Staircase parallelism in John 1:3-4 from Paul Wyns
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Matthew 8
from Barnaby Harrison
Chiastic Structure of Matthew 8
A. Mat 8:2-4, Jesus cleanses leprosy;
-
- Mat 8:2, a leper worships Jesus;
- Mat 8:3, Jesus cleansed the leper;
- Mat 8:4, See that you tell no one;
B. Mat 8:5-13, The centurion’s great faith;
C. Mat 8:14-16, Jesus heals ‘many’ (8:16 Gk. ‘pollous’)
central axis) 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
C’. Mat 8:18-22, ‘great’ (8:18 Gk. ‘pollous’) multitudes follow Jesus without counting the cost;
B’. Mat 8:23-27, The disciples’ little faith;
A’. Mat 8:28-34, Jesus cleanses Legion;
- Mat 8:28-29, The demon-possessed recognise Jesus as the Son of God;
- 2) Mat 8:30-32, Jesus heals the demon-possessed;
- 3) Mat 8:33-34, The swine herders went and told everyone.
Zechariah 9:1-8*
From Baldwin (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 1972) – using ESV
A. Deliverance from the North
1 The oracle of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach
and Damascus is its resting place.
For the LORD has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,
2 and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
B. Judgment on Tyre in the North
3 Tyre has built herself a rampart
and heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
4 But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down her power on the sea,
and she shall be devoured by fire.
B’. Judgment on Philistia in the South
5 Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
6 a mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
A’. Deliverance from the South
7 I will take away its blood from its mouth,
and its abominations from between its teeth;
it too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
8 Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,
so that none shall march to and fro;
no oppressor shall again march over them,
for now I see with my own eyes.
Zechariah 9-14*
Admin note: The following W-shaped chiasmus has been taken from Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, by Joyce G Baldwin, IVP, 1972. She credits Lamarche (1961) who searched for “an explanation of the apparently chaotic order of events, and the abrupt changes in subject matter”.
I am not saying it is correct (I am still thinking about it) and I would reword the sections, but it is remarkable – the date is well before chiasmus became popularised by the “Bible as Literature” movement. Balwin makes some very pertinent points: regarding Bible truth she says that “truth is expressed in literary forms and structures as well as in words“.
a. 9:1-8 The Lord triumphs from the north
b. 9:9-10 Arrival of the king
c. 9:11-10:1 Jubilation and prosperity
d. 10:2-3a Rebuke of sham leaders
c’. 10:3b-11:3 Jubilation and restoration
b’. 11:4-17 The fate of the good shepherd
c”. 12:1-9 Jubilation in Jerusalem
b”. 12:10-13:1 Mourning for the pierced one
d”. 13:2-6 Rejection of the sham leaders
c”‘. 13:7-9 The shepherd slaughtered, the people scattered
b”‘. 14:1-15 Cataclysm in Jerusalem
a’. 14:16-21 The Lord worshipped as king over all
Acts 9:1-8
sent in by Josh Tense which he credits to “Masterpiece Bible” Youtube channel
A.(1) And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, (2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
B.(3) And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
C. (4) And he fell to the earth,
D. and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
X. (5) a.And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
b. And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
a’. (6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
b’. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
D’. (7) And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
C.(8) And Saul arose from the earth;
B’. and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man:
A’. but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.(9) And he was three days without sight, andneither did eat nor drink.
1 Timothy
From Cynthia Simo
Psalm 31*
Note: this Psalm has been the subject of a lot of debate. Prof Ernst Wendland has published a paper which reviews other proposals and offers his own insights.( A Literary-Structural Approach to Psalms’ Analysis, with special reference to Psalm 31) available on Researchgate. I found this paper very helpful in coming to the following conclusion. Verses 1-5 is a chiastic section as previously posted, Verses 6-8 praise YHWH for deliverance. Verses 9-18 describe the plight of the one who is suffering and pleads for help. Verses 19-24 praise YHWH for deliverance. The Psalm has an ABA’B’ structure if we follow the sequence of Plea/Praise/Plea/Praise. However, there are two key words for “trust” that would give an ABB’A’ pattern. No single pattern is good enough to do justice to this Psalm but at least searching for themes and structure really helps appreciate its beauty and power.
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN, A PSALM OF DAVID.
A. Deliver me – I trust YHWH
a. 1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust (hasa);
let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in thy righteousness.
b. 2 Bow down thine ear to me;
deliver me speedily:
be thou my strong rock,
for an house of defence to save me.
b’. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress;
therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me:
for thou art my strength.
a’. 5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit:
thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
B. I trust YHWH and will rejoice in thy mercy
6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities:
but I trust (batah) in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy:
for thou hast considered my trouble;
thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:
thou hast set my feet in a large room.
B’. Have mercy upon me because I trusted YHWH
9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble:
mine eye is consumed with grief,
yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief,
and my years with sighing:
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
and my bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies,
but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance:
they that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many:
fear was on every side:
while they took counsel together against me,
they devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted (batah) in thee, O LORD:
I said, Thou art my God.
15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me
from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
save me for thy mercies‘ sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee:
let the wicked be ashamed,
and let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence;
which speak grievous things
proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
A’. Blessed be YHWH in whom I trusted
a.19 Oh how great is thy goodness,
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;
which thou hast wrought for them that trust (hasa) in thee
before the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence
from the pride of man:
thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion
from the strife of tongues.
b. 21 Blessed be the LORD:
for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness
in a strong city.
a’. 22 For I said in my haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes:
nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications
when I cried unto thee.
b’. 23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints:
for the LORD preserveth the faithful,
and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart,
all ye that hope in the LORD.
Job 31
From Ethan Hardy
A. God sees my ways so let Him judge me fairly
1 “I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin?
2 What then would be one’s lot from God above, one’s heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust, and disaster for those who work iniquity?
a. 4 Does he not see
b. my ways
c. and count all my steps? 5 If I have walked in falsehood, and if my foot has hastened to deceit –
d. 6 let him weigh me with honest scales;
c’. “then God will discover my integrity (and) 7 If my steps have strayed
b’. from the way,
a’. and if my heart has gone after my eyes.”
B. If my hand has sinned and my heart has been enticed by women, this should be judged
a. If anything has defiled my hands, 8 then let me sow and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
b. 9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
c. 10 then let my wife turn the millstone for another man, and may other men commit adultery with her. 11 For I would have committed a shameful act, an iniquity to be judged. 12 For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction, and it would uproot all my harvest.
C. I judged the needy fairly
a. (i) 13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants or my female servants when they disputed with me,
(ii) 14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment; when he intervenes, how will I respond to him? 15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us in the womb?
b. 16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired,
c. or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
d. 17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans –
d’. 18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father,
c’. and from my mother’s womb I guided her (the widow).
b’. 19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without a coat, 20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
a’. (i) 21 if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan, when I saw my support in the gate,
(ii) 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let my arm be broken off at the socket. 23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his majesty I was powerless.
B’. If my hand has sinned and my heart was enticed by riches, this should be judged
a’. 24 “If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security!’ 25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth, or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,
b’. 26 if I looked at the sun when it was shining, and the moon advancing as a precious thing, 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed, and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth,
c’. 28 then this also would be iniquity to be judged, for I would have been false to God above.
A’. I will declare my ways to God if only he would hear me
a. 29 If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy or exulted because calamity found him – 30 I have not even permitted my mouth to sin by asking for his life through a curse –
b. if the members of my household have never said, ‘If only there were someone who has not been satisfied from Job’s meat!’ – 32 But no stranger had to spend the night outside, for I opened my doors to the traveller –
c. 33 if I have covered my transgressions as men do, by hiding iniquity in my heart 34 because I was terrified of the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors –
d. 35 “If only I had someone to hear me! Here is my signature – let the Almighty answer me! If only I had an indictment that my accuser had written.
c’. 36 Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder, I would bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would give him an accounting of my steps; like a prince I would approach him.
b’. 38 “If my land cried out against me and all its furrows wept together, 39 if I have eaten its produce without paying,
a’. or caused the death of its owners, 40 then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat, and in place of barley, weeds!”
The words of Job are ended.
Isaiah 51:1-8
as J A Motyer, The prophecy of isaiah, IVP Academic, 1993.
A. a. 51: 1 Hearken (shama) to me,
ye that follow after righteousness,
ye that seek the LORD:
b. look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
2. Look unto Abraham your father,
and unto Sarah that bare you:
c. for I called him alone,
and blessed him, and increased him.
b’. 3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion:
he will comfort all her waste places;
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of the LORD;
a’. joy and gladness shall be found therein,
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
B.a. 4 Hearken (qasab) unto me, my people;
and give ear unto me, O my nation:
for a law shall proceed from me,
and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
b. 5 My righteousness is near;
my salvation is gone forth,
c. and mine arms shall judge the people;
the isles shall wait upon me,
and on mine arm shall they trust.
a. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look upon the earth beneath:
for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke,
and the earth shall wax old like a garment,
and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner:
b’. but my salvation shall be for ever,
and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
A’. a. 7 Hearken (shama) unto me, ye that know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law;
b. fear ye not the reproach of men,
neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
b’. 8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment,
and the worm shall eat them like wool:
a’. but my righteousness shall be for ever,
and my salvation from generation to generation.
Job 34, 35
From Ethan Hardy