His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
Parallel Translations
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His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
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And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
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And his soul did cleave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke comfortingly unto the damsel.
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Genesis 34:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 40:2 “Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins.”
- Hosea 2:14 “Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
- Ruth 1:14 They lifted up their voices and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth stayed with her.
- 1 Samuel 18:1 When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
- 2 Samuel 19:7 Now therefore arise, go out, and speak to comfort your servants; for I swear by Yahweh, if you don’t go out, not a man will stay with you this night. That would be worse to you than all the evil that has happened to you from your youth until now.”
- 2 Chronicles 30:22 Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. And his soul clave unto Dinah. Moses intimates…
3. And his soul clave unto Dinah. Moses intimates that she was not so forcibly violated, that Shechem having once abused her, treated her with contempt, as is usual with harlots; for he loved her as a wife; and did not even object to be circumcised that he might have her; but the fervor of lust had so prevailed, that he first subjected her to disgrace. And therefore although he embraced Dinah with real and sincere attachment, yet, in this want of self-government, he grievously sinned. Shechem “spoke to the heart” of the maid, that is, he addressed her courteously, to allure her to himself by his bland speeches: whence it follows, that when she was unwilling and resisted, he used violence towards her.
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.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hebrew, spake to the heart of the maid.
Hebrew, spake to the heart of the maid.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 34:3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the…
Gen 34:3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
Ver. 3. And his soul clave unto Dinah.] He kicked her not out of doors, as Amnon did Tamar, far sweeter to him in the ambition, than in the fruition; but to make amends, as they call it, by marriage, he seeks to go by the old rule in that case, Et doter, et ducat. Howbeit, marriage, God’s ordinance, is not to be entered into through the devil’s portal.
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Perceiving her to be exceedingly enraged and perplexed at…
Perceiving her to be exceedingly enraged and perplexed at this horrid violence, he endeavours to appease and sweeten her, and to get her consent to marry him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of…
And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob,.... His inclination was to her, she was always in his thoughts; it was not a mere lustful desire that was suddenly raised, and soon over, but a constant and continued affection he bore to her, as follows:
and he loved the damsel; sincerely and heartily:
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and spake kindly unto the damsel; or "to the heart" (g) of her, such things as tended to comfort her, she being sad and sorrowful; or to soften her mind towards him, and take off the resentment of it to him, because of the injury he had done her, and to gain her good will and affection, and her consent to marry him; professing great love to her, promising her great things, what worldly grandeur and honour she would be advanced to, and how kindly he would behave towards her; which might take with her, and incline her to yield to his motion, which having obtained, he took the following method.
(g) "ad cor", Pagninus, Vatablus, Drusius, Schmidt; super cor, Montanus, Munster; "cordi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Spake kindly unto the damsel.] Literally, he…
Verse 3. Spake kindly unto the damsel.] Literally, he spake to the heart of the damsel - endeavoured to gain her affections, and to reconcile her to her disgrace. It appears sufficiently evident from this and the preceding verse that there had been no consent on the part of Dinah, that the whole was an act of violence, and that she was now detained by force in the house of Shechem. Here she was found when Simeon and Levi sacked the city, Ge 34:26.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Gen 34:3. He spake kindly unto the damsel —…
Gen 34:3. He spake kindly unto the damsel — Desiring not only to comfort her after the ignominy he had brought upon her, but to conciliate her mind, and get her consent to marry him, that he might thereby repair, as far as possible, the injury he had done her. So that, though his behaviour had been very sinful in the first action; yet in the sequel it was honest and noble, and such as may fill with confusion of face too many who, with the utmost baseness, act a very different part.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. Spake kindly — Hebrews, spoke to the heart…
3. Spake kindly — Hebrews, spoke to the heart of the girl. He won her by tender words. She appears not to have been an unwilling party to the sin. “A gadding girl,” says Schroder, “and a lad who has never gone beyond the precincts of home, are good for nothing.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. his soul] i.e. his affections. Heb. nephesh. Cf.…
3. his soul] i.e. his affections. Heb. nephesh. Cf. Gen_12:13, Gen_27:4.
kindly, &c.] Heb. to the heart of the damsel. The same phrase, sometimes rendered “comfortably,” occurs in Gen_50:21; 2Sa_19:7; Isa_40:2; Hos_2:14.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 3, 4. And his soul clave (vide infra…
Vers. 3, 4. And his soul clave (vide infra on ver. 8) unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, it was in some degree an extenuation of the wickedness of Shechem that he did not cast off the victim of his violence and lust, but continued to regard her with affectionand he loved the damsel, on the use of naar for a youth of either sex vide Gen_24:14and spake kindly unto the damsel literally, spoke to the heart of the damsel, ejlalhse kata thnoian thv parqinou aujth (LXX), i.e. addressed to her such words as were agreeable to her inclinations (cf. on the import of the phrase Gen_1:21; Jud_1:19:3; Isa_40:2; Hos_2:14) probably expressing his affection, and offering the reparation of honorable marriage, as may be legitimately inferred from what is next recorded of his behavior. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife cf. the ease of Samson. (Jud_1:14:2)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 34:3-4 While Shechem’s intense feelings for Dinah made him…
34:3-4 While Shechem’s intense feelings for Dinah made him willing to undergo significant hardship (34:11-12, 17-18, 24), the way he showed his “love” for her was selfish, impetuous, and in violation of customary decency (cp. Judg 14:2; see 1 Cor 13:4-7; 1 Jn 4:10). His character illustrated why Israel needed to remain separate from the Canaanites.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.