Definition · Webster 1828 · Scriptures · Corruption · Roots · Usage · In the Text · Related
📖 Biblical Definition
Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah, whose defilement set off one of the darkest episodes in the patriarchal narratives. "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land" (Gen 34:1); and Shechem, a Hivite prince, "saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her." Though Shechem then desired to marry her and his father sought a covenant of intermarriage, Dinah's brothers Simeon and Levi, enraged at the violation of their sister, deceitfully proposed that the men of the city be circumcised, and then, while the men lay sore, fell on the city and slew all the males, plundering it and taking the women and children. Jacob rebuked their cruelty and treachery, fearing the surrounding peoples, and on his deathbed he pronounced a curse upon their fierce anger (Gen 49:5-7). The whole account is told without approval of any party's sin — neither Shechem's violation, nor the brothers' murderous revenge. Dinah stands in the dictionary as the daughter whose defilement brought sorrow and bloodshed, a sober witness to the dangers that attend a careless venturing into the world, to the wickedness of those who violate the vulnerable, and to the destructive excess of vengeance that takes justice into its own cruel hands.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The daughter of Jacob and Leah (Gen 34), defiled by Shechem; her brothers Simeon and Levi avenged her by deceit and massacre, which Jacob rebuked and later cursed; a sober account of violation and vengeful excess.
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DINAH, proper noun. "Judgment"; the daughter of Jacob and Leah.
Who "went out to see the daughters of the land" (Gen 34:1).
Defiled by Shechem, a Hivite prince.
Avenged by Simeon and Levi, who deceived and massacred the men of the city.
Whose brothers' cruelty Jacob rebuked and later cursed (Gen 49:5-7).
📖 Key Scripture
Gen 34:1 — "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."
Gen 34:2 — "And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her."
Gen 34:25 — "...Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males."
Gen 49:7 — "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel..."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Dinah's account is corrupted when it is read to excuse either the violation she suffered or the murderous revenge it provoked; Scripture condemns both the predator and the vengeful excess.
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Violation-excused correction. A culture that minimizes sexual sin might soften Shechem's crime; Scripture names it defilement, a grievous wrong against a vulnerable young woman. The dictionary holds the seriousness of such violation and the worth of those it harms; God's law surrounds the vulnerable with protection, and the predator who takes advantage of the defenseless stands condemned before the holy God who sees and avenges.
This entry faces little further postmodern redefinition. The principle to recover is the condemnation of vengeful excess. Simeon and Levi's response — deceit, mass murder, and plunder — was not justice but cruelty, and Jacob cursed their fierce anger (Gen 49:7). The dictionary commends the balance: real wrong calls for real justice, but vengeance that takes the sword into its own hand, slaughtering the innocent with the guilty, is itself condemned. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom 12:19), and Dinah's story warns against the cruelty that masquerades as the defense of the wronged.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
The daughter of Jacob and Leah (Gen 34), defiled by Shechem; her brothers avenged her by deceit and massacre, which Jacob rebuked and cursed.
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Hebrew Dinah, "judgment"; the daughter of Jacob and Leah
Who "went out to see the daughters of the land" (Gen 34:1)
Defiled by Shechem, a Hivite prince
Avenged by Simeon and Levi, who massacred the men of the city
Whose brothers' cruelty Jacob rebuked and later cursed (Gen 49:5-7)
Usage
"Dinah — Jacob's daughter, defiled at Shechem, whose wrong provoked a cruel revenge (Gen 34)."
"Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel (Gen 49:7)."
"Dinah's account condemns both the predator and the vengeful excess of her brothers."
📖 In the Text
Chapters of the reading Bible where this entry is linked.