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Genesis 34 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
Israel
Jacob's name was changed to Israel. It is his descendants who inherited the promised blessings given to him and to Isaac and Abraham. This is the first time his descendants are collectively referred to as the people group Israel. The people group Israel is identified through the covenant of circumcision. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/inherit, rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/promise, rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/bless and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/covenant and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/circumcise)
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Implicit information
Jacob's reacted to the rape of Dinah with indifference. This is possibly because she was not a daughter of Rachel. His reaction was both unwise and improper. This action brought shame on the whole family. Therefore, Jacob's sons corrected this wrong and plotted against Hamor and Shechem.
Shechem raped Dinah, but then he said he loved her. By raping her, he ensured that no one else would want to marry her. This is not love. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/wise and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/love and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)