And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, 'You have brought trouble on me and made me hated by the people living in this land - the Canaanites and Perizzites. Since we are so few in number, they will band together against me and attack me, and I will be destroyed along with my entire household.'
Jacob is expressing fear and anger that his sons' violent actions have put their entire family in danger by making enemies of the local people.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical story of Genesis, Jacob and his family had recently returned to the land of Canaan after years away, where they were living among various tribes like the Canaanites and Perizzites. Jacob's daughter Dinah was violated by Shechem, a local prince, prompting her brothers Simeon and Levi to take brutal revenge by killing the men of Shechem's city. This act led Jacob to rebuke his sons, fearing it would incite the surrounding peoples to unite against his vulnerable family and destroy them.
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