Protos

Who was Dinah in the Bible?

Jacob's daughter, in the age of the patriarchs

Dinah was the daughter of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah, born after six sons (Gen.30.21). Dinah appears in 8 verses of the Bible.

The Seduction of Dinah, Daughter of Leah
The Seduction of Dinah, Daughter of Leah · James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What does the Bible say about Dinah?

Dinah was the daughter of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah, born after six sons (Gen.30.21). She is most prominently featured in Genesis 34, which recounts a tragic event that had far-reaching consequences for her family and the inhabitants of Shechem. When Dinah went out to visit the women of the land, Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, saw her and raped her (Gen.34.1-2). Despite this violation, Shechem became deeply attracted to Dinah and sought to marry her (Gen.34.3-4). Jacob learned of the incident but remained silent until his sons returned from tending the livestock (Gen.34.5). Hamor, Shechem's father, approached Jacob to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah, proposing intermarriage and trade between their peoples (Gen.34.6-10). Dinah's brothers, however, were filled with grief and fury over the defilement of their sister (Gen.34.7). They deceitfully agreed to the marriage on the condition that all the men of Shechem be circumcised (Gen.34.13-17). The Shechemites agreed, and all the men of the city were circumcised (Gen.34.18-24). Three days later, while the men of Shechem were still in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked the city, killed all the males, plundered the city, and took Dinah back (Gen.34.25-29). This action troubled Jacob, who feared retaliation from the surrounding peoples (Gen.34.30). Dinah is later mentioned in the listing of Jacob's descendants who went to Egypt during the famine (Gen.46.15). Her story serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of sexual violence and the dangers of deceit and revenge.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Dinah appear in the Bible?

Dinah is referenced in 8 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Dinah.

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Dinah?

Dinah appears in 8 verses, all of them in Genesis.

Which books of the Bible mention Dinah?

Just one: Genesis.

Where can I read every verse about Dinah?

This page lists 8 of them. Protos carries all 8, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Genesis with Dinah explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

The Protos reader open on Genesis 1 with the How to Read Genesis background sheet raised over it
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Fabio Jonathan ArifinFabio JonathanFounder of Protos · Portland Bible College graduate

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