And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
When Jacob's sons came back from the fields and heard what had happened, they were deeply hurt and extremely angry. They were furious because Shechem had done something shameful in Israel by sleeping with their sister, which was something that should never have been done.
The writer is describing how Jacob's sons reacted with grief and rage when they learned their sister had been violated, seeing it as a terrible disgrace to their family.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Genesis, Jacob and his family had settled in the land of Canaan after fleeing from his brother Esau and reconciling with him. Dinah, Jacob's daughter, was violated by Shechem, a prince of the Hivites, which sparked deep outrage among Jacob's sons as they viewed it as a shameful act against their family and community. This event reflects the ancient Near Eastern emphasis on family honor, purity, and the severe consequences of violating social and moral boundaries in patriarchal societies.
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