Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 34:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Hamor and Shechem go to the city gate and address the city's men. The verse shifts from their private acceptance to a public campaign for citywide agreement.
Read It With
- Genesis 34:13–24
Read verses 20–24. Verse 20 identifies the civic setting and speakers; verses 21–23 disclose their peace, marriage, land, and property arguments; verse 24 reports the result. Verse 20 alone does not reveal what information or incentives the leaders provide.
Why It Needs Context
This verse begins the public persuasion scene and must be read with the speech and compliance that follow.
Read Genesis 34:20–23 together
Why these verses belong together: The gate setting, peace claim, settlement, intermarriage, circumcision condition, and property incentive form one public argument.
Verse 20. 20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Verse 21. 21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
Verse 22. 22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
Verse 23. 23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 34:13–24 — Jacob's Sons Turn Circumcision Into a Deceptive ConditionSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, covenant-sign background, unit boundary, city persuasion, bodily vulnerability, later violence, purification, and Jacob's final judgment.
Exact location: Genesis 34:13–24 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 17:1–14; 34:1–12, 25–31; 35:1–5; and 49:5–7
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Hebrew narrative labeling, social language, civic rhetoric, economic motive, and collective action.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 34:13–24; forms and syntax for deceitfully, reproach, circumcised, consent, one people, take, delight, deferred, honored, gate, peaceable, trade, substance, ours, hearkened, and every male
Open source ↗