Genesis - “Vayishlach” 34:1-18
December 12th, 2008

Genesis - “Vayishlach” 34:1-18

So the dialogue in a few of these lines completely puzzled me. Perhaps someone has the answer:

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Line 14: The sons of Jacob say, “We cannot do such a thing - to give our sister [in marriage] to an                              uncircumcised man, for that is a disgrace to us.’

Lines 15-16: “This is the only way we will consent to you: if you will be like us, circumcising all your males. [Then] we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves…’

Line 17: “But if you do not listen to us…we will take our daughter and go.”
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My question: Why would Jacob’s sons call Dina “our daughter“? Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, who wrote commentary for the entire Bible and Talmud), says nothing about it. Why the switch? There’s usually a reason or purpose behind each choice of word. Curious about your thoughts…