Original Word: דִּינָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Diynah
Pronunciation: dee-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-naw')
KJV: Dinah
NASB: Dinah, Dinah's
Word Origin: [fem. of H1779 (דִּין דּוּן - cause)]

1. justice
2. Dinah, the daughter of Jacob

Dinah

Fem. Of duwn; justice; Dinah, the daughter of Jacob -- Dinah.

see HEBREW duwn

Word Origin
from din
Definition
daughter of Jacob
NASB Translation
Dinah (7), Dinah's (1).

דִּינָה proper name, feminine daughter of Jacob Genesis 30:21; Genesis 34:1,3,5,13,25,26; Genesis 46:15.

Identity and Family Lineage

Dinah is the only daughter of Jacob specifically named in Scripture and the seventh child born to Leah after six sons (Genesis 30:21). Her name is included among “the sons and daughters of Leah” who entered Egypt with Jacob, underscoring her historical standing within the covenant family (Genesis 46:15).

Occurrences in the Old Testament

1. Genesis 30:21 – Birth announcement.
2. Genesis 34:1 – Dinah’s visit to the daughters of the land.
3. Genesis 34:3 – Shechem’s affection for Dinah.
4. Genesis 34:5 – Jacob’s silence while waiting for his sons.
5. Genesis 34:13 – Response of Dinah’s brothers.
6. Genesis 34:25 – Simeon and Levi’s assault on Shechem.
7. Genesis 34:26 – Recovery of Dinah from Shechem’s house.
8. Genesis 46:15 – Listing among Jacob’s household in Egypt.

Narrative Setting in Genesis 34

Dinah’s venture “to see the daughters of the land” (Genesis 34:1) takes place during Jacob’s sojourn near the Canaanite city of Shechem. There she is seized and violated by Shechem son of Hamor. Shechem’s subsequent desire to marry Dinah leads to negotiations that Dinah’s brothers deceptively use to exact revenge, slaughtering the men of the city while they are incapacitated after circumcision. Dinah is brought out from Shechem’s household and restored to her family (Genesis 34:26).

Covenant Implications

The account highlights tensions between the covenant household and the surrounding Canaanite culture. Dinah’s brothers insist that any union must align with the sign of the covenant (circumcision), yet they misuse that sacred sign for violent ends. Their actions provoke Jacob’s censure (Genesis 34:30) and later prophetic rebuke: “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence” (Genesis 49:5). The episode therefore becomes a sobering illustration of zeal without righteous restraint.

Moral and Theological Themes

1. Sexual purity and the protection of covenant identity.
2. Misplaced vengeance versus righteous justice.
3. The danger of compromising holiness by blending with pagan society.
4. The misuse of religious signs for personal retaliation.

Historical Significance

Dinah’s account frames the moral climate of Canaan prior to Israel’s conquest and prefigures Israel’s later call to remain distinct. The fallout at Shechem also shapes tribal boundaries and reputations, affecting Simeon and Levi’s subsequent allotments and roles within Israel’s history.

Ministry Applications

• Safeguarding the vulnerable: Dinah’s plight urges families and communities to protect women and children from exploitation.
• Godly response to wrongdoing: Simeon and Levi’s bloodshed warns against vigilante justice; Romans 12:19 calls believers to leave vengeance to the Lord.
• Power of example: Jacob’s passivity and his sons’ excesses both instruct leaders to act decisively yet righteously.
• Holiness and mission: The narrative challenges believers to engage society without forfeiting covenant distinctiveness (1 Peter 2:9–12).

Echoes in Later Scripture

While Dinah herself is not mentioned after Genesis, her narrative reverberates through subsequent biblical ethics regarding sexual conduct (Leviticus 18) and just treatment of outsiders (Deuteronomy 10:18–19). The Levites, descendants of Levi, eventually redeem their ancestor’s violence by zeal for the Lord’s honor at Sinai (Exodus 32:26–29) and through priestly ministry, illustrating God’s ability to transform sinful zeal into holy service.

Conclusion

Dinah’s brief yet pivotal appearance in Genesis exposes the struggles of the patriarchal family to live out covenant identity amid moral complexity. Her account calls God’s people to uphold purity, exercise justice under divine authority, and trust the covenant promises that ultimately culminate in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

בְּדִינָ֖ה בדינה דִּינָ֛ה דִּינָ֣ה דִּינָ֥ה דִּינָֽה׃ דִינָה֙ דינה דינה׃ bə·ḏî·nāh bediNah bəḏînāh dî·nāh ḏî·nāh diNah dînāh ḏînāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts