Genesis 34:5

Gen 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

Ver. 5. And Jacob heard.] To his very great grief and regret: for she was his only daughter; a damsel of not more than fifteen years of age. The Hebrews say she was afterwards given to Job in marriage; but that is not likely; for she is reckoned anong those that went down to Egypt. {Gen 46:15}

And Jacob held his peace.] He felt God’s hand upon his back; he therefore lays his own hand upon his mouth. And herein he did better in "ruling his own spirit," than his sons did, that "took the city." {Pro 16:32} "He sitteth alone, and is silent," {Lam 3:28} saith the prophet of the afflicted person. So was Aaron; {Lev 10:3} so was David; {Psa 39:9} so was the Lord Christ, as a sheep dumb before the shearer. The Romans placed the image of their goddess Angeronia upon the altar of Volupia, with her mouth shut, and sealed up; to signify, saith Macrobius, {a} that they that bridle their grief, and say nothing, shall, by their patience, soon attain to greatest pleasure. Patience in the soul, as the town clerk at Ephesus, {Act 19:35-36} sends away mutinous thoughts, as he did the many headed multitude; it quiets the boiling spirit, as Christ becalmed the raging sea, with ‘"Peace," and "Be still"; it makes a David dumb - a dumb show, but a very good one; it says, Cedamus: leve fit, quod bene fertur onus.

{a} Macrob., lib. i., in Som. Scip .

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.

Gen 34:5. His (Jacob’s) sons were in the field — Probably at a very considerable distance; for it was usual to drive their flocks many miles for pasture. Jacob held his peace till they were come — Oppressed with grief and shame, on account of his daughter’s disgrace, and being unable to determine himself what steps it would be best to take, he waits for their coming and advice.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

34:5-7 Jacob’s response to this crime is surprising. When he heard that Dinah had been defiled, he said nothing about it until his sons came home. Because Jacob did not act, his sons did, though without the wisdom and integrity necessary for justice. Dinah’s full brothers were shocked and furious that Shechem had done such a disgraceful thing to Jacob’s family (literally in Israel; this is the first use of the name Israel to describe the family). This sexual crime was an outrage against the community of God’s people and deserved punishment, but the leader of the clan did nothing.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jacob held his peace--Jacob, as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed. But he could do little. In the case of a family by different wives, it is not the father, but the full brothers, on whom the protection of the daughters devolves--they are the guardians of a sister's welfare and the avengers of her wrongs. It was for this reason that Simeon and Levi, the two brothers of Dinah by Leah [Gen 34:25], appear the chief actors in this episode; and though the two fathers would have probably brought about an amicable arrangement of the affair, the hasty arrival of these enraged brothers introduced a new element into the negotiations.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

5. And Jacob heard. Moses inserts a single verse concerning the silent sorrow of Jacob. We know that they who have not been accustomed to reproaches, are the more grievously affected when any dishonor happens to them. Therefore the more this prudent man had endeavored to keep his family pure from every stain, chaste and well-ordered, the more deeply is he wounded. But since he is at home alone, he dissembles, and keeps his grief to himself, till his sons return from the field. Moreover, by this word, Moses does not mean that Jacob deferred vengeance till their return; but that, being alone and devoid of counsel and of consolation, he lay prostrate as one disheartened. The sense then is, that he was so oppressed with insupportable grief, that he held his peace. By using the word “defiled,” Moses teaches us what is the true purity of man; namely, when chastity is religiously cultivated, and every one possesses his vessel in honor. But whoever prostitutes his body to fornication, filthily defiles himself. If then Dinah is said to have been polluted, whom Shechem had forcibly violated, what must be said of voluntary adulterers and fornicators?

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(5) Jacob heard.—As Dinah did not return home (Gen_34:26), her father probably learned her dishonour from the maidservants who had gone out with her. But “he held his peace,” chiefly from his usual cautiousness, as being no match for the Hivites, but partly because Leah’s sons had the right to be the upholders of their sister’s honour.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter,.... That is, that Shechem had defiled her; the report of this was brought him very probably by one of the maids which attended her to the city; for it was hardly to be thought that she should go thither alone, and which must be very distressing to Jacob to hear of: this was his first affliction in his own family, but it was not the only one, nor the last, others quickly followed:

now his sons were with his cattle in the field; he had bought, or in some other hired by him for his cattle, feeding and keeping them, being arrived to an age fit for such service; here they were when the above report was brought to Jacob:

and Jacob held his peace until they were come; neither murmuring at the providence, but patiently bearing the chastisement; nor reflecting upon Leah for letting Dinah go out, or not keeping a proper watch over her; nor saying anything of it to any in the family; nor expressing his displeasure at Shechem, nor vowing revenge on him for it, nor taking any step towards it until his sons were come home from the field; with whom he chose to advise, and whose assistance he would want, if it was judged necessary to use force to get Dinah out of the hands of Shechem, or to avenge the injury done her.

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

Heard this, perhaps, from Dina’s companion. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Being unable to punish the delinquent, and not knowing what to do, he waits for his sons’ coming and advice.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And Jacob heard most likely from some of Dinah"s companions (Patrick), since she herself was still detained in She-chore"s house (ver. 26)that he (Hamor"s son) had defiled the verb here employed conveys the idea of rendering unclean (cf. vers. 13, 27; Num_19:13 2Ki_23:10; Psa_79:1; that in ver. 2 expresses the notion of violence) Dinah his daughter. It was an aggravation of Shechem"s wickedness that it was perpetrated not against any of Jacob"s handmaids, but against his daughter. Now (literally, and) his sons were with his cattle in the field perhaps that which he had lately purchased, (Gen_33:19) or in some pasture ground more remote from the city. And Jacob held his peace literally, acted as one dumb, i.e. maintained silence upon the painful subject, and took no measures to avenge Shechem s crime (cf. Gen_24:21; 1Sa_10:27; 2Sa_13:22) either through sorrow (Ainsworth, Calvin), or through caution (Murphy, Lange), or through perplexity, as not knowing how to act (Kalisch), or as recognizing the right of his sons by the same mother to have a voice in the settlement of so important a question (Kurtz, Gerlach), to which undoubtedly the next clause pointsuntil they were come literally, until their coming.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When Jacob heard of the seduction of his daughter, "he was silent," i.e., he remained quiet, without taking any active proceedings (ex. Gen 14:14; Sa2 19:11) until his sons came from the field. When they heard of it, they were grieved and burned with wrath at the disgrace. טמּא to defile = to dishonour, disgrace, because it was an uncircumcised man who had seduced her. "Because he had wrought folly in Israel, by lying with Jacob's daughter." "To work folly" was a standing phrase for crimes against the honour and calling of Israel as the people of God, especially for shameful sins of the flesh (Deu 22:21; Jdg 20:10; Sa2 13:2, etc.); but it was also applied to other great sins (Jos 7:15). As Jacob had become Israel, the seduction of his daughter was a crime against Israel, which is called folly, inasmuch as the relation of Israel to God was thereby ignored (Psa 14:1). "And this ought not to be done:" יעשׂה potentialis as in Gen 20:9. - Hamor went to Jacob to ask for his daughter (Gen 34:6); but Jacob's sons reached home at the same time (Gen 34:7), so that Hamor spoke to them (Jacob and his sons). To attain his object Hamor proposed a further intermarriage, unrestricted movement on their part in the land, and that they should dwell there, trade (ἐμπορεύεσθαι), and secure possessions (נאחז settle down securely, as in Gen 47:27). Shechem also offered (Gen 34:11, Gen 34:12) to give anything they might ask in the form of dowry (מהר not purchase-money, but the usual gift made to the bride, vid., Gen 24:53) and presents (for the brothers and mother), if they would only give him the damsel.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

ויעקב שמע כי טמא, Shechem, who had already been mentioned (hence his name does not need to be repeated here and a pronoun will do) and that as a result of what he did, Dinah had been defiled by an uncircumcised person who had been intimate with her.

והחריש יעקב, he did not raise a fuss in the town but waited until his sons would come home from the field. Similarly, when Chamor came to speak to him, Yaakov waited with answering him by telling him that he preferred to wait until his sons were present.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.