Lyn M. Bechtel's Genesis 34

Lyn M. Bechtel discusses Genesis 34, which is a controversial verse in the Bible because it might involve rape. Genesis 34 tells a story of two young people, Dinah and Shechem, in which Shechem has sexual intercourse with Dinah and it is perceived by biblical scholars and other readers to be non consensual, therefore, classified as rape. The girl, Dinah, is Jacob's daughter, who is unmarried and not bonded to any other at time time of intercourse. Many scholars believe that the intercourse between Dinah and Shechem was forced upon Dinah. Bechtel argues that Dinah was not raped in the modern sense of the word, which is classified “as a man’s forcible, aggressive sexual intercourse with a women.” Most of the argument forms around the terms ‘nh, škb, and lqh. Many scholars believe that these terms imply rape, but Bechtel …show more content…
Many scholars believe that Dinah was raped by Shechem, however through Bechtel's careful examination with many of the verbs used in the chapter he comes to the conclusion that it was not rape but a humiliation and a shameful action because it goes against the well being of the group. This article is a very persuasive piece. When encountering the chapter for the first time my understanding was that Dinah was preyed upon by Shechem and I would have fully argued for the rape response to this chapter. However, after reading the argument laid out by Bechtel, my understanding of the chapter has changed. When being guided through the different meanings of the Hebrew words such as ‘nh, I am convinced that the sexual action between Dinah and Shechem was consensual and just brought disgrace to the group orientation. I would recommend this article to other readers interested in Dinah and her controversial experiences. Females that have a passion for women's rights I believe would enjoy reading this article because it is a very controversial topic in the modern day