Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Genesis 34:27/ספורנו על בראשית ל״ד:כ״ז

אהָעִיר אֲשֶׁר טִמְּאוּ. כִּי לוּלֵי הָיָה כְּבָר דָּבָר כָּזֶה בִּלְתִּי נִמְאָס אֶצְלָם, לֹא הָיָה שְׁכֶם עוֹשֶׂה כֵּן. אָמְנָם הָיָה זֶה גְּמוּל מֻרְגָּל אֶצְלָם, שֶׁלָּקְחוּ רָאשֵׁי הָעִיר בְּנוֹת הָעָם בִּלְתִּי רְשׁוּת לְנָשִׁים אוֹ לְפִילַגְשִׁים, עַל דֶּרֶךְ (בראשית ו:ב) "וַיִּקְחוּ לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּחָרוּ".
1העיר אשר טמאו, unless according to the mores of Shechem (city) such behaviour was no longer considered despicable, Schechem would not have done what he did. He felt sure he could get away with it, as his townspeople would not object. However raping virgins was commonplace in Shechem already. They behaved in the manner described in Genesis 6,2 “they took women for themselves from wherever they chose.” [the punishment for this type of violence had been the deluge. Ed.]