The Rape of Dinah: A number of years after Jacob settled in the vicinity of Shechem (33:17–20), a man named Shechem, the son of Hamor, rapes Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. The approaches of the two parties to resolving this offense reveal the deep conflict between two different ways of life: shepherds in conflict with urban dwellers and worshipers of one God in conflict with polytheists. Several acrid terms in the story convey the brothers’ outrage at Shechem’s act of passion against their sister: violated (’innah, 34:2), defiled (timme’, 34:5, 13, 27), a disgrace (kherpah, 34:14), and an act of folly (nebalah; 34:7; NIV “a disgraceful thing”). The last term is the strongest Hebrew word for folly; it describes bold, arrogant behavior against honor.

Several persuasive speeches distinguish this nar…