Ganesis chapter 34

After reading chapter 34:

*Here we have the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. We are told that Dinah would go out and socialize with some local friends. Shechem, the son of the local bigwig, fell in love with her and sweet talked her. We are also told he "violated" her. It is unclear if this was an act of force or a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. It sounds more like the latter. However, we are never given Dinah's side of the story. This act would have reduced Dinah's value as a marriageable young woman in that society.

*Jacob doesn't seem that concerned. Dinah's brothers were furious when they found out. They could not bear the thought of an Israelite girl with a native of that land. It was disgraceful.

* Shechem wanted to marry Dinah and asked his father for permission. His father went to Jacob and asked for Dinah for his son. He also was interested in mutual cooperation and inter-group marriage. Shechem himself offered whatever they wanted as a bride price for Dinah.

*Jacob's sons took advantage of Shechem's ardor to pretend to be willing to come to an arrangement, if all the men of that tribe would be circumcised. God forbid any of the Israelite women should marry a yucky uncircumcised man. Shechem did what they asked right away because he was so much in love. Shechem's father convinced the rest of his men that circumcision would also be to their advantage, so they went along with it.

*Three days later, when every one was still in pain, Simeon and Levi killed every male in the city and removed Dinah from Shechem's house where she had been staying. The rest of Jacob's sons looted the city, took the the livestock, and carried off the women and children. (Why do you suppose they wanted the women and children?) This is what you do when your sister runs off with a guy from the wrong family?

* What did Jacob do? He said,"Shame on you guys. Now the people around here won't like us. They might attack us, then we would be destroyed." The boys replied," But Dad, he treated Dinah like a prostitute." What was the difference between a non-prostitute and a prostitute at that time? As far as I can tell, it was whether  you paid her family before or after you took advantage of her.