KJV ORIGINAL
Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
The men will only agree to live with us and become one people with us if every male among us is circumcised, just like they are circumcised.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is explaining that the foreign men require all local males to be circumcised as a condition for joining their communities together.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from the story of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, who was assaulted by Shechem, a Hivite prince. Shechem's father Hamor proposed that their peoples intermarry and become one nation. Jacob's sons deceptively agreed, but demanded that all the Hivite men be circumcised first, planning to use this requirement as part of their revenge plot.
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