Dinah

Unfortunately Dinah's story isn't a happy one, and hopefully I'll get a chance to get a different post out on Mothers to follow the holiday. But I wanted to get this out before I forgot my thoughts. I've stewed over this story for a long time because I had very mixed feelings about it. It wasn't until last night when I brought up the story with my husband that I got my thoughts together enough to post on this.

So here's my summary of the story. First of all, Dinah is the daughter of Leah (one of Jacob's wives) and it sounds like she was the youngest of Leah's children with six older brothers (just from her mom) Genesis 30:21. Then one day, Dinah went to visit some friends Genesis 34:1 and the Prince saw her, fell in love, and made a mistake.  He laid with Dinah before marriage. Genesis 34:2. Now at first this story really bothered me because it seems like another bible rape story, but then when you read the next couple of verses that idea seems a little fishy. "And his soul clave unto Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife." Genesis 34:4. Not only that, but when Hamor and Shechem go to Jacob to get his permission, both father and son are willing to pay any dowry to make the marriage happen. They're even willing to change religions. Genesis 34: 8, 9, 12, 14, 19. Then the sons of Jacob agree to the marriage (which confuses me . . . Why were her brothers negotiating the marriage instead of her father?) with the condition that the entire city changes to their religion. And then instead of allowing this to be a great conversion story, Simeon and Levi go to the city when everybody's sore and weakest and kill the entire city (well or sell them as slaves). Genesis 34:25-27.

So the first couple of times I read this story I actually felt a grim satisfaction in what Simeon and Levi did. I know that sounds bad, but there are just so many stories in the bible of women being mistreated and nobody seems to care about it. Here it sounds like Dinah's been raped and then the person who raped her is trying to negotiate getting her forever. And Jacob doesn't seem to care at all Genesis 34:5 but then I guess I'm not too surprised since she's Leah daughter and he really doesn't seem to care about any of Leah's children. I won't venture down the path of Jacob's favoritism today. Anyway, so every time I read about the murder of Hamor's city I was kinda happy about it. At least someone was standing up for women in the Bible.

But then after talking with my husband, I think I was missing a few details. Like I said, the rape story seems a little fishy. For one thing, the scriptures say this about Shechem, "And the young man deferred not to do this thing (become circumcised effectively switching religions), because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honorable than all the house of his father." Genesis 34:19. That and the scriptures didn't say Shechem took Dinah by force. With that in mind, I've revamped my idea of this story and now it seems even more tragic to me.

To me it almost sounds like a scriptural Romeo and Juliet story. Dinah goes to visit some friends and meets a prince and falls in love. Only problem? He's not the right religion AND they had a one-night stand. It sounds to me like Dinah had a part in the sin. I wonder if she wasn't a willing participant and warned Shechem that he would have to change religions if he wanted to marry her. Despite the sin, this story could have had a happier ending. Even though Shechem messed up (like many young people do today), he was going to try and make it right. He wanted to marry her, treat her well, and change religions. He was an honorable young man who made a very serious mistake, but he was going to make it right. Then Dinah's brothers not only way overreacted, but they weren't acting for Dinah like I originally thought. Andrew was saying that in that time, something like this would disohonor the whole family. They were offended and acted in anger. Andrew was saying that what they did was akin to two missionaries getting a whole city ready for baptism and then on the day of the baptism, waiting till after all the celebrations are over and everyone's tired but feeling spiritual, and then having the two missionaries go in and murder the whole newly converted town.

Poor Dinah. She made a mistake and now how traumatized must she be. Her brothers storm in, kill her lover, and pull her away. People screaming and dying all around her. This is not a case of noble brothers defending their younger sister. This is a terrifying story of a traumatized young girl. I wish this story could be turned around. Can you imagine what a wonderful story about the power of women that this would be if Dinah's brothers had not reacted that way? Even if she hadn't made the mistake. Even if she didn't love Shechem. I have no doubt that his daughter of God had a huge part in how a whole city was willing to change religions. She must have been quite an example.

I just think that all of us should remember this. It's so easy to be so angry when things like this happen. Sadly the beginning of this story is all too common in our day. Please please let us not act like her brothers when something similar to this happens to our family. If only we can encourage those young people to make things right and move forward. Let's lay our terrible feelings aside and spiritually support these youth so we can avoid recreating Dinah's story.