Verses 18-24 shift the scene back to the town where Hamor and his son present the proposal of circumcision to the men of the town. Like good politicians, Hamor and Shechem are not slow to point out the material advantages the people will then enjoy.

Their words pleased Hamor and … Shechem is literally “Their words were good in the eyes of….” Their refers to Jacob’s sons. We may render this statement, for example, “Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to what they told them to do” or “Hamor … accepted the condition demanded by Jacob’s sons.” This may also be expressed in direct speech: “Hamor and … Shechem said, ‘All right.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .