Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 34/0
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Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 34
Abuse of Power
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.
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. 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 some of the unique 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.
Negotiations
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.
