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
This verse follows the account of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, being sexually assaulted by Shechem, a Canaanite prince. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a woman's honor was closely tied to her family's honor, and such an act brought shame upon the entire household. The phrase 'folly in Israel' refers to a serious moral offense that violated God's standards and community values.
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