Reference: Hamor
Hastings
Some think that the name points to a totem clan, such as there is reason to believe existed among the early Canaanite, and other Semitic, peoples. He is 'the father of Shechem' (Ge 33:19-20; Jos 24:32; Jg 9:28); but in the first and last two of these passages, the inhabitants of Shechem are called 'the sons of Hamor' and 'the men of Hamor.' It would seem, therefore, that Hamor is not to be considered an historical individual, but the eponymous ancestor of the Hamorites [cf. 'the sons of Heth' = the Hittites, Ge 23:3], who were a branch of the Hivites (Ge 34:2); and 'the father of Shechem' means the founder of the place Shechem (cf. 1Ch 2:50 f.).
Ge 34 contains a composite narrative. According to p (Ge 34:1-2 a, Ge 34:4,6,8-10,13-18,20-25 (partly) Ge 34:27-29), Hamor negotiates with Jacob and his sons for the marriage of Shechem and Dinah, with the object of amalgamating the two peoples; circumcision is imposed by the sons of Jacob upon the whole Hamorite tribe, and then they attack the city, slaying all the males and carrying off the whole of the spoil. In the remaining verses of the chapter, the earlier narrative (Jahwist) pictures a much smaller personal affair, in which Shechem loves, and is ready to marry, Dinah; he only is circumcised, and he and Hamor alone are slain by Simeon and Levi
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abraham stood up from before his dead and said to the sons of Heth,
So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre [Hebron] -- "the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and in all its borders round about -- "was made over
Then he bought the piece of land on which he had encamped from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel [God, the God of Israel].
Now Dinah daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out [unattended] to see the girls of the place. And when Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he seized her, lay with her, and humbled, defiled, and disgraced her.
And when Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he seized her, lay with her, and humbled, defiled, and disgraced her.
And Shechem said to his father Hamor, Get me this girl to be my wife.
But Hamor father of Shechem went out to Jacob to have a talk with him.
And Hamor conferred with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem craves your daughter [and sister]. I beg of you give her to him to be his wife. And make marriages with us and give your daughters to us and take our daughters to you. read more. You shall dwell with us; the country will be open to you; live and trade and get your possessions in it.
The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, [justifying their intended action by saying, in effect, we are going to do this] because Shechem had defiled and disgraced their sister Dinah. They said to them, We cannot do this thing and give our sister to one who is not circumcised, for that would be a reproach and disgrace to us. read more. But we do consent to do this: if you will become as we are and every male among you be circumcised, Then we will give our daughters to you and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and consent to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go. Their words pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.
Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their [enclosed] town and discussed the matter with the citizens, saying, These men are peaceable with us; so let them dwell in the land and trade in it; for the land is large enough [for us and] for them; let us take their daughters for wives and let us give them our daughters. read more. But the men will consent to our request that they live among us and be one people only on condition that every male among us be circumcised, as they are. Shall not their cattle and their possessions and all their beasts be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell here with us. And all the people who went out of the town gate listened and heeded what Hamor and Shechem said; and every male was circumcised who was a resident of that town. But on the third day [after the circumcision] when [all the men] were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's [full] brothers, took their swords, boldly entered the city [without danger], and slew all the males.
[Then the rest of] Jacob's [eleven] sons came upon the slain and plundered the town, because there their sister had been defiled and disgraced. They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the town and in the field; read more. All their wealth and all their little ones and their wives they took captive, making spoil even of all [they found] in the houses.
Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel]; their swords are weapons of violence. O my soul, come not into their secret council; unto their assembly let not my honor be united [for I knew nothing of their plot], because in their anger they slew men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites], and in their self-will they disabled oxen. read more. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham bought, along with the field, for a possession as a burying place from Ephron the Hittite.
And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the portion of ground Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the Josephites.
And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the portion of ground Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the Josephites.
Gaal son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Were not the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul, his officer, servants of the men of Hamor the father and founder of Shechem? Then why should we serve him?
These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,
And delivered him from all his distressing afflictions and won him goodwill and favor and wisdom and understanding in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his house.