All posts by Admin

Bible student and emeritus professor of epidemiology and public health

Malach 1:1-5

From Craig Robinson

Possible chiasm. Some thematic parallels, but not many lexical parallels (only word “build”). Interestingly, the scholars say that Malachi is not poetic, but I see poetic-like parallels throughout this passage (especially the B sections) where the same idea is expressed twice in a row with different words.

Malachi 1:1–5

1 The oracle (burden) of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi (my messenger/angel).

2 “I have (Hebrew perfect tense, past and present) loved you,” says the LORD.
But you say, “How hast Thou loved us?”

A. “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD.
“Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau,

B. and I have made his mountains a desolation,
and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

C. 4 Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down,
but we will return and build up the ruins”;

C’. thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build,
but I will tear down;

B’. and men will call them the wicked territory,
and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.”

A’. 5 And your eyes will see this and you will say,
“The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”

1 Kings 17-2 Kings 2 The Elijah Cycle?

Published by Peter Leithart, 2005, Theopolis Institute

A possible chiastic ouline for the stories of Elijah:

A. Elijah appears suddenly, and leaves the land, 1 Kings 17
B. Fire from heaven in a contest of gods, 1 Kings 18
C. Elijah complains to Yahweh on Horeb, and is assured that Ahab’s house will perish, 1 Kings 19
D. Ahab spares the Gentile king Ben-Hadad, 1 Kings 20
D’. Ahab kills the faithful Israelite, Naboth, 1 Kings 21
C’. Ahab killed after being warned by a lone prophet, 1 Kings 22
B’. Fire from heaven in a contest of gods, 2 Kings 1
A’. Elijah suddenly departs on the east side of the Jordan, 2 Kings 2

Isaiah 25:6-12

A1. 6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people
a feast of fat things,
a feast of wines on the lees,
of fat things full of marrow,
of wines on the lees well refined.

A2. 7 And he will destroy in this mountain
the face of the covering cast over all people,
and the vail that is spread over all nations.

B. 8 He will swallow up death in victory;
and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces;
and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth:
for the LORD hath spoken it.

B’. 9 And it shall be said in that day,
a. Lo, this is our God;
b. we have waited for him,
c. and he will save us:
a’. this is the LORD;
b’. we have waited for him,
c’. we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

A1′  – 10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest,

A2′. and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and, even to the dust.

 

Isaiah 25:1-5

A 1 O LORD, thou art my God;
I will exalt thee,
I will praise thy name;
for thou hast done wonderful things;
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

B.  2 For thou hast made of a city an heap;
of a defenced city a ruin:
a palace of strangers to be no city;
it shall never be built.

C. 3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee,
the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

B’. 4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor,
a strength to the needy in his distress,
a refuge from the storm,
a shadow from the heat,
when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

A’.   5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers,
as the heat in a dry place;
even the heat with the shadow of a cloud:
the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

 

Acts 2-7

Has anyone come across a similar proposal? Chapter 2-7 recount the apostolic witness in Jerusalem that ended with the murder of Stephen. Acts 4 and 5 are quite similar, describing the two interrogations by the  priests and Sanhedrin who demanded that the Apostles cease  preaching. The centre is the wonderful harmony of the ecclesia, only marred by the deception of Ananias and Sapphira. 

A. 2:1-40  Holy Spirit comes on the Apostles and Peter’s first defence in Jerusalem

B. 2:41-47 The new ecclesia in Jerusalem

C1. 3:1-26 Healing of lame man at the beautiful Gate and preaching in Solomon’s porch.

C2. 4:1-22 Arrest by the High priests, and interrogation before the Sanhedrin, and warning to cease preaching.

D. 4:23-37 ecclesia’s praise and unity in fellowship and practice, Barnabas the good example.  

D’. 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira -exemplary punishment

C1’. 5:12-16 Signs and wonders in Solomon’s porch and beyond,

C2’. 5:17-42 Arrest, imprisonment, miraculous release, arrest, and warning to cease preaching.

B’. 6:1- 7 Disharmony in the ecclesia – 7 deacons appointed.

A’. 6:8-7:60 Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, last defence in Jerusalem

Genesis 49:29-33

THE LAST WORDS OF JACOB AND JOSEPH A RHETORICO-STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF GENESIS 49:29-33 AND 50:24-26 Nicholas P. Lunn. TYNDALE BULLETIN 59.2 (2008)

A  29a Then he instructed [ וַיצְַו ] them: ‘I am about to be gathered to my people [נאֱֶסָף אֶל־עַמִּי].

B 29b Bury me with my fathers in the cave [הַמְּעָרָה] in the field [בִּשְׂדֵה]  of Ephron the Hittite [הַחִתִּי ], the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought [קָנהָ ] as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.

C 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife,
there they
buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife,
and there I buried
Leah.

B’  32 The field [הַשָּׂדֶה] and the cave [הַמְּעָרָה] in it were a purchase [מִקְנהֶ ] from the Hittites [בְּניֵ־חֵת]

A’ 33 When Jacob had finished instructing [ לְצַוֹתּ ] his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people [וַיאֵָּסֶף אֶל־עַמָּי].

Psalms 120-134

Here is a  comment from  The Christian’s Friend : 1896

https://www.stempublishing.com/magazines/cf/1896/The-Songs-of-Degrees.html

“All are grouped,” says a pious expositor, “around Psalm 127, which was written by Solomon.  On both sides there stands a heptad (i.e., seven) of pilgrim songs, consisting of two Psalms written by David, and five others, which have no name attached. Both sevens are divided into four and three …”

Does anyone know who the “pious expositor” is?

Wikipedia (referencing  The Flow of the Psalms, O. Palmer Robertson, P&R Publishing, 2015,  pp. 232–233) adds, “A chiastic structure is seen by many in these Psalms with Psalm 127 a Psalm of Solomon as center. Preceded and succeeded by seven Psalms of ascent, each side adorned with 24 occurrences of ‘Yahweh,’ a numerical symmetry evoking divine significance.”

Amos 5:10-12

From Caroline Astell-Burt

(From Jewish Study Bible)

A They hate the arbiter in the gate
And detest him whose plea is just

B Because you impose tax on the poor
And exact from him a levy of grain.

C You have built houses of hewn stone
But you shall not live in them

C You have planted delightful vineyards
But shall not drink their wine.

B I have noted how many are your crimes
And countless your sins

A You enemies of the righteous ,You takers of bribes
You who subvert in the gate The cause of the needy!