now Jacob's sons had come
in from the fields as soon as they
heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a
disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's
daughter – a thing that should not be done.
But Hamor said to them, "My son
Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as
his wife. Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and
take our daughters
for yourselves. You
can settle among us; the land is open to
you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it."
Then Shechem said
to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and
I will give you
whatever you ask. Make the price for the bride and the gift I
am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife." (Genesis 34:1-12)
The powerful take advantage of the vulnerable. That’s the essence of rape. It’s horrible.
No amount of money can replace Dinah’s innocence and purity. There’s no wonder that her father was
speechless. Sometimes, in our wrath, it’s
better not to say anything rashly.
Words, once spoken, cannot be unspoken.
There’s no wonder Dinah’s brothers heard the news in the
fields. Bad news has always traveled
fast. It was no different for Jacob’s
family. And they came as soon as they
heard. There’s urgency in that phrase
that’s missing in Peterson’s work. I do
not like that omission.
Grief and fury ruled their hearts. Outrage and explosive anger ruled their
hearts. They were about to say and do
things without much forethought. God is
not mentioned in this passage. (Where is
God when things like this happen anyways?)
God isn’t consulted. Only bad
things can come of this!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment