As far as we know, Dinah was Jacob’s only daughter. She lived among ten older and two younger brothers. She grew up in a family rocked by struggle between two sisters married to the same man. Dinah’s mother, Leah, knew that Jacob loved her sister and rival Rachel. We don’t know how the bitterness and jealousy between these two women affected the only girl-child in the family. By the time Dinah was a teenager, her family was living in Shechem, a town north of Bethel and Jerusalem in the Promised Land.
Apparently no one really paid much attention to Dinah until she went out for a walk in town one day. She went out to see the daughters of the land and she ended up being seen and raped by Shechem, the son of the ruler of the city. Violated and shamed, Dinah found herself in the center of a family crisis. Shechem asked his father to arrange a marriage with Dinah. But in Jacob’s and his son’s eyes, Dinah had been damaged and their family had been insulted. Jacob failed to provide any fatherly leadership in this situation and his sons took matters into their own hands. The result were treacherous and bloody.
In all of this, the victim was overlooked. Dinah was neither comforted nor consulted. Instead, she was treated with almost as much, disrespect, by her family as she had been by Shechem.
By handling her over to Schechem, they used Dinah as a bait in trap that led to the murder of all the men in the village. Dinah’s brothers profited from the massacre of Schechem, Jacob was angry at his sons for their actions. But did nothing. Meanwhile, Dinah slipped back into oblivion. Her story reminds us of the tragedies of unguarded curiosity and what occur when family members are careless with each other. Someone ends up paying a high price.
You probably know someone who can identify closely with Dinah. Perhaps you have experienced that same anonymity as a victim who was unnoticed or forgotten. Remember several glimmers of hope: when no one seems to care, God cares; when you feel all alone, you aren’t. And one of the first lessons God will teach you as you depend on Him is that there are others who also care and willing to help. Begin to speak to God today in prayer about your past.
Strength and Accomplishment:
- Jacob’s only daughter
Lessons from her life:
- Thoughtless avengers often hurt the original victims a second time
- Family members can be trampled in the rush for family honor
- Not all curiosity are healthy.
Key verse: “And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah “(Genesis 30:21)
