Originally posted 9/17/24
There have been several times in Bible study when the topic of “chiasm” surfaces. What is a chiasm? I am so glad you asked. Let’s look at someone smarter than me for the answer.
According to www.gotquestions.org, “A chiasm (also called a chiasmus) is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. The result is a “mirror” effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in a passage. Each idea is connected to its “reflection” by a repeated word, often in a related form. The term chiasm comes from the Greek letter chi, which looks like our letter X. Chiastic pattern is also called “ring structure.”
“The structure of a chiasm is usually expressed through a series of letters, each letter representing a new idea. For example, the structure ABBA refers to two ideas (A and B) repeated in reverse order (B and A). Often, a chiasm includes another idea in the middle of the repetition: ABXBA. In this structure, the two ideas (A and B) are repeated in reverse order, but a third idea is inserted before the repetition (X). By virtue of its position, the insertion is emphasized.”
Chiasms have repetition usually in reverse order. It reminds me of a diamond shape. It begins and broadens and then reverses the order of the shape. It is symmetrical. When something is symmetrical it can be divided in half and both halves are the same. The wording doesn’t have to be exact. In the center of most chiasms there will be a climax or a central idea. Chiasms can be a single verse or many verses lumped together.
There are almost 200 different chiasms in the book of Psalms alone. Psalm 23 is a well known passage that is a good example of a chaism.
[Psalm 23:1-6 ESV] 1 A Psalm of David.
He takes care of me–safety in the Lord
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
provisions
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
safety
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Main central point
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
provisions
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
safety
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and
He takes care of me–safety in the Lord
I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
There is a chiastic structure in the flood narrative. I don’t know that I would have seen it if I hadn’t heard someone else talk about it. Chiastic patterns do not have to be word patterns. In the case of Genesis, the chiastic structure is the number of days.
7 days
Genesis 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”
7 days
Genesis 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made
I will blot out from the face of the ground.”
40 days
Genesis 7:12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
150 days
Genesis 7:24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.
150 days
Genesis 8:3, and the waters receded from the earth continually.
At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, …
40 days
Genesis 8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the
window of the ark that he had made …
7 days
Genesis 8:10 He waited another seven days,
and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. …
7 days
Genesis 8:12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove,
and she did not return to him anymore.
I will be the first to admit that I don’t read a portion of Scripture and immediately recognize the chiastic structure. When the structure is spotted, it provides a new appreciation for the detail of God’s Word. I think we have to train our brains to see them.
#faith, #Bible, #Scriptures, #Christian Women, #Discipleship, #womenintheBible, #chiasm, #chiastic structure