וַיַּ֨רְא אֹתָ֜הּ שְׁכֶ֧ם בֶּן־חֲמ֛וֹר הַֽחִוִּ֖י נְשִׂ֣יא הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּקַּ֥ח אֹתָ֛הּ וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב אֹתָ֖הּ וַיְעַנֶּֽהָ׃
Nakita siya ni Shekem na anak ni Hamor na Heveo, ang pinuno ng lupain; kinuha niya siya, sinipingan siya, at nilapastangan siya.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach, based on Tanchuma Balak 2: The word וירא, he “saw,” means he foresaw some kind of disaster. We have a rule that whenever wicked people are described by the Bible as having “seen” something, the “something” is invariably some kind of disaster. Compare Genesis 9,22, (where Cham “saw” his father’s nudity, resulting in his offspring being condemned to be slaves). Compare also Genesis 6,2 where the elite of mankind is described as seeing the daughters of man and violating them, resulting eventually in the inevitability of the deluge. Compare also Genesis 12,15 where the Egyptians saw the physical beauty of Sarah and this resulted in her being abducted to Pharaoh’s palace. Still another example is that of Shechem, son of Chamor “seeing” Dinah, which resulted in his raping her and in the whole city of Shechem being destroyed (Genesis 34,2 and subsequent verses).
Ramban
AND ABRAM PASSED THROUGH THE LAND. I will tell you a principle by which you will understand all the coming portions of Scripture concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is indeed a great matter which our Rabbis mentioned briefly, saying:33Tanchuma Lech Lecha, 9. “Whatever has happened to the patriarchs is a sign to the children.” It is for this reason that the verses narrate at great length the account of the journeys of the patriarchs, the digging of the wells, and other events. Now someone may consider them unnecessary and of no useful purpose, but in truth they all serve as a lesson for the future: when an event happens to any one of the three patriarchs, that which is decreed to happen to his children can be understood.
Concerning all decisions of “the guardians [angels],”34Daniel 4:14. know that when they proceed from a potential decree to a symbolic act, the decree will in any case be effected. It is for this reason that the prophets often perform some act in conjunction with the prophecies, just as Jeremiah commanded Baruch his disciple, And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and thou shalt say: Thus shall Babylon sink.35Jeremiah 51:63-64. Likewise is the matter of Elisha when he put his arm on the bow [held by Joash, King of Israel]: And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Eternal’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram.36II Kings 13:17. And it is further stated there, And the man of G-d was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldst have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Aram till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Aram but thrice.37Ibid., Verse 19. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Abraham to take possession of the Land and symbolically did to him all that was destined to happen in the future to his children. Understand this principle. Now, with the help of G-d, I will begin to explain in detail the subject matter of the verses.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem. This is the city of Shechem for such was the name of this place,38Ramban differs with Ibn Ezra’s comment that the name Shechem was non-existent in the days of Abraham but is used here because Moses called it by the name by which it was known in his time. and Shechem the son of Hamor39Genesis 34:2. was called by the name of his city. Now Rashi wrote, “He entered it unto the place of Shechem in order to pray on behalf of Jacob’s sons when they would come grieved from the field.”40Ibid., 34:7. In our text of Rashi: “when they would come to fight against Shechem.” This is correct. And I add that Abraham took possession of this place at the very beginning, even before the land was given to him.41As told later in Verse 7. His taking possession of Shechem is stated in the preceding Verse 6. It was thus hinted to him that his children would first conquer this place42Reference is to the capturing of the city by the sons of Jacob. See further, 34:25. before they would merit it and before the guilt of the dwellers of the land was full43Further, 15:16. to warrant their exile therefrom. It is for this reason that the verse here states, And the Canaanite was then in the land.44He took possession of this place even though the Canaanite was yet in the land. (Tur.) And when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him the land by His Word, Abraham journeyed from there and pitched his tent between Beth-el and Ai for this was the place that Joshua captured first.45In battle. (Joshua 8:1-24.) The capture of Jericho earlier was effected by a miracle.
It is possible that Scripture mentions, And the Canaanite was then in the land, to teach us concerning the substance of this chapter, i.e., to state that Abram came into the land of Canaan, but G-d did not show him the land He had promised him. He passed to the place of Shechem while the Canaanite, that bitter and impetuous nation,46Habakkuk 1:6. was yet in the land, and Abram feared him. Therefore he did not build an altar to G-d. But when he came to the vicinity of Shechem at the oak of Moreh, G-d appeared to him and gave him the land, and as a result his fear departed from him for he was already assured in the land that I will show thee, and then he built an altar to G-d in order to worship Him openly.
Now eilon Moreh (the oak of Moreh) is in the vicinity of Shechem and is also called eilonei Moreh, as it is written over against Gilgal, beside ‘eilonei Moreh.’47Deuteronomy 11:30. There in Shechem, near the Jordan, are Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where the Israelites arrived at the beginning of their entrance into the land.48Sotah 36 a: “On the day Israel crossed the Jordan, they came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.” Eilonei Mamre,49“The oaks of Mamre.” (Genesis, 18:1.) however, is a place in the land of Hebron,50As is clearly stated: Mamre… the city of Arba which is Hebron. (Ibid., 35:27.) far from the Jordan.
Know that wherever Scripture states, eilonei Mamre, the name Mamre is on account of an Amorite by that name to whom the place belonged, just as it says, And he dwelt at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner,51Ibid., 14:13. and wherever it says, eilon moreh or eilonei moreh,52Deuteronomy 11:30. the places were so called on account of a man by the name of Moreh, but he was a Canaanite from the land of the Canaanites, who abide in the plains.53Ibid. The end of this verse reads: beside the oaks of Moreh. From this Ramban derives the fact that Moreh was a Canaanite, unlike Mamre who was an Amorite. When Scripture mentions Mamre alone, it means the name of a city, just as it is said: And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, the city of Arba, which is Hebron;54Genesis 35:27. Before Mamre which is Hebron.55Ibid., 23:19. The man to whom the oaks belonged was called after the name of the city. A similar case is that of Shechem the son of Hamor, who was called Shechem after the name of the city Shechem.
In Bereshith Rabbah5642:14. it is said, “In the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, Mamre is the name of a place, and in the opinion of Rabbi Nechemyah, it is the name of a person.”
Concerning all decisions of “the guardians [angels],”34Daniel 4:14. know that when they proceed from a potential decree to a symbolic act, the decree will in any case be effected. It is for this reason that the prophets often perform some act in conjunction with the prophecies, just as Jeremiah commanded Baruch his disciple, And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and thou shalt say: Thus shall Babylon sink.35Jeremiah 51:63-64. Likewise is the matter of Elisha when he put his arm on the bow [held by Joash, King of Israel]: And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Eternal’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram.36II Kings 13:17. And it is further stated there, And the man of G-d was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldst have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Aram till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Aram but thrice.37Ibid., Verse 19. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Abraham to take possession of the Land and symbolically did to him all that was destined to happen in the future to his children. Understand this principle. Now, with the help of G-d, I will begin to explain in detail the subject matter of the verses.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem. This is the city of Shechem for such was the name of this place,38Ramban differs with Ibn Ezra’s comment that the name Shechem was non-existent in the days of Abraham but is used here because Moses called it by the name by which it was known in his time. and Shechem the son of Hamor39Genesis 34:2. was called by the name of his city. Now Rashi wrote, “He entered it unto the place of Shechem in order to pray on behalf of Jacob’s sons when they would come grieved from the field.”40Ibid., 34:7. In our text of Rashi: “when they would come to fight against Shechem.” This is correct. And I add that Abraham took possession of this place at the very beginning, even before the land was given to him.41As told later in Verse 7. His taking possession of Shechem is stated in the preceding Verse 6. It was thus hinted to him that his children would first conquer this place42Reference is to the capturing of the city by the sons of Jacob. See further, 34:25. before they would merit it and before the guilt of the dwellers of the land was full43Further, 15:16. to warrant their exile therefrom. It is for this reason that the verse here states, And the Canaanite was then in the land.44He took possession of this place even though the Canaanite was yet in the land. (Tur.) And when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him the land by His Word, Abraham journeyed from there and pitched his tent between Beth-el and Ai for this was the place that Joshua captured first.45In battle. (Joshua 8:1-24.) The capture of Jericho earlier was effected by a miracle.
It is possible that Scripture mentions, And the Canaanite was then in the land, to teach us concerning the substance of this chapter, i.e., to state that Abram came into the land of Canaan, but G-d did not show him the land He had promised him. He passed to the place of Shechem while the Canaanite, that bitter and impetuous nation,46Habakkuk 1:6. was yet in the land, and Abram feared him. Therefore he did not build an altar to G-d. But when he came to the vicinity of Shechem at the oak of Moreh, G-d appeared to him and gave him the land, and as a result his fear departed from him for he was already assured in the land that I will show thee, and then he built an altar to G-d in order to worship Him openly.
Now eilon Moreh (the oak of Moreh) is in the vicinity of Shechem and is also called eilonei Moreh, as it is written over against Gilgal, beside ‘eilonei Moreh.’47Deuteronomy 11:30. There in Shechem, near the Jordan, are Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where the Israelites arrived at the beginning of their entrance into the land.48Sotah 36 a: “On the day Israel crossed the Jordan, they came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.” Eilonei Mamre,49“The oaks of Mamre.” (Genesis, 18:1.) however, is a place in the land of Hebron,50As is clearly stated: Mamre… the city of Arba which is Hebron. (Ibid., 35:27.) far from the Jordan.
Know that wherever Scripture states, eilonei Mamre, the name Mamre is on account of an Amorite by that name to whom the place belonged, just as it says, And he dwelt at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner,51Ibid., 14:13. and wherever it says, eilon moreh or eilonei moreh,52Deuteronomy 11:30. the places were so called on account of a man by the name of Moreh, but he was a Canaanite from the land of the Canaanites, who abide in the plains.53Ibid. The end of this verse reads: beside the oaks of Moreh. From this Ramban derives the fact that Moreh was a Canaanite, unlike Mamre who was an Amorite. When Scripture mentions Mamre alone, it means the name of a city, just as it is said: And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, the city of Arba, which is Hebron;54Genesis 35:27. Before Mamre which is Hebron.55Ibid., 23:19. The man to whom the oaks belonged was called after the name of the city. A similar case is that of Shechem the son of Hamor, who was called Shechem after the name of the city Shechem.
In Bereshith Rabbah5642:14. it is said, “In the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, Mamre is the name of a place, and in the opinion of Rabbi Nechemyah, it is the name of a person.”
Rashbam
עיר שכם, the city of Shechem (who subsequently raped Dinah) The description parallels Numbers 21,26 where Cheshbon is described as the city of Sichon, King of the Emorites. Anyone who explains Shechem as being the name of the city errs. We do not find anywhere that a city is described in such terms, i.e. as עיר ציון, or as עיר ירושלים. Invariably such cities are described with the appropriate definitive article ה i.e. as the word העיר following the name of the city in question. Even assuming that the city under discussion was Shechem, the town may have been renamed in commemoration of the heroism displayed by the sons of Yaakov. We know that the town Luz was renamed Bet El by Yaakov. (28,19) We find the same construction in Joshua 19,7 when the Danites renamed a city “Dan” to honour their tribal father and the acts of heroism by the soldiers of the tribe in capturing the city. Already the first builder of a city, Kayin, is described in Genesis 4,14 as ויקרא שם העיר כשם בנו חנוך, “he named the city in accordance with the name of his son Enoch.” Even the sages of the Midrash who understand the word שלם as an attribute, adjective, describing Yaakov at that point as “whole” in body, spirit, and material wealth, did not catch the plain meaning of the text if that was their intention. It is simply not the style of the Scriptures to express itself in such terms. There is no need for this. Did the Torah have to tell us that Yaakov’s wealth was not impaired as a result of the lavish gift he sent to Esau?
Tur HaArokh
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Serve the people of Chamor. If you want to get yourselves leaders, come serve the men of Chamor, who ruled the land in early times.11Bereishis, 34:2.