Genesis 34 · Verse 5

Genesis 34:5

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.
Genesis 34:5, King James Version

Genesis 34:5 in other translations

BSBJacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned.
WEBNow Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.
ASVNow Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came.
YLTAnd Jacob hath heard that he hath defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob kept silent till their coming.
DARBYAnd Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his cattle in the fields, and Jacob said nothing until they came.
BBENow Jacob had word of what Shechem had done to his daughter; but his sons were in the fields with the cattle, and Jacob said nothing till they came.
WebsterAnd Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter (now his sons were with his cattle in the field:) and Jacob held his peace till they had come.

What does Genesis 34:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Jacob held his peace--Jacob, as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed. But he could do little. In the case of a family by different wives, it is not the father, but the full brothers, on whom the protection of the daughters devolves--they are the guardians of a sister's welfare and the avengers of her wrongs. It was for this reason that Simeon and Levi, the two brothers of Dinah by Leah [Ge 34:25], appear the chief actors in this episode; and though the two fathers would have probably brought about an amicable arrangement of the affair, the hasty arrival of these enraged brothers introduced a new element into the negotiations.

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

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 34:1-19

Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion. Those parents are very wrong who do not hinder their children…

Read the full comment on Genesis 34:1-19 →

Genesis 34:5 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.

וְיַעֲקֹ֣בve.ya.'a.Koand JacobH3290
שָׁמַ֗עsha.Ma'he heardH8085
כִּ֤יkithatH3588
טִמֵּא֙ti.Me'he had defiledH2930
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
דִּינָ֣הdi.NahDinahH1783
בִתּ֔וֹvi.Todaughter hisH1323
וּבָנָ֛יוu.va.Navand sons hisH1121
הָי֥וּha.Yuthey wereH1961
אֶת\־'et-withH854
מִקְנֵ֖הוּmik.Ne.hulivestock hisH4735
בַּשָּׂדֶ֑הba.sa.Dehin the fieldH7704
וְהֶחֱרִ֥שׁve.he.che.Rishand he kept silentH2790
יַעֲקֹ֖בya.'a.KoJacobH3290
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
בֹּאָֽם\׃bo.'Amcame theyH935

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

Cross references for Genesis 34:5

  • 2 Samuel 13:22

    And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

  • 1 Samuel 17:15

    But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth–lehem.

  • Genesis 37:13-14

    And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

  • Luke 15:29

    And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

  • Luke 15:25

    Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

  • Leviticus 10:3

    Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

  • 1 Samuel 16:11

    And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

  • Genesis 30:35

    And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

  • 1 Samuel 10:27

    But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
now his.
30:35; 37:13,14; 1Sa 10:27; 16:11; 17:15; 2Sa 13:22; Lu 15:25,29
held.
Le 10:3; Ps 39:9

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

Context

  • Genesis 34:4

    And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

  • Genesis 34:5

    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.

  • Genesis 34:6

    And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

Read all of Genesis 34

Genesis 34:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y oyó Jacob que había Sichêm amancillado á Dina su hija: y estando sus hijos con su ganado en el campo, calló Jacob hasta que ellos viniesen.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jacob apprit qu’on avait déshonoré Dina, sa fille. Or ses fils étaient aux champs avec ses troupeaux; et Jacob se tut jusqu’à ce qu’ils viennent.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jakob hörte, daß er seine Tochter Dina entehrt hatte; seine Söhne aber waren mit seinem Vieh auf dem Felde, und Jakob schwieg, bis sie kamen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quod cum audisset Jacob absentibus filiis, et in pastu pecorum occupatis, siluit donec redirent.