Biblical Hebrew Forum

["JAMES CHRISTIAN READ" <JCR128 AT student.anglia.ac.uk>]

HH.
Deut. 22:25  But if the man meets the engaged woman in the open country, 
and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with 
her shall die.
Deut. 22:26 You shall do nothing to the young woman; the young woman has 
not committed an offense punishable by death, because this case is like 
that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor.
Deut. 22:27 Since he found her in the open country, the engaged woman 
may have cried for help, but there was no one to rescue her.

JCR.
This is more like it. I guess this settles the matter 
then. She was forced to have sex.

HH.
Deut. 22:28  If a man meets a virgin who is not engaged, and seizes her 
and lies with her, and they are caught in the act,
Deut. 22:29 the man who lay with her shall give fifty shekels of silver 
to the young woman’s father, and she shall become his wife. Because he 
violated her he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

JCR:
Then according to the law (not yet established) Shechem 
was within his rights and in fact obligated to marry
Dinah.

HH.
The narrative in Genesis 34:1-2 is not speaking about a prolonged 
situation lasting months. It is about a particular errand that a girl 
was on that required her to walk from one place to another. 

JCR.
Agreed.


HH.
A guy 
physically saw her, and lay with her sexually. The other verb, "took" I 
presume to describe a similar one-time physical act. Since the girl had 
other things on her mind, I presume it was a forceful taking.

JCR.
In light of the usage in Deuteronomy 22 it would seem
that you are correct.

HH: This is a good point. Another is how Dinah's family found out about 
what happened. Probably it is because she told them what Shechem did.

JCR.
My understanding of the text was that Hamor told them 
about the incident and then proposed marriage to fix 
the matter upjustifying Shechem's actions with his 
sincere love for the girl.

Further, my understanding is that Dinah remained in 
Hamor's house until Levi and Simeon killed Hamor and
Shechem and 'took' her as described in verse 26.

Maybe I'm misreading you and you meant Dinah had
explained all by the time of their response in verse
31.

In any case, it looks like you proved the matter. Dinah
was raped.describe a similar one-time physical act. Since the girl had
other things on her mind, I presume it was a forceful taking.

JCR.
In light of the usage in Deuteronomy 22 it would seem
that you are correct.

HH: This is a good point. Another is how Dinah's family found out about
what happened. Probably it is because she told them what Shechem did.

JCR.
My un