Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 34:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Hamor goes out to speak with Jacob. The brief transition begins formal negotiation before the sons' emotional response and Hamor's actual proposal are reported.
Read It With
- Genesis 34:1–12
Read verses 5–12. Verse 5 explains the delayed response, verse 6 brings Hamor to Jacob, verse 7 introduces the sons' grief and anger, and verses 8–12 disclose the proposed marriage and payment. Verse 6 alone gives neither Hamor's terms nor Jacob's answer.
Why It Needs Context
This verse moves the crisis from report to negotiation and cannot be interpreted independently as proof of peace, sincerity, or agreement.
Read Genesis 34:5–7 together
Why these verses belong together: Jacob's hearing and silence, Hamor's arrival, and the sons' grief, anger, and outrage form the family's initial response.
Verse 5. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
Verse 6. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
Verse 7. 7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 34:1–12 — Dinah Is Violated and Shechem Seeks MarriageSources 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, unit boundary, Shechem transition, later family evaluation, legal echoes, and outrage-language parallels.
Exact location: Genesis 34:1–12 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 33:18–20; 34:13–31; 35:1–5; 49:5–7; Exodus 22:16–17; Deuteronomy 21:10–14; 22:23–29; Judges 19–20; and 2 Samuel 13
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 agency, syntax, lexical range, evaluative language, social negotiation, and economic terminology.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 34:1–12; forms and syntax for went out, see, took, lay with, humbled, clung, loved, spoke to her heart, defiled, held peace, grieved, angered, folly, desire, dwell, trade, possessions, favor, bride-price, and gift
Open source ↗