Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter, visited the women of the land and that resulted in another unfortunate incident. Dinah, the only female among a male-dominated household, might have been a bit bored on the long journey back to Canaan. She was the only female in her age group within the convoy. Her mother Leah and her Auntie Rachel and their servants were not people she could easily share friendship with. Her brothers kept the sheep and were barely home. Thus, for the maiden, a new community with females her age seemed to be a good company for her. However, she did not count the cost of venturing into the land all alone. She probably did not perceive any evil from the people. She had always felt safe among her brothers and a visit to another place was just for her to have acquaintances. She might have left the family with high hopes and excitement, with an expectation to make new friends. Dinah was just an innocent lady who was excited to meet other women. She did not know that that single trip would change her life forever. If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone to visit the women of the land. Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. (Genesis 34:1-2) Male dominance is not a new thing. It existed in the ancient world and still in some countries, women and girls still face challenges caused by hegemonic masculinity. Dinah had no clue that she would attract the most powerful young man on the land. Let’s look at Genesis 34:1-2; “Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.” The whole journey and the rape incident is summarized in two verses. We are not given any indication that Dinah did anything that provoked the rape. Thus, Shechem, exercised his masculinity and raped Dinah for no apparent reason. Raping a virgin is humiliating and it brings dishonor to the lady. Virginity was highly upheld and a test of virginity was a necessity for newly consummated brides. In the 21st century, most Western nations would look down on such a “ridiculous” marital requirement. However, there are still nations and communities that still have the marriage night proof of virginity test. Thus, Dinah would have missed the opportunity to take the virginity proof for her marriage. After raping Dinah, Shechem’s “heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.” (Genesis 34:3-4). The request might have seemed appropriate considering the shame of being raped, but Jacob’s sons were not excited about it. After deceiving the whole city to have all their males undergo circumcision just to release Dinah to them, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brother, did an evil deed. Genesis 34:25-26 states that “Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.” Simeon and Levi’s action made the whole family obnoxious to the surrounding cities. Their revenge was overwhelming compared to the crime against their sister. They destroyed a whole city in anger. Dinah was rescued from Shechem’s house and that was the last thing we heard about Dinah. The Bible does not give additional information. It seemed that Dinah’s predicament affected her life. Did she ever marry? Did she have children? Did she suffer emotional trauma from the whole experience? Dinah visited the land with hopes and expectations. Her innocent visit led to a permanent emotional scare. She lost her dignity and pride in the process and caused a whole city to be destroyed. Years later, Jacob will comment on the instability of Simeon and Levi and how their anger led to the extermination of a whole community. Before we step out of the house it is important to commit our ways to the Lord. Further, if we don’t learn to control our anger, our anger will always control us and put us into trouble. Dinah was defiled and dishonored and ultimately, her storyline ended.
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