Genesis 34 · Verse 30

Genesis 34:30

And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
Genesis 34:30, King James Version

Genesis 34:30 in other translations

BSBThen Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
WEBJacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
ASVAnd Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
YLTAnd Jacob saith unto Simeon and unto Levi, ‘Ye have troubled me, by causing me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanite, and among the Perizzite: and I am few in number, and they have been gathered against me, and have smitten me, and I have been destroyed, I and my house.'
DARBYAnd Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, in that ye make me odious among the inhabitants of the land — among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I am few men in number, and they will gather themselves against me and smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
BBEAnd Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have made trouble for me and given me a bad name among the people of this country, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and because we are small in number they will come together against me and make war on me; and it will be the end of me and all my people.
WebsterAnd Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites, and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they will assemble themselves against me, and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

What does Genesis 34:30 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
30. Jacob said ... Ye have troubled me--This atrocious outrage perpetrated on the defenseless citizens and their families made the cup of Jacob's affliction overflow. We may wonder that, in speaking of it to his sons, he did not represent it as a heinous sin, an atrocious violation of the laws of God and man, but dwelt solely on the present consequences. It was probably because that was the only view likely to rouse the cold-blooded apathy, the hardened consciences of those ruffian sons. Nothing but the restraining power of God saved him and his family from the united vengeance of the people (compare Ge 35:5). All his sons had not been engaged in the massacre. Joseph was a boy, Benjamin not yet born, and the other eight not concerned in it. Simeon and Levi alone, with their retainers, had been the guilty actors in the bloody tragedy. But the Canaanites would not be discriminating in their vengeance; and if all the Shechemites were put to death for the offense of their chief's son, what wonder if the natives should extend their hatred to all the family of Jacob; and who probably equalled, in number, the inhabitants of that village.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 30 Ye have troubled me - Brought my mind into great distress, and endangered my personal safety; to make me to stink - to render me odious to the surrounding tribes, so that there is every reason to suspect that when this deed is come abroad they will join in a confederacy against me, and extirpate my whole family. And had he not been under the peculiar protection of God, this in all human probability would have been the case; but he had prevailed with God, and he was also to prevail with men. That Jacob's resentment was not dissembled we have the fullest proof in his depriving these two sons of the birthright, which otherwise they had doubtless enjoyed. See Gen 49:5, Gen 49:7, where some additional circumstances are related.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 34:20-31

The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite, only to serve a turn, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves, and it was just with God to bring punishment upon them. As nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended to. But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. Those who act wickedly, under the pretext of religion, are the worst enemies of the truth…

Read the full comment on Genesis 34:20-31 →

Genesis 34:30 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יַעֲקֹ֜בya.'a.KoJacobH3290
אֶל\־'el-toH413
שִׁמְע֣וֹןshim.'onSimeonH8095
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413
לֵוִי֮le.ViLeviH3878
עֲכַרְתֶּ֣ם'a.khar.Temyou have troubledH5916
אֹתִי֒'o.Ti<obj.> meH853
לְהַבְאִישֵׁ֙נִי֙le.hav.'i.She.niby making odious meH887
בְּיֹשֵׁ֣בbe.yo.Shevamong [the] inhabitant[s] ofH3427
הָאָ֔רֶץha.'A.retzthe landH776
בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖יba.ke.na.'a.Niamong the Canaanite[s]H3669
וּבַפְּרִזִּ֑יu.vap.pe.ri.Ziand among the Perizzite[s]H6522
וַאֲנִי֙va.'a.Niand IH589
מְתֵ֣יme.Tei[am] men ofH4962
מִסְפָּ֔רmis.ParnumberH4557
וְנֶאֶסְפ֤וּve.ne.'es.Fuand they will gatherH622
עָלַי֙'a.Laion meH5921
וְהִכּ֔וּנִיve.hi.Ku.niand they will attack meH5221
וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖יve.nish.mad.Tiand I will be destroyedH8045
אֲנִ֥י'a.NiIH589
וּבֵיתִֽי\׃u.vei.Tiand household myH1004

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 34:30

  • 1 Samuel 13:4

    And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

  • Psalms 105:12

    When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

  • Exodus 5:21

    And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

  • Joshua 7:25

    And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

  • Genesis 28:13-14

    And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

  • Genesis 49:5-7

    Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

  • 1 Chronicles 19:6

    And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syria–maachah, and out of Zobah.

  • 1 Samuel 27:12

    And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

  • 1 Chronicles 16:19

    When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

  • Genesis 13:7

    And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

  • 1 Kings 18:18

    And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

  • Proverbs 15:27

    He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ye have.
49:5-7; Jos 7:25; 1Ki 18:18; 1Ch 2:7; Pr 11:17,29; 15:27
to stink.
Ex 5:21; 1Sa 13:4; 27:12; 1Ch 19:6
and I being.
De 4:17; 7:7; 1Ch 16:12; Ps 105:12
and I shall.
12:2,12; 28:13,14; 1Sa 16:2; 27:1; Ro 4:18-20

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 34:29

    And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

  • Genesis 34:30

    And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

  • Genesis 34:31

    And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

Read all of Genesis 34

Genesis 34:30 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces dijo Jacob á Simeón y á Leví: Habéisme turbado con hacerme abominable á los moradores de aquesta tierra, el Cananeo y el Pherezeo; y teniendo yo pocos hombres, juntarse han contra mí, y me herirán, y seré destruído yo y mi casa.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jacob dit à Siméon et à Lévi: Vous m’avez troublé, en me mettant en mauvaise odeur auprès des habitants du pays, les Cananéens et les Phéréziens, et moi je n’ai qu’un petit nombre d’hommes; et ils s’assembleront contre moi, et me frapperont, et je serai détruit, moi et ma maison.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da sprach Jakob zu Simeon und zu Levi: Ihr habt mich in Trübsal gebracht, indem ihr mich stinkend machet unter den Bewohnern des Landes, unter den Kanaanitern und unter den Perisitern. Ich aber bin ein zählbares Häuflein, und sie werden sich wider mich versammeln und mich schlagen, und ich werde vertilgt werden, ich und mein Haus.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quibus patratis audacter, Jacob dixit ad Simeon et Levi: Turbastis me, et odiosum fecistis me Chananæis, et Pherezæis habitatoribus terræ hujus: nos pauci sumus; illi congregati percutient me, et delebor ego, et domus mea.