en_tn/gen/35/05.md

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God made panic to fall on the cities

God causing the people of the cities to be afraid of Jacob and his family is spoken of as if panic were an object that fell on the cities. The abstract noun "panic" can be stated as "afraid." Alternate translation: "God made the people in the surrounding cities afraid of Jacob and those with him" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns)

on the cities

Here "cities" stands for the people who live in the cities. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy)

the sons of Jacob

It is implied that no one attacked anyone in Jacob's family. But two of the sons, Simeon and Levi had attacked the Canaanites relatives of Shechem after he seized and slept with Jacob's daughter. Jacob was afraid they would seek revenge in Genesis 34:30. Alternate translation: "Jacob's family" or "Jacob's household" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)