biblical figure
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Also known as: Dina
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated:Article History
Category: History & Society
- Also spelled:
- Dina
Dinah, in the Old Testament (Genesis 30:21; 34; 46:15), daughter of Jacob by Leah; Dinah was abducted and raped near the city of Shechem, by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite (the Hivites were a Canaanitish people). Because Shechem then wished to marry Dinah, Hamor suggested to Jacob that their two peoples initiate a policy of commercial and social intercourse. Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi pretended to agree to the marriage and the covenant if Shechem and all the other males of the city of Shechem were circumcised. After the operations, while the men were still weakened, Simeon and Levi attacked the city, killed all the males, including Shechem and Hamor, and freed Dinah. They then joined in plundering the city. Jacob rebuked Simeon and Levi for arousing the enmity of neighbouring tribes and, on his deathbed, gave his blessing to their younger brother Judah, reproving Simeon and Levi for their cruelty.
