Verse

Genesis 34:10

ESV You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it."
NIV You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it."
NASB So you will live with us, and the land shall be open to you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it.'
CSB Live with us. The land is before you. Settle here, move about, and acquire property in it."
NLT And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.'
KJV And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
NKJV So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.”

What does Genesis 34:10 mean?

Hamor and his son, Shechem, have come to ask Jacob for Dinah's hand in marriage to Shechem. Jacob and his sons, however, know that Shechem has raped Dinah and that she has not returned from the city (Genesis 34:1–7). Shechem's father is the ruler of the city. He has made it clear that Shechem is in love with Dinah and has asked that Jacob give her as a bride. In addition, he has suggested their peoples intermarry freely, sons to daughters and daughters to sons.

Now he points out the business opportunities this could create for both peoples, encouraging Jacob to make this their permanent home. They could trade freely and make acquisitions. Hamor is not simply appealing to Jacob for a single marriage; he is lobbying for peace between these groups of people.

Hamor may be sincere in these offers, but underneath it all he is attempting to smooth over Shechem's crime. Judging by what happens in the rest of this chapter, he misunderstands how serious this crime was to Dinah's family. Worse, it's possible that this is a blatant attempt to buy off Dinah's father and brothers with the promise of prosperity. Even if that's not Hamor's intention, it's possible that Jacob's sons interpret it that way, making them even more enraged.

Even if Jacob had been willing to consider Hamor's suggestions, he knows he must not allow his sons to intermarry with the Canaanites. He knows, also, that God has already promised to give to him and his descendants all of the land of Canaan. He doesn't need Hamor's offer for his people to eventually take possession of what God has already granted.
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