Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 34:20-31

"And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah`s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unawares, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem`s house, and went forth. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field; and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and made a prey, even all that was in the house. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?" — Genesis 34:20-31 (ASV)

The Shechemites submitted to the sacred rite only to serve their own ends, to please their prince, and to enrich themselves; and God was just in bringing punishment upon them.

Just as nothing secures us better than true religion, so nothing exposes us more than pretended religion.

But Simeon and Levi were exceedingly unrighteous. Those who act wickedly under the pretext of religion are the worst enemies of the truth and harden the hearts of many, leading them to destruction.

The crimes of others are no excuse for us. Alas! How one sin leads to another, and, like flames of fire, spreads devastation in every direction!

Foolish pleasures lead to seduction; seduction produces wrath; wrath thirsts for revenge; the thirst for revenge resorts to treachery; treachery results in murder; and murder is followed by other lawless actions. If we were to trace the history of unlawful sexual relations, we would find it, more than any other sin, ending in bloodshed.