This lesson teaches children that choosing deceit and revenge leads to sadness and trouble, and that God is still faithful even when people do wrong. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, with time for a short story, a few questions and one activity.
Big Idea
Doing wrong things hurts people and makes big problems, but God always knows what is happening and He can be trusted.
Memory Verse
Genesis 34:1
Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
(WEB)
Say the verse slowly and cover your eyes with your hands on the first word, then open them on the last word. Ask children to make a little walking motion with two fingers on the table as they say “went out,” to help them remember that this story starts with Dinah going out.
The Story: Genesis 34 for Kids
Jacob had a daughter named Dinah. One day Dinah went out to visit the girls who lived in the land nearby. While she was there, a young man named Shechem saw her. He was the son of a leader named Hamor. Shechem did a very wrong thing to Dinah, and it made her very sad.
Shechem then told his father that he wanted Dinah to be his wife. His father, Hamor, went to talk with Jacob about it. Dinah’s brothers were out in the fields with the sheep and goats. When they heard what had happened, they were very angry. They knew that what Shechem did was wrong.
Hamor and Shechem made a plan with Dinah’s brothers. They said, “Let us all live together and be one people, if every man in our city will do what you ask.” The men agreed to the plan, and they went through with it. But the brothers were not telling the truth. They only wanted to get revenge.
Three days later, while the men were still hurting, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and went into the city. They hurt many people and took everything that belonged to them. This was not right, and it made the whole family’s trouble grow bigger.
Jacob was worried. He said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me trouble. Now the people around us will not like us, and they might come and hurt us.” Jacob was afraid for his family because of what his sons had done.
The brothers answered their father with a question: should Dinah have been treated the way Shechem treated her? Their answer shows how angry they were. The story ends with a family that has many problems because sin brought trouble to everyone.
Read It Together
Genesis 34:2
Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.
(WEB)
Point out that Shechem took Dinah and hurt her, and that this was the start of the trouble. Explain that what he did was wrong and that the story does not say it was right.
Genesis 34:13-14
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, 14 and said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
(WEB)
Show children that the brothers answered with deceit, which means they were pretending and not telling the truth. Help them see that two wrong actions do not fix each other.
Genesis 34:30
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
(WEB)
Point out that Jacob was worried and said his sons had caused him trouble. Explain that when people do wrong, it often makes life harder for their families too.
Talk About It
- What did Shechem do that hurt Dinah, and how do you think she felt?
- Why did Dinah’s brothers say they were going to do something, but then do something different?
- What would be a better way for the brothers to handle their anger?
- How did the family’s problems get bigger after the first wrong thing happened?
- When you are angry or hurt, what is one thing you can do instead of getting revenge?
Activity Ideas
Draw the Family Tree of Trouble
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Draw a simple tree with Jacob at the top and his children below. Ask children to draw one small picture on each branch showing a choice that caused trouble, such as a broken promise or an angry word. Then ask them to draw a sun above the tree, reminding them that God is still watching over the family.
Sheep in the Field Game
You will need a few soft toys or small objects to be the sheep and a large open space. Scatter the sheep around the room. Call out one of the wrong choices from the story, such as “pretend to be honest,” and have children freeze. When you call “God is watching,” children walk slowly back to the starting line together. This helps them remember that God sees every choice.
Take-Home Truth Card
You will need an index card and a pencil for each child. On one side, have children write “When I am hurt, I will tell the truth and trust God.” On the other side, have them draw a heart. Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it each morning, such as on a bedroom mirror or inside a lunch box, so they can talk about it with a parent during the week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter is a hard and sad story about sin, deceit and revenge within a family. It shows how one wrong choice can spread into many more, and how Jacob’s family suffered because of it. The chapter does not hide the wrongdoing, and it reminds readers that God knows what happens even when people act in secret.
With children, avoid overstating the moral about circumcision or the details of the city’s response. Keep the focus on the plain truths: Shechem did wrong, the brothers lied and took revenge, and trouble grew bigger. Do not suggest that the brothers were fully right in their anger, and do not use the story to teach that violence solves problems.
A Prayer to Close
Dear Father, help us remember that our choices matter and can hurt the people around us. When we are hurt or angry, help us tell the truth and trust You to make things right. Thank You that You see everything and that You keep Your promises. Amen.
