In Part 1 we examined Deuteronomy 22:23-27 as a basis for how the Hebrew Scriptures treat rape, and found it to be quite foreign to some modern Israeli perspectives. In part 2 we grapple with the tragedy of Jacob’s daughter Dinah.

“Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.“  (Genesis 34:1-2 NIV)

As in Deuteronomy 22, so also in this story there is little emphasis on the woman who was raped. Therefore we have to rely on the tiny clues written about her. The narrative does not take the time to report on Dinah pleading, nor screaming, nor weeping. Only that Dinah “went out.” What does this mean?

It is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 22 and the geographical delineation in...

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