Genesis 34:15

Summary

The sons of Jacob (speaking to Shechem and Hamor) state a single condition under which they will consent to the proposed alliance: that the men of the city undergo circumcision so as to become like them. The verse frames this as an exclusive, conditional offer built on two niphal verb forms describing mutual conformity.

Key words

• 'akh ("only", H0389) — restrictive adverb, isolating what follows as the sole basis of agreement.
• ne'ot ("we will agree", H0225) — niphal imperfect, 1st person plural; the niphal stem here carries a reflexive/reciprocal sense ("we will make ourselves agreeable" or "come to mutual consent"), not a simple active "we agree."
• tihyu ("you will be", H1961) — qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural; expresses a future/potential state, introduced by the conditional particle 'im ("if", H0518I).
• himmol ("being circumcised", H4135A) — niphal infinitive; passive/reflexive sense, "to undergo circumcision," governed by the preposition le ("by/in", H9005).
• zakhar ("male", H2145) — masculine singular adjective functioning as a collective noun, modified by kol ("every", H3605), specifying the scope of the requirement.

What the text says

The sentence opens with 'akh ("only") plus be-zot ("in this"), which grammatically restricts the entire clause that follows to a single stated condition — the sons of Jacob will not agree except on these terms. The verb ne'ot is niphal, a stem often used for reflexive or reciprocal action; here it conveys the idea of reaching mutual consent rather than a unilateral decision. The condition itself is introduced by 'im ("if") governing tihyu, a qal imperfect placing the fulfillment in the future: "if you will be like us." The purpose or means clause follows with le-himmol, an infinitive built on the same niphal stem as ne'ot, again marking a passive/reflexive action — the men undergoing circumcision rather than performing it on themselves actively in a transitive sense. The final phrase kol-zakhar ("every male") specifies the collective, comprehensive scope of the requirement without naming individuals.

Differences between versions

The LXX adds a clause not present in the Hebrew: καὶ κατοικήσωμεν ὑμῖν ("and let us dwell with you"), expanding the condition beyond what the Hebrew ne'ot states. The LXX also renders ne'ot as ὁμοιωθησόμεθα ("we will be made like"), shifting the sense from "agree" toward "become similar." The Vulgate translates ne'ot as valebimus fœderari ("we will be able to make a covenant"), introducing the concept of a formal pact ("fœderari") that is not explicit in the Hebrew verb itself.