Dinah's Mistake

“And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.” (Genesis 34:1) Dinah was likely in her early teens at this time. It does not appear that Dinah sought or obtained her parents permission or that her family was aware of what she was doing, and she put herself out of their care and protection and exposed herslf to temptations. The care of parents, especially pious parents, is an important protection for young people, especially females. Even if they have shown themselves to be responsible young adults, ignorance and inexperience can make them especially vulnerable to temptation, flattery, and seduction.

It is often assumed that Shechem abducted and raped Dinah, but the wording and context of Genesis 34:2 indicates that this was consensual fornication and not rape (E.g., consider verse 31; also note that ancient writings say there was a festival in the town of Shechem at that time. ).

Read chapter 34 of Genesis and consider a few questions: What made Shechem assume that Dinah was available to him for sexual immorality? Why did Shechem assume that Dinah would yield to his advances and why wasn't Dinah offended or resistant to Shechem's advances ("Took" in verse 2 implies that he petted or fondled her)? What made Shechem assume that Dinah's family would not be offended by his actions? Why did Hamor assume that Dinah's family would not be offended by Shechem's actions? What made Shechem assume that Dinah's family would willingly consent to let him marry her? “And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.” (Genesis 34:1) The problem was the company she kept. (Proverbs 13:20; I Corinthians 15:33)