14
They saidוַיֹּאמְרוּto them,אֲלֵיהֶם“We cannotלֹא נוּכַלdoלַעֲשׂוֹתthisהַזֶּהthing,הַדָּבָרto giveלָתֵתour sisterאֶת אֲחֹתֵנוּto a manלְאִישׁwhoאֲשֶׁרis uncircumcised,לוֹ עָרְלָהforכִּיthatהִואwould be a disgraceחֶרְפָּהto us.לָנוּ
Genesis 34:14
Study it in the app“They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 34:14, word by word
- They saidיֹּאמְרוּyomru
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomru” appears- “We cannotנוּכַלnuchal
be able
To have the strength, the permission or the opportunity to do something.
Where else “nuchal” appears- doעֲשׂוֹתasot
do
To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.
Where else “asot” appears- thingדָּבָרdavar
thing
A matter, a thing; with "not", nothing.
Where else “davar” appears- to giveתֵתtet
give
To hand something over to someone: a gift, a payment, a charge or a land.
Where else “tet” appears- our sisterאֲחֹתֵachote
sister
A woman who has the same parents as another person, or belongs to their family.
Where else “achote” appears- to a manאִישׁish
man
An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.
Where else “ish” appears- is uncircumcisedעָרְלָהarla
foreskin
The skin cut in circumcision.
Where else “arla” appears- would be a disgraceחֶרְפָּהcherpa
disgrace, reproach
Disgrace, reproach, scorn from others. Being childless was then felt as a humiliation.
Where else “cherpa” appears
The context
13The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit and spoke, because he had made Dinah their sister unclean.
14 · This verse (above)
15Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you become like us, by circumcising every male among you.
To study Genesis 34 in a group
1. What it says
What did Simeon and Levi do after what happened to Dinah (vv. 25-26)?
2. What it means
Why was Jacob upset with them, and what did his sons answer (vv. 30-31)?
3. How I live it
How can you respond to an injustice without paying back harm?