And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly.
Parallel translations
- WEB His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
- KJV And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
- NKJV His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.
- NASB But he was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
- NLT But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words.
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
After the assault, Shechem becomes deeply attached to Dinah and speaks tenderly to her, seeking to win her.
Overview
Shechem's affection ('his soul joined to Dinah') does not undo his guilt; love expressed after violence cannot erase the wrong done. The text presents a tangled mix of genuine attraction and prior sin, the kind of moral complexity Scripture does not gloss over. His desire to marry her drives the negotiations that the sons of Jacob will exploit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Hos 2:14“Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.
- Isa 40:2“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”
- 2 Sam 19:7Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!”
- 2 Chr 30:22And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
- Ruth 1:14Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
- 1 Sam 18:1After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
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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 34:3 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
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