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Dinah

Jacob's daughter living at the time of the Patriarchs

Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, was raped by Shechem, leading to a violent confrontation between her brothers and the Shechemites.

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Dinah was the daughter of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah, born after six sons (Gen.30.21). She is most prominently featured in Genesis 34, which recounts a tragic event that had far-reaching consequences for her family and the inhabitants of Shechem.

When Dinah went out to visit the women of the land, Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, saw her and raped her (Gen.34.1-2). Despite this violation, Shechem became deeply attracted to Dinah and sought to marry her (Gen.34.3-4).

Jacob learned of the incident but remained silent until his sons returned from tending the livestock (Gen.34.5). Hamor, Shechem's father, approached Jacob to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah, proposing intermarriage and trade between their peoples (Gen.34.6-10).

Dinah's brothers, however, were filled with grief and fury over the defilement of their sister (Gen.34.7). They deceitfully agreed to the marriage on the condition that all the men of Shechem be circumcised (Gen.34.13-17). The Shechemites agreed, and all the men of the city were circumcised (Gen.34.18-24).

Three days later, while the men of Shechem were still in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked the city, killed all the males, plundered the city, and took Dinah back (Gen.34.25-29). This action troubled Jacob, who feared retaliation from the surrounding peoples (Gen.34.30).

Dinah is later mentioned in the listing of Jacob's descendants who went to Egypt during the famine (Gen.46.15). Her story serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of sexual violence and the dangers of deceit and revenge.

Family

Father
Israel
Mother
Leah
Siblings
ReubenSimeonLeviJudahDanNaphtaliGadAsherIssacharZebulunJosephBenjamin

Connections

Part of: The patriarchal families

Leah's sons and daughter

FamilyStated in the text

Leah bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah. Her sons include the priestly tribe (Levi) and the royal tribe (Judah); Reuben, Simeon and Levi are all set back in Jacob's final words.

LeahSister of RachelReubenSon of IsraelSimeonSon of IsraelLeviSon of IsraelJudahSon of IsraelIssacharSon of IsraelZebulunSon of IsraelDinahJacob's daughter
Where the text shows it: Gen 29:31-35 — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, JudahGen 30:17-21 — Issachar, Zebulun, DinahGen 49:3-7 — Jacob rebukes Reuben, Simeon and Levi

Sources: Gen 29:31-35 · Gen 30:17-21 · Gen 49:3-7

Simeon and Levi at Shechem: the avenging brothers of Dinah

FamilyStated in the text

After Shechem son of Hamor violated Dinah, Simeon and Levi, her full brothers, tricked the city into circumcision and massacred its males. Jacob condemned it and in his deathbed words scattered both tribes; Levi's later zeal for the LORD (Exod 32) redirected this energy.

SimeonSon of IsraelLeviSon of IsraelDinahJacob's daughterShechemSon of HamorHamorFather of ShechemIsraelSon of Isaac
Where the text shows it: Gen 34:1-2 — Dinah and ShechemGen 34:25-30 — Simeon and Levi's massacre; Jacob's rebukeGen 49:5-7 — Jacob's dying curse on their angerExod 32:26-29 — Levites act at the golden calf

Sources: Gen 34:1-2 · Gen 34:25-30 · Gen 49:5-7 · Exod 32:26-29

Dinah: the only named daughter of Jacob

FamilyStated in the text

Dinah, Jacob's daughter by Leah, is at the centre of Genesis 34. Her name appears in the list of those who went down to Egypt (Gen 46:15), the only daughter of Jacob by name in the patriarchal narrative.

DinahJacob's daughterLeahSister of RachelIsraelSon of Isaac
Where the text shows it: Gen 30:21 — Leah bears DinahGen 34:1 — Dinah goes out to see the women of the landGen 46:15 — Listed among Leah's descendants entering Egypt

Sources: Gen 30:21 · Gen 34:1 · Gen 46:15

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Dinah Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Judged; vindicated, daughter of Jacob by Leah, and sister of Simeon and Levi (Gen. 30:21). She was seduced by Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite chief, when Jacob’s camp was in the neighbourhood of Shechem. This led to the terrible revenge of Simeon and Levi in putting the Shechemites to death (Gen. 34). Jacob makes frequent reference to this deed of blood with abhorrence and regret (Gen. 34:30; 49:5-7). She is mentioned among the rest of Jacob’s family that went down into Egypt (Gen. 46:8, 15).

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Dinah Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(judged, acquitted), the daughter of Jacob by Leah. (Genesis 30:21) (B.C. about 1751.) She accompanied her father from Mesopotamia to Canaan, and, having ventured among the inhabitants, was violated by Shechem the son of Hamor, the chieftain of the territory in which her father had settled. Gen. 34. Shechem proposed to make the usual reparation by paying a sum to the father and marrying her. (Genesis 34:12) This proposal was accepted, the sons of Jacob demanding, as a condition of the proposed union, the circumcision of the Shechemites. They therefore assented; and on the third day, when the pain and fever resulting from the operation were at the highest, Simeon and Levi, own brothers of Dinah, attacked them unexpectedly, slew all the males, and plundered their city.

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Dinah Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

judgment; who judges

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Dinah Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

DI'NAH (judged, or avenged), the only daughter of Jacob and Leah, Gen 30:21, mentioned in Scripture, although there were probably others. The daughters were less likely to be spoken of than the sons. Jacob, on his return from Padan-aram to Canaan, halted at Shechem; here Dinah was wronged by Shechem, son of the prince Hainor. His offer of marriage was accepted on condition that he and all the other men in the town were circumcised. But while they were recovering, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's own brothers, led an attack upon them and killed them all, completely pillaged the place, and made prisoners of the women and children. Jacob's words to his sons after the act betray more fear of the anger aroused among their neighbors and its bad consequences than offence at their treachery. Gen 34:30. Dinah is mentioned with the rest of the family who went into Egypt. Gen 46:8, 2 Sam 20:15.

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Dinah Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

DI'NAH (judged, or avenged), the only daughter of Jacob and Leah, Gen 30:21, mentioned in Scripture, although there were probably others. The daughters were less likely to be spoken of than the sons. Jacob, on his return from Padan-aram to Canaan, halted at Shechem; here Dinah was wronged by Shechem, son of the prince Hainor. His offer of marriage was accepted on condition that he and all the other men in the town were circumcised. But while they were recovering, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's own brothers, led an attack upon them and killed them all, completely pillaged the place, and made prisoners of the women and children. Jacob's words to his sons after the act betray more fear of the anger aroused among their neighbors and its bad consequences than offence at their treachery. Gen 34:30. Dinah is mentioned with the rest of the family who went into Egypt. Gen 46:8, 2 Sam 20:15.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Dinah appears

8 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1783

Genesis8

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.