“We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us.
Parallel translations
- WEB and said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
- KJV And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
- NKJV And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.
- NASB They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, that is, give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.
- NLT They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The brothers claim they cannot give Dinah to an uncircumcised man, calling it a disgrace.
Overview
They invoke circumcision, the God-given covenant sign, as their pretext, cloaking deceit in religious language. Their objection is technically true to the covenant, but they wield it cynically rather than for faith. Abusing a holy sign for vengeance is a grave distortion, and the chapter's outcome exposes the wickedness of such manipulation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 23:1–39Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
- 2 Sam 15:7After four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD.
- Matt 2:8And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
- Rom 4:11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
- 1 Sam 17:26David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
- 1 Kgs 21:9In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
- Gen 17:14But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
- 1 Sam 17:36Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
- 2 Sam 1:20Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
- Gen 17:11You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
- Matt 2:13When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
- Josh 5:2–9At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”
- 1 Sam 14:6Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 34:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.