Genesis 34:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe once more how the virtuous individual demonstrated his humility in this situation. What transpired? Dinah, the daughter of Leah...

She, as a young maiden, and one of considerable beauty, stepped out from her father’s household to observe the daughters of the land. It is natural for young women to seek connection with their peers. Furthermore, those who wish to avoid peril must be cautious of straying from their father's household, that is, from the sanctuary of God, into the company of outsiders. For Dinah, upon leaving her father's home, was taken to the house of Shechem. Had she chosen to remain in her father’s abode and dwell among the holy, she would not have faced such insolence. This notion is exemplified by the blessed David, who declares: ‘One thing have I asked of the Lord, that only I seek, that I may abide in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to visit ... His temple, for He would hide me in His tabernacle in the day of trouble; He would hide me in the secret place of His village’ (Psalm 26:4-5).

Similarly, Dinah, the daughter of the esteemed Jacob, would not have been assaulted and shamed by Shechem, the son of Emmor, had she not ventured out with the daughters of the local inhabitants, engaging in sensual distractions. The name Shechem can be understood as ‘back,’ while Yemmor signifies ‘donkey,’ symbolizing the body. Shechem, representing the back, reflects the subsequent law of Emmor—the body—that follows rather than precedes it. Initially, before the transgression against the divine commandment, this human form, embodied by Emmor, did not bear the law of sin, which is represented by Shechem; however, following the transgression, this law of sin became attached to the body.