Story of Dinah, help?

1st. First I am curious about whether or not she was raped. My Oxford Annotated bible says "yes" but also mentions many scholars say "no". The story sends a completely different message depending on this word.

2nd. were Simon and Levi's anger justified

3rd.(if Dinah was not raped) Was Shechem doing the right thing by offering to "make attonments".

4th (If Dinah was raped) Why was Shechem trying to marry her? Was it a cover up? Maybe he was trying to get into Jacob's pockets?

5th Why was Jacob angery with Simon and Levi. Was their revenge taking it too far? Did he not know about the rape? Was he more concerned about his relations with the surrounding cities?

Lastly what can we learn from this?
 
1st. First I am curious about whether or not she was raped. My Oxford Annotated bible says "yes" but also mentions many scholars say "no". The story sends a completely different message depending on this word.

2nd. were Simon and Levi's anger justified

3rd.(if Dinah was not raped) Was Shechem doing the right thing by offering to "make attonments".

4th (If Dinah was raped) Why was Shechem trying to marry her? Was it a cover up? Maybe he was trying to get into Jacob's pockets?

5th Why was Jacob angery with Simon and Levi. Was their revenge taking it too far? Did he not know about the rape? Was he more concerned about his relations with the surrounding cities?

Lastly what can we learn from this?



Also the information was found from here -----> http://www.jewishjournal.com/morethodoxy/item/understanding_the_rape_of_dina_39091202
 
It is difficult to judge exactly what took place between the two. We can only look at the event through the eyes of our own generation, not theirs.
But looking at the information available to us, some thought that come to mind are that:

1 Dinah did not set out to have this experience with a man, she went out to meet some other women.
2 Shechem' reaction to Dinah after the event was positive not guilt ridden negativity, compare:

2 Sam 13:1-20. In a nut shell, Tamar was raped by Amnon her half brother,
Amnon it is said, loved Tamar (v1) but after raping her he hated her (v15). Probably unbearable guilt.
That is understandable; having raped the girl, how could you face her daily throughout the rest of your life? You would always be her rapist.

But not so with Shechem, He loved Dinah and wanted to take her to be his wife. No overpowering guilt here, just increased affection.
So it would seem that Dinah was seduced. That does not reduce the severity of the act as far as the law of Moses is concerned, but I doubt strongly that Dinah was raped.

The closing defence of Simeon and Levi is interesting and perhaps can shed a lot of light on the matter:
Gen 34:31. But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"
How do you think this sentiment ties in with the earlier information?
Shechem and Dinar, it would seem were married, with Jacob's blessing. (v26)
So to recap, we can see that Tamar was raped and looking at the psychology of things it is unlikely that Dinah was actually raped.
Hope this helps.
 
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It is difficult to judge exactly what took place between the two. We can only look at the event through the eyes of our own generation, not theirs.
But looking at the information available to us, some thought that come to mind are that:

1 Dinah did not set out to have this experience with a man, she went out to meet some other women.
2 Shechem' reaction to Dinah after the event was positive not guilt ridden negativity, compare:

2 Sam 13:1-20. In a nut shell, Tamar was raped by Amnon her half brother,
Amnon it is said, loved Tamar (v1) but after raping her he hated her (v15). Probably unbearable guilt.
That is understandable; having raped the girl, how could you face her daily throughout the rest of your life? You would always be her rapist.

But not so with Shechem, He loved Dinah and wanted to take her to be his wife. No overpowering guilt here, just increased affection.
So it would seem that Dinah was seduced. That does not reduce the severity of the act as far as the law of Moses is concerned, but I doubt strongly that Dinah was raped.

The closing defence of Simeon and Levi is interesting and perhaps can shed a lot of light on the matter:
Gen 34:31. But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"
How do you think this sentiment ties in with the earlier information?
Shechem and Dinar, it would seem were married, with Jacob's blessing. (v26)
So to recap, we can see that Tamar was raped and looking at the psychology of things it is unlikely that Dinah was actually raped.
Hope this helps.

Interesting how a story can teach 2 different moral lessons based upon a few words. I generally hold to the side that she was raped. Then her brothers devised a plan to get revenge. However Simeon and Levi took the plan to a whole new level. Jacob was pretty much concerned about starting a war so he avoided conflict.
 
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