Genesis 34:9 kjv

And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

Genesis 34:9 nkjv

And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.

Genesis 34:9 niv

Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.

Genesis 34:9 esv

Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

Genesis 34:9 nlt

In fact, let's arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons.

Genesis 34 verses

Genesis 34 9 Meaning

This verse is part of Hamor the Hivite's proposition to Jacob and his sons following the rape of Dinah by Shechem. Hamor, Shechem's father, proposes a comprehensive marital alliance: that Jacob's family should allow their daughters to marry into Hamor's people, and reciprocally, Hamor's people would give their daughters to Jacob's sons. This proposal signifies a deep desire for complete social, cultural, and genetic integration between the two peoples, fostering peace, unity, and shared prosperity.

Genesis 34 9 Context

Genesis 34:9 occurs within the tragic and pivotal narrative of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, being raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor, a Hivite prince. After the violation, Shechem, influenced by his intense affection for Dinah, asks his father Hamor to secure her as his wife. Hamor then approaches Jacob and his sons with a formal diplomatic proposal for intermarriage, shared habitation, and trade. This verse outlines the core of Hamor's appeal: a reciprocal exchange of daughters to knit the two peoples together, presenting it as a beneficial alliance for economic and social stability. Historically, such marital unions were common diplomatic tools in the ancient Near East to secure peace, consolidate power, and establish shared economic interests between different groups. From the perspective of Jacob's family, however, this proposition immediately raised covenantal implications regarding the purity of Abraham's lineage and their divine call to be a separate people, even as they grappled with the deep emotional and moral outrage over Dinah's defilement. The underlying tension is the Hivite worldview of pragmatic assimilation versus the emerging identity of Jacob's family as God's distinct chosen people.

Genesis 34 9 Word analysis

• and give (וּתְנוּ - ū-tə-nū): This is a Hebrew imperative verb, literally meaning "and you all give." The imperative mood signals a direct command or earnest request. Its placement here emphasizes Hamor's proactive call for Jacob's family to initiate this reciprocal exchange.
• your daughters (בְּנֹתֵיכֶם - bənōtêḵem): Refers specifically to the female offspring of Jacob's family. In ancient societies, daughters were often crucial assets in forging political and social alliances through marriage, acting as bonds between families or tribes. The request for Jacob's daughters first might imply the Hivites' greater desire to integrate the Israelite element or to ensure their acceptance into Jacob's established lineage.
• to us (לָנוּ - lānū): Signifies the intended recipients and beneficiaries of these marriages – Hamor's people, the Hivites. It points to a desired absorption or merger of the two distinct peoples into one via intermarriage.
• and take (וְקָחוּ - wəqāḥū): Another imperative verb, "and you all take," emphasizing the reciprocal nature of the proposal. Hamor presents this as an equitable arrangement, ensuring both parties gain from the marital exchange.
• our daughters (אֶת־בְּנֹתֵינוּ - ʾet-bənōtênū): Refers to the daughters of the Hivite people. This signifies their willingness to fully integrate with Jacob's family, offering their women to strengthen the union.
• for yourselves (לָכֶם - lāḵem): Indicates that the Hivite daughters would be married into Jacob's household or the households of his sons. This completed the proposed circular exchange of marriageable women, signifying complete amalgamation.

Genesis 34 9 Bonus section

The seemingly reasonable request in Gen 34:9 masks a fundamental cultural and spiritual clash. The Hivites, as part of the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, sought stability and absorption of external groups for demographic and economic strength, seeing marriage as the ultimate form of alliance. This was standard practice in the ancient world for nomadic/semi-nomadic groups encountering settled populations. However, for Jacob's family, the descendants of Abraham, assimilation into Canaanite culture meant spiritual compromise and a deviation from their divine destiny. Though the specific laws forbidding intermarriage with Canaanites would be explicitly given later at Sinai (e.g., Exod 34:16; Deut 7:3-4), the narrative implicitly highlights the danger of such unions. This event serves as a foundational story for the later Israelites concerning the critical importance of maintaining their distinct identity in relation to the surrounding pagan cultures, underscoring why God later commanded strict separation.

Genesis 34 9 Commentary

Genesis 34:9, framed within Hamor's diplomatic overture, encapsulates a pragmatic, ancient Near Eastern approach to conflict resolution and societal integration. Hamor's proposal for intermarriage – "give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves" – was culturally sound for a Hivite leader seeking alliance and prosperity. It represented an invitation to form a single, intermingled people for mutual economic benefit and stability (as highlighted in verse 10).

However, this proposition presented an existential threat to the burgeoning covenant identity of Jacob's family. Unbeknownst to Hamor, Jacob's lineage was distinct, called by God to be a holy nation set apart from the surrounding Canaanite cultures (though these explicit commands were given later through Moses, the principle of separation was inherent in God's covenant with Abraham). Marrying Canaanites threatened the purity of their seed, the unique inheritance of God's promises, and the moral integrity required to remain consecrated to the one true God, potentially leading to syncretism and idolatry.

From Jacob's sons' perspective, particularly Simeon and Levi, this offer, despite its economic appeal, intensified their deep-seated resentment over Dinah's defilement. They perceived the intermarriage proposal as a further spiritual and social affront, a complete disregard for their distinctness. This verse therefore sets the stage for their deceptive and violent retaliation, driven by a misguided zeal for perceived family honor and covenant purity, albeit executed through grave sin. The Hivites saw practical advantages; Jacob's family understood a fundamental clash of worldviews and destinies.