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.
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 writer is explaining that the foreign men require all local males to be circumcised as a condition for joining their communities together.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of Genesis 34, Jacob and his family had settled in the land of Canaan, where Shechem, the son of Hamor, a Hivite leader, had taken Dinah, Jacob's daughter, by force and then sought to marry her. As part of the negotiations for marriage and alliance between the two groups, Jacob's sons demanded that all males in Shechem's city be circumcised, mirroring the covenant practice of the Israelites. This condition was being discussed among Hamor's people as a potential agreement for peaceful coexistence.
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