Genesis 34:18

Study note

Setting — Hamor and his son Shechem receive the conditional ultimatum from Jacob’s sons regarding the circumcision of their community. The narrative moment immediately follows the threat that the proposed marriage will be nullified if the condition is rejected.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּיטְבּוּ (va-yiṭṭeḇû) literally means “they were good,” describing the reception of the proposal. The noun phrase דִּבְרֵי הֶם (dibrei ḥem) translates to “their words,” referring to the specific terms just stated by Jacob’s sons.

The thread — The idiom of something being “good in the eyes of” appears in Genesis 34:19 to mark Shechem’s personal motivation for compliance. Similar phrasing structures the acceptance of agreements and covenants throughout the patriarchal narratives.

Why it lands — The verse records a straightforward acceptance of a dangerous condition without noting the underlying deception. It asks the reader to observe how political and personal motives override spiritual boundaries in the pursuit of alliance.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.