Discovery BoxGenesis 34:20-24 
Context34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 1 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 2 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 3 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 4 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 5 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 6 agreed with 7 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 8 was circumcised.
1 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
2 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
3 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
5 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
7 tn Heb “listened to.”
8 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
