Simon and Levi's Actions in the Old Covenant
Simeon and Levi's Actions in the Old Covenant
The actions of Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, are recorded in Genesis 34, where they avenge the defilement of their sister Dinah by the Shechemites. Their violent response, killing all the males in the city, is met with Jacob's displeasure, as he feared it would bring trouble upon him and his household (Genesis 34:30) [1].
The biblical account portrays Simeon and Levi's actions as driven by a desire for revenge, rather than a pursuit of justice. Their method, using the Shechemites' circumcision against them, is seen as deceitful and brutal [10]. In Genesis 49:5-7, Jacob criticizes their actions, describing them as "instruments of violence" and predicting that their descendants will be scattered among the Israelites [1].
The characterization of Simeon and Levi's actions varies across different traditions. According to Ramban (Nachmanides), a Jewish Kabbalistic/Philosophical commentator, Jacob's criticism is not a condemnation of their zeal for their sister, but rather a recognition that their actions, though motivated by a desire to protect family honor, were still violent and deserving of punishment [5]. In contrast, Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist/Puritan commentator, views their actions as "treacherous and barbarous," highlighting the negative consequences of their uncontrolled passions [6, 7].
John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, interprets Jacob's words as a condemnation of Simeon and Levi's cruel and deceitful nature, which is reflected in their actions against the Shechemites [8]. The Midrash Rabbah, a Jewish Rabbinic text, presents Jacob as lamenting that Simeon and Levi's actions have made him and his household vulnerable to attack by the Canaanites and Perizites [9].
The diverse interpretations of Simeon and Levi's actions underscore the complexity of their story. While some view their actions as a misguided attempt to protect family honor, others see them as exemplifying a violent and vengeful spirit. The biblical account itself presents a nuanced portrayal, highlighting both the motivations behind their actions and the consequences that follow.
The scattering of Simeon and Levi's descendants, predicted in Genesis 49:7, is a historical outcome that reflects the consequences of their actions. The tribe of Levi, however, would later be chosen for a special role in Israelite worship, suggesting a redemptive thread in their story [2]. The etymology of their names also provides insight into their character: Simeon means "that hears" or "that obeys," while Levi is derived from "lavah," meaning "to adhere" or "to join" [3, 4].
The story of Simeon and Levi serves as a reminder of the complexities of human motivation and the consequences of actions driven by passion and a desire for revenge.
Sources
- Genesis “Genesis 49:5 (Rotherham) — Simeon and Levi, are brethren,—Instruments of violence, are their agreements:”
- Exodus “Exodus 1:2 (LEB) — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Simon — that hears; that obeys”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Levi — (joined). + The name of the third son of Jacob by his wife Leah. (B.C. about 1753.) The name, derived from lavah, "to adhere," gave utterance to the hope of the mother that the affections of her husband, which had hitherto rested on the favored Rachel, would at last be drawn to her: "This time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons." (Genesis 29:34) Levi, with his brother Simeon, avenged with a cruel slaughter the outrage of their sister Dinah. [[809]Dinah] Levi, with his three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, went down to Egypt”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 49:5: SIMEON AND LEVI ARE BRETHREN. Jacob is saying that they possess the attribute of kinship for their hearts were inflamed concerning their sister. 94 Ibid. , 34:25-26. He is thus stating in their defense that they acted as they did out of their brotherly zeal, thus suggesting [that were it not for this extenuating circumstance], they would have been deserving of great punishment and their sin would have been unforgivable since what they did to the people of Shechem was an act of violence. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that he is saying that ”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 34:25: Here, we have Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, young men not much above twenty years old, cutting the throats of the Shechemites, and thereby breaking the heart of their good father. I. Here is the barbarous murder of the Shechemites. Jacob himself was used to the sheep-hook, but his sons had got swords by their sides, as if they had been the seed of Esau, who was to live by his sword; we have them here, 1. Slaying the inhabitants of Shechem - all the males, Hamor and Shechem particularly, with whom they had been treating in a friendly manner but the other ”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 49:5: These were next in age to Reuben, and they also had been a grief and shame to Jacob, when they treacherously and barbarously destroyed the Shechemites, which he here remembers against them. Children should be afraid of incurring their parents' just displeasure, lest they fare the worse for it long afterwards, and, when they would inherit the blessing, be rejected. Observe, 1. The character of Simeon and Levi: they were brethren in disposition; but, unlike their father, they were passionate and revengeful, fierce and uncontrollable; their swords, which should have”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 49:5: Simeon and Levi are brothers,.... Not because they were so in a natural sense, being brethren both by father and mother's side, for there were others so besides them; but because they were of like tempers, dispositions, and manners (f), bold, wrathful, cruel, revengeful, and deceitful, and joined together in their evil counsels and evil actions, and so are joined together in the evils predicted of them: instruments of cruelty are in their habitations: or vessels, utensils, household goods gotten by violence and rapine, and through the cruel usage of the Shechemites”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit Rabbah 80:12: “Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me, to render me loathsome to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizites, and I am few in number; they will mobilize against me and smite me, and I and my household will be destroyed” (Genesis 34:30). “They said: Shall he render our sister as a harlot?” (Genesis 34:31). “Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me” – the Rabbis said: [Jacob said:] ‘The barrel was clear, and you rendered it murky. There is a tradition of the Canaanites, that they are destined to fall into my hand”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 34:25: 34:25-29 When Simeon and Levi used circumcision to deceive and slaughter the Canaanites, they showed disdain for the sign of the covenant. Their slaughter of all the males and their plunder of the city was not justice, but brutal and excessive revenge. In their moral outrage and desire to right the wrong, they should have demanded compensation (see Exod 22:16-17; Deut 22:28-29). Instead, their passionate act of rage cost them their birthright blessing (Gen 49:5-7).”