Genesis 34
ECFGenesis 34:2
Augustine of Hippo: HOW THE SCRIPTURE GIVES THE NAME OF VIRGIN TO DINA, DISHONORED BY SHECHEM. — The Scripture says that Sychem the son of Emmor the Evite, the ruler of the land, saw her, and took her and lay with her, and humbled her. And he was attached to the soul of Dina the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the virgin, and he spoke to her according to the virgin’s heart . How can the Scripture say that she was a virgin, if he had already slept with her and humiliated her? The answer is that perhaps the word virgin is used to indicate age, according to the Hebrew expression. Or perhaps it is rather a recapitulation by means of which the author then says what happened before? In fact, he was able to take her first to love her, to be a virgin, and to talk to her as to a virgin, and then to lie down with her and humiliate her. [ — QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 106 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)
Genesis 34:20
Jerome: (Chapter 34, Verse 20) And Emor and his son Sichem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of the city, saying, these men are peaceful with us. Where now the Septuagint translated it as ‘peaceful’, Aquila interpreted it as ‘consummated’ or ‘perfected’, for which in Hebrew it is read () Salamim. From this it is clear that what we said above about Salem is true. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis
Genesis 34:25
Jerome: (Verse 25) And they entered the city diligently, and they killed every male. Because it is read in Greek as ἀσφαλὼς, which means diligently: it is written in Hebrew as Bete (), which means boldly and confidently. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis
Genesis 34:30
Cyril of Alexandria: Those who are brothers according to faith to the injured one, if they are in the priestly order, like Levi, are among the subjects (Simon, in fact, is interpreted as “obedience”). They are extremely displeased if somebody who is their intimate friend according to faith is offended. However, they should not proceed to demand blood, nor should they expect extremely severe punishments for the corruptors, so as not to listen to Christ, who said to them, “You have made me hateful, so that I am now evil in the eyes of all the inhabitants of the land.” It is necessary to remember what Jesus said in reproof to Peter, who was holding his sword, “Put up again your sword into its sheath: all those who take the sword shall perish with the sword.” In fact, it is not fitting for us, who are inclined toward piety in God, to be armed with swords but rather to be patient. Even though some people want to persecute us, we must reproach them to be good. We must be patient but never silent, as we must refer to him who judges rightly. Those who want to avoid destruction must be careful not to leave the tabernacle of the father, that is, the house of God, in order not to be received into the herds of the heretics and other strangers. After moving out of the father’s tabernacle, Dinah was brought to the house of Shechem. She would have never been reproached if she had stayed in the paternal houses and had lived constantly in the holy tabernacles. David declares how that thing is beautiful and very useful by singing, “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I will earnestly seek: that I should dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord and survey his temple. For in the days of my affliction he hid me in his tabernacle: he sheltered me in the secret of his tabernacle.” — GLAPHYRA ON GENESIS, 5.4-5
Augustine of Hippo: NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM JACOB. — Jacob, fearing the war of the inhabitants of the land, when he lived in the city of Salem that destroyed his sons, says, For I am small in number, and they, meeting against me, will kill me . Out of fear of the attack of many who could rise against him, he says that he has a small number of men. He does not say that he has many less than necessary for the conquest of that city, since he divided them into two camps during his return journey. [ — QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 108 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)