And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
And Hamor spoke with them, saying, 'My son Shechem's heart deeply desires your daughter. Please, I beg you, give her to him as his wife.'
Hamor is asking Jacob's family to allow his son Shechem to marry their daughter Dinah, expressing how much Shechem loves her.
📚 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 dealing with various family conflicts. Shechem, the son of Hamor, a Hivite prince, had taken an interest in Dinah, Jacob's daughter, leading to this proposal where Hamor seeks to arrange a marriage as a way to form an alliance between their peoples. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern practice of using marriages to negotiate peace and integrate families or tribes, often amid cultural tensions.
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