GEN1413 Dinah who has gone to visit some of the non-Israelite neighbor women, (literally “the daughters of the land”) is raped by Shechem, Son of Hamor the Hittite, prince of the area.  The Hebrew reads he took her, lay (with) her, and raped her. The “rape” term literally means to afflict or oppress – thus are the Israelites treated by Pharaoh in Egypt. In spite of the etymology of rape, the biblical narrator does not treat Shechem’s rape as an act of violence and considers it compatible with love. At least so Shechem’s attitude is portrayed. The language of Genesis 34:3 thus softens: “His (Shechem’s) soul clung to Dinah … he loved the girl and spoke coaxingly to her (literally ‘upon her heart’),” and asked his father to obtain her for his wife. The language of victimization resumes in Genesis 34:5. Jacob heard that he (Shechem) had sullied his daughter, literally “rendered her unclean.” The body, especially the woman’s body, is a vessel that can be rendered unclean, a commodity, like an edible, that can be made unfit for consumption by improper use or storage. Jacob, the father, is silent about the matter, but Dinah’s brothers are enraged. The narrative paints a real difference between the more patient, acquiescent, deal-making old men and the impatient youths who grab what they want (in the case of Shechem) or are quick to vengeance (in the case of Dinah’s brothers) .… Shechem, they say, has committed an outrage in Israel.… the sons of Jacob and the point of view they represent—accused Shechem of acting in a barbarous fashion, breaking accepted rules of civilized interaction Genesis 34:7. Throughout, Dinah is called “daughter of Jacob,” for the injury is done to Jacob and his sons and not only to Dinah. Dinah herself recedes into the background and is mentioned only once more at the end of the tale, for though she is central to the story—without her there would be no plot—the story is not about her, but about the contest for honor and the struggle for power between two groups of men linked by her. NIDITCH 108-9