Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 34/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 34

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Dinah and Tamar

Bereshit 34 and Shemuel II 13 each describe a tragic tale of rape, as Dinah is forced by Shekhem and Tamar by Amnon.Comparing the two stories might help elucidate each.

Tools

• Concordance – If one highlights the phrase "וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֹתָהּ וַיְעַנֶּהָ" in the Mikraot Gedolot on Bereshit 34:2, and chooses the concordance from the drop-down menu, it becomes evident that this combined language of "lying with" and "forcing" another is found only in these two stories. Similarly, highlighting the phrase "נְבָלָה עָשָׂה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל" in verse 7 reveals that this somewhat rare phrase, too, is common to both stories. These, and other linguistic parallels, might call for comparing the two tales of rape.
• Tanakh Lab – One may use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two stories. Despite the parallels mentioned above, there are perhaps not as many literary similarities as one would have expected, especially considering that both narratives deal with similar themes.  This might suggest that Shemuel might not be intentionally alluding to the story in Bereshit.

Articles

• For an analysis of the parallels and contrasts between the narratives, see Shekhem and Dinah – Amnon and Tamar. The articles notes that a comparison of the stories allows a foil by which to better evaluate the actions of each of the protagonists: the rapists, avengers of justice, and silent and inactive fathers.
• See "Amnon and Tamar: A Case Sturdy in Allusions" by R. Robert Klapper, Gavi Posner, and Mordy Freidman in Nahalah I for a comparison of the various stories that might be alluded to in Shemuel I 13, including the rape of Dinah in Bereshit 34, the sale of Yosef in Bereshit 37and the the story of Yehuda and Tamar in Bereshit 38.

Negotiations

Bereshit 34 contains a threefold account of the negotiations between Shekhem and the brothers.

Tools

• Makbilot Bamikra highlights that the negotiations and agreement reached between Shekhem and the brothers in Bereshit 34 is mentioned three times, once as suggested by Shekhem (verses 9-10), once as agreed to by the brothers (v. 16) , and once as Shekhem relays the agreement to his nation (verses 21-23). Comparing the three accounts highlights subtle, but perhaps important, differences.

Articles

• See Sin and Slaughter of Shekhem for discussion of some of these differences and for the opinion of several commentators that it was Shekhem's reneging on the deal that led Shimon and Levi to act as they did.

Evaluating "Abominable Deeds"

There are several points of contact between the story of the rape of Dina and the laws dealing with an "עיר נדחת", a city which is destroyed to the idolatry within.

Tools

• Concordance –  If one highlights the phrase "נְבָלָה עָשָׂה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל" in the Mikraot Gedolot on Bereshit 34:7, and chooses concordance from the drop-down menu, one sees that it occurs in only two places in Torah, regarding the rape of Dina and the slaying of a city which was incited to idolatry. The shared phrase might call for a comparison of the two narratives, and help one evaluate how Torah suggests that one is meant to deal with "abominable acts".

Articles

• In this article, R. Amnon Bazak reads the story of Shekhem and the deeds of the brothers in light of the laws of a city incited to idolatry on the one hand, and the story of the sale of Yosef on another. He suggests that the two narratives might helps one better evaluate the brother's actions and uncover their true motives.

Abuse of Power

There are several stories of rape or attempted rape in Tanakh.  A concordance search suggests that it pays to compare the rape of Dinah with others stories that might not initially come to mind, the story of the "sons of god and daughters of man", and the story of the taking of Sarah.

Tools

• Concordance – If one uses the advanced concordance, and inputs "ראה" and "לקח" into the first two fields, one sees that there are several stories in Tanakh where "seeing" a woman leads to "forcefully taking" her: the story of the "sons of God" taking "the daughters of man" (Bereshit 6), the story of Paroh taking Sarah (Bereshit 12), and the story of Shekhem's rape of Dinah (Bereshit 34). A comparison of the stories suggests that in each case an imbalance of power enables forced sexual relations.