בראשית, פרק ל״ד, פסוק כ״ד

The willingness of an entire adult male population to undergo a painful surgical procedure is a remarkable event that highlights the extreme lengths people will go to for financial gain. The primary approach among commentators is that the men of the city did not agree to this out of religious conviction or a desire to join a new faith. Instead, their sole motivation was a greedy ambition to take control of Jacob's vast wealth. Circumcision for adults is significantly more difficult and painful than it is for infants [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The fact that these men were willing to endure such severe suffering is a powerful testament to their intense greed [מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר].

The narrative focuses specifically on the prominent citizens who would typically gather at the city gates for public affairs. This specific group excludes slaves, guests, and foreign merchants [קונטרס חיבה יתירה], as well as simple commoners [העמק דבר]. It also excludes the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Since those villagers did not expect to receive a share of Jacob's wealth, they did not undergo the procedure [מלבי״ם], as the demand was placed exclusively on the residents of the city itself [הדר זקנים]. Ultimately, the mandate encompassed all male citizens, including young children [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. On a practical level, Hamor and Shechem performed the procedure on themselves first. Only after they had healed did they circumcise the rest of the men in the city [העמק דבר].

There is a distinct contrast between how people participated in this event compared to other public gatherings, such as when Abraham purchased his family burial plot. For Abraham, people arrived willingly to show respect and witness the transaction. Here, the dynamic was exactly the opposite. When the citizens heard the proposal from Hamor and Shechem, they were deeply displeased [חומת אנך]. Terrified by the expected pain, many residents attempted to flee and escape through the city gates [פענח רזא, בכור שור]. In response, Hamor and Shechem resorted to coercion. They blocked the exits and decreed that no man would be permitted to leave the city until he had been circumcised against his will [חזקוני, צאינה וראינה].