Genesis 34:16

Gen 34:16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

Ver. 16. Then will we give our daughters.] Whether Jacob were present at this whole conference, it is not certain. It is probable that he was not. For surely, he would either have dissuaded them from thus doing; or, if he had consented, he would have said something more to the Shechemites, for their better assurance. It is a maxim in Maehiavel; Fidem tamdiu servandam esse, quamdiu expediat. But Jacob had not known this depth of the devil: his sons better could skill of it. They seem to be somewhat akin to those Thracians, of whom it was anciently said, Eos foedera nescire; that they knew no covenants: or the Turks at this day, whose covenants, grounded upon the law of nations, be they with never so strong capitulations concluded, or solemnity of oath confirmed, have, with them, no longer force, than standeth with their own profit; serving, indeed, but as snares to entangle other princes in. {a} There is no faith, say they, to be kept with dogs; that is, with Christians. {b} And this, perhaps, they have learned of those pseudo-Christians, the Papists, who dealt so perfidiously with them at the great battle of Varna; where Amurath, the great Turk, seeing the great slaughter of his men, in spite of the oath given him by king Ladislaus, dispensed with by the Pope’s legate, and beholding the picture of the crucifix in the displayed ensigns of the voluntary Christians, he plucked the writing out of his bosom, wherein the late league was comprised, and holding it up in his hand, with his eyes cast up to heaven, said, Behold, thou crucified Christ, this is the league thy Christians, in thy Name, made with me, which they have, without cause, violated: Now, if thou be a God, as they say thou art, and as we dream, revenge the wrong now done to thy Name, and me; and show thy power upon thy perjurious people, who, in their deeds, deny thee their God. {c} And it happened out accordingly: for God hates foul and faithless dealing. {Zec 5:4 Rom 1:31} Periurii poena divina exitium; humana, dedecus. This was one of the laws of the twelve tables in Rome. {d}

{a} Turk. Hist.

{b} Ibid., 755.

{c} Ibid., 297.

{d} Heu miser, etsi quis primo periuria celat, Sera tamen tacitus poena venit pedibus - Tibull.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then will we give our daughters unto you,.... Meaning Dinah, whom they call their daughter, Gen 34:17; because she was the daughter of their family, and because they were entreating in the name of their father, and in conformity to the language used by those they were treating with, Gen 34:9,

and we will take your daughters to us; in marriage for wives:

and we will dwell with you; not as sojourners but as fellow citizens:

and we will become one people; being so nearly related by marriage, and professing one religion, alike submitting to circumcision, which was the distinguished badge of Abraham's seed.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

וְנָתַנּוּ THEN WILL WE GIVE — The second נ has a Dagesh because it serves the purpose of two -נs - וְנָתַנְנוּ (cf. Rashi on Genesis חנני 33:11).

ואת בנותיכם נקח לנו AND WE WILL TAKE YOUR DAUGHTERS TO US — You will find that in the proposition which Hamor made to Jacob (Genesis 34:9) and in the reply of Jacob’s sons to Hamor (in this verse) they (both parties to the proposition) regarded the sons of Jacob as being the more important — that they should take of the daughters of Shechem whomsoever they would select for themselves and that they should give their daughters to them (the men of Shechem) as they (Jacob’s sons) would think fit, as it is written, “and we will give our daughters’’ — as we think fit — “and we will take your daughters unto us” — whomsoever we please. When, however, Hamor and his son spoke to the inhabitants of their city (v. 21) they reversed the matter, saying, “their daughters we will take to us for wives, and our daughters we will give unto them", instead of saying “they will give their daughters to us, and they will take our daughters to themselves", in order to induce them to consent to be circumcised.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.