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The Presence of Chiasmus in the Old TestamentAuthor(s): N. W. LundSource: The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Jan., 1930),pp. 104-126Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/528980Accessed: 30-08-2015 03:51 UTC
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THE PRESENCE OF CHIASMUS IN THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
BY
N.
W. LUND
North
Park
College,
Chicago
The
purpose
of
this
paper
is to exhibit
some
passages
in
the Old
Testament
which
seem to have
been
constructed
according
to
a lit-
erary principle
called chiasmus
and
to
discuss
briefly
the
meaning
of these
constructions
for textual
criticism and
interpretation.
The
chiasmus is
a
placing
crosswise
of
words
or
ideas
in
a
sentence,
as
the
following
example
will show:
If
e'er
to
bless
thy
sons
My
voiceor hands
deny,
These hands et
useful
skill
forsake,
This
voice
in silence die
[DR.
T.
DWIGHT].
In
Gnomon
Novi
Testamenti,
published
at
Tilbingen
in
1742,
J. A.
Bengel
calls attention
to
the
presence
of
chiasmus
in
a few
passages
of the New Testament and makes use of the principle for purposes of
interpretation.
This
is
the first
instance,
as
far as
I
know,
where
a
writer has used the chiasmus as
a means of
interpreting
the
Scriptures.
There are
at
least
three
English
writers
that continue the
scholarly
succession. John
Jebb, Bishop
of
Limerick,
wrote
a book
called
Sa-
cred
Literature
n
1820
in
which
he
continues the work
of
Bishop
Lowth
in
the
study
of Hebrew
parallelsim.
Jebb
criticizes
Lowth's
term
synonymous parallelism
and wishes
to
replace
it
by
the term
gra-
dational parallelism, since the second member of a couplet not merely
repeats,
but
often diversifies
or
enhances,
the first member. Jebb's
most
important
contribution, however,
is
his
study
of
chiasmus
in
the
Scriptures,
which
he
designates
by
the
general
term
introverted
parallelism.
His
correspondence
with Alexander
Knox,
published
by
C.
Forster
in
two volumes
in
1834,
covers a
period
of
thirty
years.
In these volumes there
are a few references to the
progress
of his re-
searches,
from which
one
gathers
that the
introverted
parallelism
is Jebb's own discovery and that the term is also his own invention.
Jebb considers Lowth's
failure to discuss this
particular literary
form
a serious defect
in
his otherwise brilliant
work,
De
sacra
poesi
He-
104
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CHIASMUS
IN
THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
105
braeorumPraelectiones
Academicae
(Oxford,
1753).
Jebb's work
was
continued
by
Rev. Thomas
Boys,
M.A.,
of
Trinity College,
Cam-
bridge,
and curate
of
St.
Dunstan's
in the
West,
in a
small,
but well
written book
entitled
Key
to the Book
of
Psalms,
printed
by
L.
B.
Seely
&
Sons,
Fleet Street
(London,
1825).
This
splendid
book con-
tains a wealth
of
well-chosen
illustrations,
but
is
very
rare. I
have
found
a
copy
in this
country
only
in the
Andover-Harvard
Theologi-
cal
Library.
There
is a later edition of this work which
is
edited
from
the notes
left
in the Hebrew
Bible of
Boys.
The
editor,
Dr. E.
W.
Bullinger,
informs
us that to his belief this is the
first time that
such
a
work
has been
laid before
the
public.
The first edition in
1825
by
Boys
himself contained
only
sixteen
psalms,
but his discussion of
the
general principles
of this
literary
form
and his
illustrations
render
that
edition
valuable.
Most
of
this
material
is eliminated
from
the
edition
by
Bullinger
which was
printed
in
1890.
In the memoir
writ-
ten
by
Rev.
Sidney
Thelwall
and
prefixed
to
Bullinger's
edition
these
words
occur: What
led to
his
[Boys'] discovery [or
rediscovery]
of
the
great principle
of
Parallelism,
or
[as
he
preferred
to call
it]
Cor-
respondence,
I know
not
(p.
ix).
I
am
not in
possession
of
any
infor-
mation
that
enables
me to connect
Boys'
work with
the researches
of
Jebb
or
the still earlier
observations
of
Bengel
on
chiasmus.
Boys
shows that
these
forms are
found,
not
only
in
the
Old
Testament,
but also
in the
New,
and that we
have
to deal with
parallel
sections
as well as
with
parallel
lines.
Boys
has
also
published
an
earlier work
called
Tactica
sacra
of which
I
have found no
trace
in
this
country.
References
to
it
in
Key
to the Book
of
Psalms show that
it
contained
literary
studies
of
this
particular
form in the
New
Testament.
In
1854 there
appeared
a
book entitled The
Symmetrical
Structure
of
Scripture,
or the
Principles of Scripture
Parallelism
Exemplified
in
an
Analysis
of
the
Decalogue,
the
Sermon
on the
Mount,
and Other
Passages
of
the
Sacred
Writings, by
Rev. John
Forbes, LL.D.,
Donald-
son's
Hospital,
Edinburgh, published
by
T.
& T.
Clark.
The
author
frankly
avows
his indebtedness to Jebb and
Boys,
and
even
seems
aware
of the fact
that he
in
some
respects
has been
anticipated by
Bengel
(p.
214
n.).
The
general
facts
concerning
this
form of
parallel-
ism
have
never been
forgotten.
There
are
brief
remarks
in
Smith's
Dictionary of
the
Bible and
in the
Jewish
Encyclopedia,
but
with
scanty
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106
THE
AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
illustrative material.
Professor
Richard
G. Moulton has
collected
some
interesting
material
to
illustrate the
principle
in
his book
The
Literary Study of the Bible. The most recent and also most extensive
attempt
to
employ
Jebb's
introverted
parallelism
in
biblical
studies
is
found in The
Companion Bible,
issued
by
the
Oxford
University
Press and edited
by
the
above-mentioned
Dr.
E.
W.
Bullinger.
This
work is
printed
on a
generous
scale and
contains
many
aids
to
the
study
of the
Scriptures,
the most
important
of
which
is the
arrange-
ment
of the text
according
to
the
principle
of
chiasmus. The
work,
however,
suffers
from
serious
defects. The
analysis
of
many
passages
is not carried out with sufficient thoroughness, but the text is thrown
into convenient blocks
in
a
rather
arbitrary
fashion. The
principle
is
worked to
death,
for even the order
of the
books in
the
Hebrew
canon
is
determined
according
to
it.
Finally,
there are
frequent
references
to
certain
pronounced
dispensational
views
of
the
editor. This
re-
grettable
conjunction
of
circumstances
in
a work
which
otherwise
embodies
a
sound
principle
is not
likely
to
commend,
but to
discredit,
the
study
of chiasmus
in
the
Scriptures.
A
study
of
the
examples
sub-
mitted in this article will, I hope, convince the reader that chiasmus
as a
principle
of
literary
construction in
the
Old
Testament
is a
fact
and not a
fancy,
though
there
are
very good
reasons
why
there
may
be difference of
opinion
in
the
detailed
application
of
the
principle
to
specific
passages.
With these
preliminary
remarks
on
the
literature on
the
subject
we
may
now
present
some of
the
passages
from
the
Old
Testament.
Bishop
Jebb describes the
form of
literary
construction
with
which
we are here concerned in the following words:
There are stanzas
so
constructed
hat,
whatever
be
the
numberof
lines,
the
first
shall be
parallel
with
the
last;
the
secondwith
the
penultimate;
and
so
throughout,
n
an
order
hat
looks
inward,
or
to borrow
a
military
phrase,
from flanks
to
centre.
This
may
be
called
introverted
arallelism.
The
following
example
is
given by
Jebb:
The
idols
of the
heathen are
silver and
gold:
The
work of
men's
hands;
They
have
mouths,
but
they
speak
not;
They have eyes, but they see not;
They
have
ears,
but
they
hear
not;
Neither
is
there
any
breath
n
their
mouth;
They
who
make
them
are
like
unto
them:
So
are
all
they
who
put
their
trust
in
them
[Ps.
135:15-18].1
1
Sacred
Literature,
p.
57.
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CHIASMUS IN
THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
107
In his
preliminary
dissertation
Boys
has
pointed
out
that
these
forms
are
found
not
only
in
doctrine and
discussion,
but
in
narra-
tion and
dialogue;
not
only
where
we
might
expect
to
meet
with
some-
thing
like
stanzas,
but
where
poetry,
according
to our
ideas of
it,
is
out
of
question.
From the
many interesting
passages
given by Boys
the
following
two are sufficient
to
illustrate instances
where
poetry,
according
to our ideas of
it,
is out of
question :
Ashkelon
shall
see
it
and
fear,
Gaza also and be
very
sorrowful;
And
Ekron:
For her [Ekron's] xpectationshallbe ashamed,
The
king
shall
perish
from
Gaza;
And
Ashkelonshall
not be
inhabited
[Zech.
9:5].
In the
following passage
which described
the
wealth of Abraham we
discover
the same
principle
of construction:
And
he had
sheep
and
oxen,
And he
asses,
And men
servants,
And maid
servants,
And she asses,
And
camels
[Gen.
12:16].
The
following
passage,
which is
from a
narrative
portion,
is inter-
esting.
I had
found
and
arranged
this
passage
when
I came
upon
Bullinger's
edition
of
Key
to
the
Book
of
Psalms
in
which
I
find
Boys'
arrangement.
With
the
exception
of
the
words
and
they
brought
him,
which
Boys
moves down to
the
following
line,
we have reached
the
same
conclusion
in
regard
to
the
passage.
I can
explain
Boys'
arrangement on the ground that he feels himself to be under obliga-
tion to
have
a
central
couplet,
while I am
led
to believe
that
a
line
in the
center
of
some
systems
satisfies
the
requirements.
And
Jehovah
said unto Moses:
He
shall
surely
be
put
to
death,
the
man,
Shall stone
him
with
stones
All
the
congregation
without
the
camp.
And
they
brought
him
All
the
congregation
without
the
camp.
And stoned
him
with stones
To death,
As
Jehovah commanded
Moses
[Num.
15:35-36].
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108
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL
OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
That
the
center
need
not
necessarily
have
a
couplet
but
only
a
single
line
may
be seen
also
from
the
following
passage:
Seek
ye
me,
and
ye
shall
live;
but seek not
after
Bethel,
nor
enter
into
Gilgal,
and
pass
not
to
Beer-sheba:
for
Gilgal
shall
surely
go
into
captivity,
and Bethel shall come
to
naught.
Seek
Jehovah,
and
ye
shall
live
[Amos5:4b-6a].
Harper
finds
it
advisable
to unite the first line
of this
system
with
the
preceding
words
in
order
not to
compel
the
prophet
to
give
two
exhortations in practically the same language. He also advises the
removal
of
the central line to a
place
before the
line,
but
seek
not
after
Bethel,
in
order not
to
destroy
the
chiasmus
with
Bethel and
Gilgal.
Neither
is
this
necessary,
nor
do we need
to
assume a
central
line
parallel
to Beer-sheba
in order to have
a
couplet.
In
the Greek
of
the New
Testament'
I
have
observed
again
and
again
instances of
single
central
lines. This
passage
is a
good
illustration of
how
the
observance
of
the
more
extensive
use
of chiastic forms will
prove
an
aid to interpretation.
Another
example
from
Amos is
in
a
passage
in
which
Harper
suggests
corruptions
of
the
Hebrew
text and
several
possible
emenda-
tions.
If
we
turn
to the
Septuagint
we obtain the
following
chiastic
arrangement
with
a
rhythmic
movement
of
great
beauty
and
force:
And
flight
shall
perish
rom the
runner,
and the
strong
shall
not hold
fast his
strength,
and the
warrior
hall not save
his
life,
and the
archer
hall
not
withstand,
and he that is swift of foot shall in*nowiseescape,
and the
horseman hall
not save
his
life,
and
the
strong
shall not find confidence
n
his2
power,
(and)
the
naked
shall flee
in that
day,
saith
the Lord
[Amos
2:
14-16
(LXX)].
Because
of the
perfect
symmetry
offered
by
the Greek of this
passage
I am
satisfied
that
this
early
translation
preserves substantially
the
order
of
the
original
Hebrew,
and
that future emendations
of
the
Masoretic
text
of
this
passage
should follow
the
guidance
provided
by
the
Septuagint.
Scholars
who after
the fashion
of Duhm
have
been
given
to
generous pruning
of the Hebrew text of the prophets
may
at
times
find
in
the
employment
of the
principle
of
chiasmus
a
1
The
writer
has under
preparation
a
book
on
Chiasmus
in
the
New
Testament.
2
abTro-
hould
probably
end
the
line
here
as in
the
second
line
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CHIASMUS
N
THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
109
needed check
to
their
activities.
There
is a
fascinating
euphony
in
the
endings
of
the
lines
in
the
Greek which indicates
artistic
trans-
lators.
From these
comparatively
brief
and
simple
constructions
we
may
now
pass
on to
the
more
intricate
arrangements
in
which
we find a
combination of
parallelisms
of words and of ideas
in
a
given
order
which
taken
together
enhance
the
artistry
of
the
writing.
Isa. 60:1-3
is a
splendid example
of
such
a
combination.
Arise,
shine,
for thy light is come,
and the
glory
of
Jehovah
upon
thee
is
risen.
For,
behold,
darkness
hall
cover the
earth,
and
gross
darkness
he
peoples,
but
upon
thee
will
arise
Jehovah,
and his
glory
shall be
seen
upon
thee,
and nations shall come to thy light,
and
kings
to
the
brightness
of
thy
rising
[Isa.
60:1-3].
In this
passage
which
permits
of
an
arrangement
in
fourteen
lines
there
is
a
remarkable
symmetry
which is
brought
about
in
two
dif-
ferent
ways.
Throughout
the
passage
there
is
a
play upon
the ideas
of
light
and
glory,
on
the one
hand,
and
of
darkness,
on
the
other.
A
glance
at
the
arrangement
will show that
the
passage opens
with a
description of the coming light and glory, but when the center
is
reached,
a
sudden shift
occurs from
light
and
glory
to
darkness
and
gross darkness,
after which
the
passage
resumes the
description
with
which it
opens,
though
in
a
somewhat
amplified
form.
Another
in-
teresting
feature
is
noticed
in
the
manner
in
which
these ideas
are
expressed.
In
the
first
two and
last
two lines of
the
system
as well as
in
the
two
central
lines we
have a
parallelism
of
ideas,
but not of
words,
which fact is
disguised
in
our
version. In all
the
other lines
of the system we have, not only parallelism of ideas, but also of words.
The
sudden shift from
one
idea
to
another when
the
center
is
reached,
and
the
resumption
of
the idea
when
the
center
is
passed,
may
also
be
accepted
as a
regular
feature in
the
application
of
the
principle
of
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110
THE AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
chiasmus.
There are
many
examples
of
it
in
both the Old and
New
Testament.
The reader
may
observe
that
in
Gen.
12:16
the
first
two
and the last two lines
enumerate
beasts while the two central
lines
enumerate
human
beings.
Several
other
instances will
easily
be de-
tected
by
the reader
in
the
passages
that
follow. There
is, however,
no notice taken
by
either
Boys
or
Jebb
of
this
rather
striking
feature
of
the
style. Boys
has
worked
on
Isa.
60:1-3 and
arranged
it in a
system
of
eight
lines,
but he has
evidently
missed some of the
details
of its
symmetry.
There
are also
many
instances of a mixture of
chiastic
patterns
in
combination
with
the
ordinary parallelisms
of
two lines.
The
follow-
ing
example,
though
brief,
illustrates the
combination
of the
two
forms.
Let the wickedforsake
his
way,
and the
unrighteous
man his
thoughts;
and let
him
returnto
Jehovah,
and he will have
mercy
upon him;
and to our
God,
for he will
abundantly
pardon.
For
my
thoughts
are
not
your
thoughts,
neither are
your ways
my
ways,
saith
Jehovah
[Isa.
55:7-8].
How
spontaneous
the chiastic order
seems to
be
may
be observed
in
the last
two
lines.
The
order
of the
words
my, your - your,
my
is a
minor
piece
of
ornamentation,
a
final
flourish
as
it
were.
The
early
English
writers
used
the term
alternating
for
lines like
those
in the
central
section of
the
passage
above,
which
correspond
in the order of ABC A' B' C', etc. In the passage just given the chias-
tic
lines inclose
the
alternating,
but
there
are
examples
of the
alter-
nating
lines
inclosing
the
chiastic
patterns.
Of such constructions
there
are several
examples
in
the
passages
from the Levitical
laws,
which will be
discussed later
in
this
article.
In
the
article
on Hebrew
Poetry
in
Smith's
Dictionary
of
the
Bible,
Wright
has
taken
exception
to
Jebb's
term introverted
paral-
lelism
on the
ground
that
it
is
really
no
new
type
of
parallelism,
but
only a group of ordinary parallelisms forming a strophe. Jebb him-
self has
not been unmindful
of
this
fact,
for
his
definition
opens
with
these
words,
There
are
stanzas
so
constructed,
etc.
My
own
ob-
servations,
however,
have
gradually
led
me
to the
position
that I am
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CHIASMUS
IN
THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
111
more and more inclined to abandon
the
ordinary
poetical
terminology
such as
strophes,
stanzas,
and
even
lines. It
is,
of
course,
convenient
to use these
terms,
and at times
one
slips
into the custom-
ary
use of
them,
but
they
are
quite
misleading.
The
reader
is led to
assume
by
the use of such terms that
he is
dealing
with
poetry,
and
he
will
consciously
or
unconsciously
impose upon
the
material the
formal
limitations
which
in his
own mind are associated with
poetry.
This
will
hamper
his
investigations
and
prevent
him from
tracing
these
symmetries
to
their
fullest extent in
any
passage.
I rather
sus-
pect
that
it was the
self-imposed obligation
of
maintaining
a sem-
blance of
lines which made
Boys arrange
the
passage
from
Isa. 60:1-3
into
eight,
when
the
facts
plainly
warrant a
group
of fourteen
lines.
There
are,
of
course, many systems
that
may
be
designated
as stan-
zas,
for
they
are
formally begun
and
concluded
by
appropriate
state-
ments.' On the
other
hand,
there
are
passages
in
which the
symmetry
may
be
traced
only by
means of words
in
a certain
order,
and
yet
other instances
where not even
the
words,
but
only
the
ideas,
ex-
pressed
in
related
words,
enable us to trace the
parallelism (cf.
Isa.
60:1-3,
shine
in
the second
and
brightness
in
the
next to
the
last
line,
and
in
Gen.
12:16
sheep-and-oxen
and
camels ).
There
is
no reason
why
one
should
impose
stricter
requirements
for
the
expression
of
the
ideas
in
this
form of
parallelism
than is
imposed upon
the
ordinary
parallelism
of
only
two
members. Once
the mind has
become
accustomed
to
these
far-flung
symmetries they
take on all
the effect
of
the
ordinary
parallelism
with
the addition
of a sense
of
expectancy
which
urges
the reader
on
to the
end of the
system.
If I
should venture
upon
anything
like a
definition,
I should state it
as
follows:
The
ideas
contained
in
any
given
passage
occur
in
a
certain
order of succession
up
to a certain
point
when
they
apparently
reach
a
climax,
after which
they
are
repeated,
with or
without
variation,
in
the
reverse
order,
until
the
last idea
of
the
system
is
reached.
For
all
practical
purposes
this definition
is
sufficient. Because
of the im-
plications
of the
ordinary poetical
terminology
and
the criticism
to
which it may give rise, it seems better to abandon it and to adopt the
term
chiasmus.
This
term
is
noncommittal,
it describes the
facts,
and it
is
already
used
in
general
literature.
1
Cf.
Amos
9:1-4;
Lev.
14:49-53.
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112
THE
AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
In
the
following
structure
we have
an
illustration of
another
quite
frequent combination. In this passage from Isaiah we have a mix-
ture
of a chiastic
arrangement
of
sections with an
alternating
order
of lines within the section.
A
Because
ye
have
said,
We made a
covenantwith
death,
and with Sheol are we at
agreement;
when
the
overflowing
courge
shall
pass through,
it
shall not
come unto us.
for we made lies our
refuge,
B
and
under
falsehoodhave we hid
ourselves;
a
stone,
a
stone
tried,
a
corner
C
Behold,
I
lay
in
Zion
precious,
a foundation ell
founded.
Therefore,
hus
saith
the Lord Jehovah: D. He that believeth shall not be in haste.
C' And
I
will make
justice
the
line,
and
righteousness
he
plummet.
B'
And the
hail shall
sweep
away
the
refuge
of
lies,
and
the waters
shall
overflow he
hiding-place.
A'
And
your
covenantwith
death shall be
annulled,
and
your agreement
with Sheol shall
not
stand,
when the
overflowing courge
shall
pass through,
then
shall
ye
be trodden
down
by
it
[Isa.
28:15-18].
This
beautiful
passage
is
quoted
in
the
New
Testament. It
is
easy
to see
how the
symmetry
of
the
structure would aid
in
the mem-
orizing
of the words. It
is
the central
part
which is
found
in
the
New
Testament,
for it states
the
provisions
made
by
the Lord
for
his
people
in
contrast
with the futile
protective
measures
inaugurated
by
the rulers and
diplomats
in
Jerusalem.
This
passage
is
constructed
in
seven parts,
whose
symmetry may
be
exhibited
by
the
following
scheme:
A. What the rulers
say
about their covenants
and
agreements.
A'.
What the
Lord
says
about their covenants
and
agreements.B. The arrangementsmadeby the rulersappear o them as safe.
B'.
The
arrangements
made
by
the
rulers
are
declared
nsecure
by
the Lord.
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CHIASMUS
N THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
113
CDC'. The
arrangement
made
by
the Lord himselffor his
people
and
its
security.
C. Buildingoperations: ayingof the cornerstone.
C'.
Building operations:
the
line and
the
plummet:
Notice
how
justice
and
righteousness
s
substituted
for
the lies
and
falsehoods used
by
the
rulers.
D.
The absolute
security
of the
arrangement
made
by
the Lord
in
contrast
with
the
insecurity
of
that
provided
by
the rulers.
In
this
Journal
for
October, 1920,
there
appeared
a
scholarly
arti-
cle
written
by
Professor
Kemper
Fullerton,
of
Oberlin,
which
contains
a
very
interesting study
of Isa.
28:15-18. Dr. Fullerton
regards
the
present
form of the
passage
as
the
result
of
interpolation
and
transposi-
tion.
The
section which
is
designated
C
in
our
arrangement
above
he
treats as the
deposit
of
a
lithic
theology
which
prevailed
during
a
period
of
Israel's
history
and has
left traces
in
the
Book
of
Isaiah.
He
also
suggests
that
the third
and fourth
lines
of the
section marked
A
should
be
moved to a
place
before
the
first and second line.
When
this
operation
is
completed,
we
would have a
perfect
chiastic
scheme
of
the
following
ideas:
scourge-Sheol-lies
and
lies-Sheol-scourge.
The
protasis
of the sentence
which begins
in
verse 15 would be fol-
lowed
immediately
by
the
apodosis
without
the
present interruption
caused
by
the material
which
is
found
in
the
lines
marked
CDC'
in
our
arrangement.
Now all this
is made to
appear
rather
plausible
until one
has
observed two features
which recur
in
other
passages
in
which we
have
an
extensive use of
chiasmus
in
the
Old Testament.
We first call
attention
to
the
nature
of
such structures to make a shift
from
one
idea,
or trend of
thought,
to a contrasted one when the cen-
ter is reached, and then to revert to the original idea after the center
is
passed
(cf.
Isa.
60:1-3).
All the
material
designated
CDC'
is
clear-
ly
an
extensive
application
of this
principle,
for it sets
forth
by way
of
contrast
what the Lord
does for
his
people,
while the
doings
of
the
rulers
are
described and
condemned
in
ABB'A'.
In
the second
place
we call
attention to
the fact that
in
such
chiastic
arrangements
the
order
of
the
sections
may
be
chiastic while
the
lines
within
the sec-
tions
may
be
alternating.
When these two
principles
of
construction,
of which some examples are given in this article, are kept in mind,
the
passage
from
Isaiah
is
found to be
perfectly
regular
and
no
hy-
pothesis
of
later
changes,
whether
interpolation
of
material
or
trans-
position
of
lines,
need be
pressed
into
service to
explain
it.
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114
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
Of
the first
of
these
principles
we have
already
had some
examples,
but
of the second we shall have some fine
illustrations
in
the Levitical
laws.
A And
by
these
ye
shall
be unclean:
Whosoever oucheth he
carcass
of them shall
be uncleanuntil
even;
B and
whosoeverbeareth
aught
of the
carcass
of them shall
wash
his
clothes,
and
be
unclean
until
even.
Every
beast
which
parteth
the
hoof,
and is not
clovenfooted,
nor
cheweth
the
cud,
C is uncleanuntoyou.
D
Everyone
that
toucheth
them shall be
unclean.
And
whatsoever
goeth upon
its
paws, among
all the beasts
that
go
on all
four,
C'
they
are
unclean
unto
you.
Whosoever oucheth their
carcass
shall be unclean
until even.
B' and he that
beareth
he
carcass
of
them
shall
wash his
clothes,
and be uncleanuntil
even:
A'
They
areuncleanunto
you
[Lev. 11:24-28].
In AA'
we have the introduction and conclusion to the
system,
both
containing general
statements as
to uncleanness. Between these
two
general
statements are found seven
declarations about unclean-
ness.
B
and
B'
set forth the various
degrees
of
uncleanness
resulting
from
touching
and
bearing.
In
both cases the offender shall
be
unclean
until
even,
but
he
that beareth a carcass
is
the
greater
of-
fender, for he is also in addition required to wash his clothes. In
CC'
the
animals that render the offender unclean are
designated.
One
may
well observe
in
this
passage
how
impossible
it
is
to read
it
intelligently
without the
observance
of the
chiastic
order.
We
read
of
these and
them,
but not until C
is
reached have we
any inkling
of
what it
is
all about.
D
contains the most
emphatic
affirmation of
uncleanness
in
this
passage,
and this
is
another
proof
of the
conten-
tion that
the
climax is
in
the center.
The passages we have discussed up to this point have all been
comparatively
simple
in
nature and brief
in
extent.
Those
that
we
are now to exhibit have
far-flung symmetries
and
extend
over
much
longer
sections
in
the text. Yet
in
their
general arrangement
they
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CHIASMUSIN THE OLD TESTAMENT 115
offer
nothing
extraordinary except
for
the
splitting-up
of some
lines
into
triplets. They
are selected
from
a
single
chapter
in
Leviticus,
partly
because
they
deal
with the
same
subject,
namely,
cleansing
from
leprosy,
and
partly
because
they give
us
an idea
of
how much
of
this
form there is.
And on
the
eighth
day
he shall take
two he-lambs
without
blemish,
and one ewe-lamb
a
year
old without
blemish,
and
three
tenth
parts
of
an
ephaph
of
fine flour
for a
meal-offering mingled
with
oil
and one
log
of
oil.
And
the
priest
that
cleanseth
him
shall set
the
man that is
to be
cleansed,
and those
things,
before
Jehovah,
at the
door of
the
tent
of
meeting.
A And the
priest
shall take one
of the he-lambs and offer him for a
trespass-
offering
and the
log
of
oil,
and wave
them for a
wave-offering
BEFORE
JEHOVAH:
B
and
he
shall
kill
the
he-lamb
in
the
place
where
they
kill
the
sin-
offering,
and
the
burnt-offering,in the
place
of the
sanctuary
[omit
13b as a
gloss].
And
the
priest
shall take
the
blood of
the
trespass-offering,
upon
the
tip
of
the
right
ear of
him
that is to
be
cleansed,
and
and
the
priest
shall
put
it
upon
the thumb of his
right
hand,
nd
upon
the
great
toe
of his
right
foot,
and the priest shall take of the log of oil and pour it into
the
palm
of
his
own
left
hand,
<C
And
the
priest
shall
dip
his
right finger
in
the
oil that
is
in
his left
hand,
and
shall
sprinkle
of
the
oil with
his
finger
SEVEN
TIMES
BEFORE JEHOVAH.
And
the rest
of
the
oil
that
is
in
his hand
upon
the
tip
of
the
right
ear of
him
shall the priest put that is to be cleansed and
upon
the thumb of his
right
hand,
and
upon
the
great
toe of
his
right
foot,
upon
the blood
of
the
trespass-offering,
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116 THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC LANGUAGES
and the
rest
of the oil that is in the
priest's
hand
he
shall
put upon
the
head
of
him
that
is to
be
cleansed,
B' and the priest shall make an atonement for him BEFORE
JEHOVAH.
And
the
priest
shall offerthe
sin-offering,
and
shall make an atonement for him that is to
be
cleansed,
because
of
his
uncleanness.
And
afterwardhe shall
kill
the
burnt-offering,
and
the
priest
shall
offer
he
burnt-offering
nd
the meal-offer-
ing
upon
the
altar
A'
And
the
priest
shall make
an
atonement or
him,
and
he shall be clean
[Lev. 14:10-20].
The
first
five
lines
indicate the material needed
and the
next two
lines
the
position
of the man that
is
to be
cleansed.
A
contains
the
act
that
opens
the
sacrifice
and A' the
concluding
statement that
the
man
is
cleansed.
BB'
have
an
alternating
order of
ideas,
except
that
B'
contains
much more material than
B, making
it
necessary
to have
double
lines. C
is
a chiastic
arrangement
of
seven
parts,
the cor-
responding
terms
being
in
italics. The climax is
found
in
the
center,
when the blood is sprinkled seven times before Jehovah. Notice
that
the
phrase
before Jehovah occurs also
in
BB',
that
is,
in
the
extremes
and
in
the center
(cf.
toucheth
in
Lev.
11:24-28
in
similar
position).
The words and the
meal-offering
in B'
are to be
retained
(cf.
vs.
10,
but 13b
is
a
gloss).
The
following
passage
is
a twin section to
the one
just
given,
yet
with
distinct
variations. It contains the
poor-law
for
cleansing
from
leprosy
and sets
forth some
special
provisions.
And if
he be
poor,
and
cannot
get
so
much,
then shall
he take
A
one
he-lamb
or a
trespass-offering
o
be
waved,
to
make
an
atonement
for
him,
and one tenth
part
of an
ephah
of
fine flour
mingled
with oil for
a
meal-
offering,
and a
log
of
oil;
And
two
turtle
doves,
or
two
young pigeons,
such
as he is able
to
get;
B
and one shall
be
for
sin-offering,
and the other for burnt-offering.
And
on the
eighth day
he shall
bring
them for his
cleansing
unto
the
priest.
unto
the
door of
the
tent of
meeting,
BEFORE
JEHOVAH.
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CHIASMUS
IN THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
117
And the
priest shall take the lamb of the
trespass-offering,
and
the
log
of
oil,
and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering BEFORE
JEHOVAH.
And he shall
kill
the
lamb of the
trespass-offering,
and
the
priest
shall
take
the blood
of
the
trespass-offering
r
upon
the
tip
of the
right
ear of him
that
is to
and
put
it
be cleansed, and
upon
the
thumb of his
right hand,
and
upon
the
great
toe of his
right foot,
and
the
priest
shall
pour
the
oil
into
the
palm
of his own
left hand,
and
the
priest
shall
sprinkle
with
his
right
finger
S C
some of the
oil
that is
in
his left hand
SEVEN
TIMES
BEFORE
JEHOVAH.
And
the
priest
shall
put
the
oil that
is
in
his hand
upon
the
tip
of
the
right
ear
of
him
that is to be
[put
it]j
cleansed,
and
upon
the
thumb of his
right
hand,
and
upon the great toe of his right foot,
upon
the
place
of the blood
of
the
trespass-offering.
And the rest
of
the
oil
that is in
the
priest's
hand
he
shall
put
upon
the head
of him
that is to
be
cleansed
to make
an
atonement for
him
BEFORE
JEHOVAH.
And
he shall offer one
of
the
turtle-doves,
or
of
the
young pigeons,
such
as he is
able to
get,
B'
the
one
for a
sin-offering,
the other for a burnt-offeringwith the meal-offering.
And the
priest
shall
make
an
atonement
for him
that
is
to
be
cleansed,
BEFORE JEHOVAH.
A'
This is the law
of him
in
whom
is
the
plague
of
leprosy,
who
is not able
to
get
that
which
pertaineth
to
his
cleansing
[Lev.
14:21-32].
Section
A
states and
A'
reiterates that this is
the
law
of
the
poor
man.
In
BB' the materials
necessary
for
the
cleansing
are
enumer-
ated.
They
indicate also
the
priest's
share in the
act before
Jehovah.
The order
of
ideas is
regular
in
every
detail of the
list. The
inter-
vening
section has nine
parts
which
together
follow
the
chiastic
order.
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118
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
The
words
printed
in
italics will make
clear
the
correspondences,
line
for line.
Again
the
climax of the
act when
the
sprinkling
before Je-
hovah takes
place
is described
in
the
center.
The
phrase
before
Jehovah
again
occurs
not
only
in
BB',
but
once
more
on either side
of the
center, altogether
five
times.
The
order of
distribution
is
the
same as
in
the
previous
passage
containing
the
regular
law for
leprosy.
In
the
preceding
passages
from
Leviticus
I
am not
aware
of
any
previous
work
along
similar
lines,
but in the
following
passage
I
have
been
anticipated by Boys,
with whose
arrangement
mine
agrees
in
every detail, except
that
Boys' arrangement
does
not
include
the
first two
and last
two
lines of
my
own
which
I
regard
as
the
formal
introduction and conclusion
of the
law
for
cleansing
houses.
And he
shall
take to cleanse he
house wo
birdsand cedar
wood,
and
scarlet,
and
hyssop:
A
And he shall
kill the one
of
the birds
n
an
earthen
vessel
over
running
water,
and
he
shall take
the cedar
wood,
and the
hyssop,
and the
scarlet,
and the
living
bird,
anddipthem into the blood of the slain bird,and in the running
water,
and
sprinkle
he
house
SEVEN
TIMES;
B
And he
shall
cleanse
the
house
with
the blood of
the
bird
and
with the
running
water,
and with the
living
bird,
and
with the
cedar
wood,
and
the
hyssop,
and
the
scarlet,
A'
and he shall
let
the
living
birdout of
the
city
into the
open
ield,
and make an atonement or the
house,
and
it
shall
be clean
Lev.
14:
49-53].
The symmetry of this passage is, if possible, more intricate than
that
of
the two
already
examined
from the same
chapter.
The
law
pertains
to the house contaminated
by leprosy.
For
its
cleansing
the
law
prescribes
two kinds
of
materials,
birds and
other
things.
One
of
the birds is
to
be
slain,
the
other
is
to
be set free. The
first of these
acts
is
described
in
A,
the second
act
is set forth
in
A'.
I
venture
to
suggest
that a
parallelism
is to
be found
in
the
words
running
water
in
A
and the
open
field
in
A'.
In
section
B
the
correspondences
are
not only single but triple, as in cedar wood, hyssop, and scar-
let,
and also
in
blood,
bird,
and water.
Again
we find the
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CHIASMUSIN
THE OLD
TESTAMENT
119
same distribution of
the ideas within
the
system
that we found in
the
other
passages.
The
climax
expressed by
the
sprinkling
seven times
is
in
the center. The idea of
cleansing again
occurs
in
the
central
lines
and
in
the
two
extreme
sections
A
and A'. The same order of
distribution holds
good
for the
word house.
Recalling
the fact
that the
phrase
before
Jehovah
occurs
only
three times in
the
first
law for
leprosy,
but
not
less
than five times
in
the second
law,
thus
showing
an increased elaboration of the
design
as
the
writer
proceeds,
one is
inclined to raise the
point
whether
the
last of
the
three laws is not an
improvement upon
the second.
Though
this
law
is the briefest
of the
three,
it
shows a
greater
display
of
parallel
ideas within a small
compass.
Though
I
have not
yet gone
into
many
other laws
in
the
Penta-
teuch,
most of
my
time
having
been
spent
on the New
Testament,
it
seems safe to
predict
that
any
Hebraist
who will
devote
his
time
to a
detailed
research
along
these lines
will
be
rewarded with
many
interesting
discoveries of most
striking
arrangements
in
the various
laws.
Before
dismissing
the
subject
of the
Levitical
laws
one more
of
these structures should be
discussed,
because it offers a
new
feature
of
style
not
hitherto discussed
in
any
of the
preceding
passages,
a
peculiar
arrangement
at the
center
of
which
the
early English
writers
have
taken no
cognizance. Judging
from
its
frequent
recurrence
in
other
passages,
it
seems to
have
been a
well-defined
principle
of
style
and
as
such deserves
our
attention.
And JEHOVAHspakeunto Moses,saying,
bring
forth
him
that
hath
cursed
without
the
camp;
and
let
all that heard
him
lay
their
hands
upon
his
head,
and let all the
congregation
tonehim:
A And thou shalt
speak
unto
the children
f
Israel,
saying,
B
Whosoevercursethhis GOD shall bear his sin.
C
And he
that
blasphemeth
he
name
of
JEHOVAH,
he shall
surely
be
put
to
death;
all
the
congregation
hall
certainly
stone
him,
as
well the
sojourner,
s
the
home-born,
when he blasphemeth he name [of JEHOVAH] hall be put
to
death.
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120
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL
OF
SEMITIC LANGUAGES
And
he
that smiteth
any
man
mortally
shall
surely
be
put
to
death;
D Andhethat smitetha beastmortally hallmake t good,
life for
life,
And
if
a man cause a blemish n his
neighbor,
s
he
hath
done so
shall
it
be done unto him.
breachfor
breach,
E
eye
for
eye,
tooth for
tooth,
as he hath causeda blemish n
a
man,
so
shall
it be
rendered
unto
him.
D'
And he
that killeth
a
beast
hall
make
it
good:
And he that killetha manshall be put to death
C' Ye shall
have one mannerof
law,
as well
for the
sojourner,
s
for
the home-born.
B'
For
I
am
JEHOVAH
your
GOD.
And Moses
spake
to the
children
of
Israel:
and
they
brought
orth him
that
had
cursed
ut
of the
camp,
and
they
stonedhim with
stones
A'
And the children
of
Israel
did
as JEHOVAH
commandedMoses
[Lev.24:13-23].
In
the verses
immediately
preceding
this
passage
(vss.
10-12)
we
are
told
of the occasion
that
led
to
the
giving
of
this
law. The son
of
an
Israelitish woman
and an
Egyptian
father
blasphemed
the
Name
and
cursed,
and
was taken into
custody
pending
a
divine
deliverance
concerning him,
since the
case to all
appearances
was a
new one
and
there
was no
precedent
for
the
guidance
of
the
officers. The
new
law
is
then
given,
and a closer
study
of
it reveals
the same
peculiar
struc-
ture found in the laws governing leprosy. In section A we are told of
the
command
given
and
in
A'
how
it was carried
out.
With the ex-
ception
of
the
line
describing
the
laying-on
of hands in
A
the lines of
A'
correspond
line
for line. The
distribution
of
the
divine
names
in
these
two sections
and in
BB'
is
the
regular
one,
though
it
would ren-
der
the
passage
a
little more
striking
if
the name
in
the
first and in
the
last lines were
arranged
on
separate
lines,
inclosing
the
whole
passage.
Section C is more elaborate than C', but of the same content, for
both
emphasize
the
equality
of
the
sojourner
and
the
home-born be-
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CHIASMUS
N THE
OLD
TESTAMENT
121
fore the
law.
In DD' we meet
with
a threefold
application
of
the
law
to
man, beast,
and
man,
and
the law
itself
is
stated
in
the
central
triplet,
E.
There
is
a
certain
charm
in
the
recurrent
phrases
of
this
passage,
and
after
the
significance
of
the
center as a
pivot
of
the
whole
development
is
grasped,
not a
little
clearness and
emphasis
are
brought
into
the
passage,
when otherwise
one
would
easily
bring
the
charge
of
verbosity
and idle
repetition.
These
passages
will
suffice
for the
present
to
show how the
prin-
ciple
of chiasmus enters
into the construction
of
many
passages
in
the
Old Testament.
They
constitute
a
very
small
part
of
all
the
material
that
may
be
found
in
these
writings.
As an attentive
person
reads
through
many
of
the
passages
in
the
historical books
or
some of the
narrative
portions
of
the Pentateuch
he
will
again
and
again
come
upon
chiastic
arrangements
of the
material. When
in
the
narrative
of the fall
in
Genesis, chapter 3,
the
meeting
between
the
sinners
and
God
is described
and
the blame
is
fixed,
the
parties
are
introduced
in
the
following
order: man
(vs.
9),
woman
(vs. 12),
and
the
serpent
(vs. 13b);
but when
the sentence
is
pronounced
this order is
inverted
and we have
the
serpent
(vs.
14),
the wonian
(vs.
16),
and
the
man
(vs.
17).
Another instance
of the same
order is
found
in
the
genealogy
of the
sons
of
Noah.
They
are
enumerated
in
10:
1
in
this
order,
Shem,
Ham, Japhet,
but their
genealogies
are
presented
in
the in-
verted
order,
Japhet
(vs.
2),
Ham
(vs.
6),
and
Shem
(vs.
21).
The
order
of this
genealogy
reminds
us
of
Josephus'
description
of
the
three chief
sects of
the
Jews
(Ant.
xvii.
1. 2
ff.). They
are
enumerated
as Essenes, Sadducees, and Pharisees,
but
described
in
the
inverted
order.
The names
of
Mamre, Eshcol,
and
Aner in
Gen.
14:13
are
re-
peated
again
at the conclusion
of the
story
in
which
they
occur,
but
in
the
inverted
order
(vs.
24).
The remainder
of this article
will
now
present
some
examples
in
which
chiasmus
may
be
employed
in
textual
criticism. The
text of
the tenth
chapter
of the First Book of
Samuel
presents
at
least the
beginning
of what
promises
to
be
an
extended
chiastic
structure,
though the structure is not in our text brought to a conclusion. Like
Robinson's arch
in
Jerusalem,
it
has one
part clearly
visible
and the
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122
THE AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
other
part
missing.
The
suggestion
of
chiasmus
is
clearly
seen
by
the
following arrangement
of the
parts:
Rachel's
sepulchre,
wo men
[vs. 2].
A
The oak of
Tabor,
three men
[vss.
3,
4].
The
Gibeah
of
God,
a
band
of
prophets
vss.
5,
6a].
and shalt be
turned nto
another
man.
B
and
let it be when these
igns
are come unto
thee,
that thou
do
as occasion hall
serve.thee,
or
God
is
with
thee.
C And thou
shalt
go
down
before
me
to
Gilgal.
And, behold,I will comedown untothee
to
offer
urnt-offerings,
D
and
to
sacrifice
acrifices
of
peace-offerings.
Seven
days
shalt thou
tarry,
till
I
come unto
thee,
and show thee what
thou shalt
do.
C'
And it
was so that when he
had turned
his back
to
go
from
Samuel,
God
turned
him
another
heart,
B' and all those
igns
came
to
pass
that
day.
The
Gibeah,
a band
of
prophets
vss.
10-12].
A'
[The
oak of
Tabor]
[cf.
high
place,
vs. 13 with
vss.
3,
4(?)].
[Rachel's
epulchre]
cf.
asses
n
vss. 14-16
and vs.
2].
We
have
in this
passage
another
case of
chiastic order
in
sections
with
alternating
order
in
the lines within
the
sections,
except
in
the
central
section
D
which is a
chiasmus. If
we could
get
at the
conclu-
sion
of the
story,
we should
probably
find
the
sections
in
the
order
suggested. If Saul's uncle is one of the two men mentioned in verse 2
we
may
have
in
verses
14-16 a
fragment
of
the
original
counterpart
to
verse
2. Of
the
counterpart
to
verses
3,
4
there is no
trace
in
the
text,
yet
if
the chiastic
implications
of
the
text,
as
we
have
it,
do not
entirely
mislead
us,
we
may
assume that
the
counterpart
originally
was
there. The
period
of
time
covered
by
the
whole
story
is
only
one
day
(vs.
9).
The
following example
shows how
the
chiasmus
may
enter
into
the construction of a longer passage in which its presence is not so
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CHIASMUS IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
123
easily
detected. The
couplet
marked
C' also
suggests
a
possible
tex-
tual
problem.
And
I
saw the
Lord
standing
beside the altar: And he
said,
A
Smite
the
capitals,
that the thresholds
may
shake;
and
breakthem
in
pieces
on
the
head
of all
of
them;
B And I
will
slay
the last
of
them with
the
sword;
C there shall not one
of
them
flee
away,
and
there
shall not one of them
escape.
D
Though
hey
ig
nto
heol,
thence shall
my
hand take
them;
E andthough heyclimbupto heaven,
thence will
I
bring
them
down,
E'
And
though they
hide
themselves
in
the
top
of
Carmel,
I
will search
and take them out
thence.
D'
and
though
they
hide
from
my
sight
in
the
bottom of
the
sea,
thence will
I
command
he
serpent
and
it
shall bite
them.
C'
and
though they go
into
captivity
beforetheir
enemies,
B'
thence will
I
command
he swordand it
shall
slay
them.
A' And I
will set
mine
eyes upon
them
or
evil,
and not for
good
[Amos
9:1-4].
In
the
two
couplets
AA'
we have
a
general
declaration
of
judgment
over the nation.
These
couplets
constitute the formal introduction
and
conclusion
to
the chiastic
system.
The
couplets
that are found
between
A
and
A'
give
the
particulars
of the
judgment.
The
different
means of
escape
are detailed and their
inadequacy
stated.
In
the two
single
lines BB' the nature
of
the
judgment
is
described, namely,
slaying by
the sword. The words
in
italics
designate
the extent
of
the
parallel
ideas
in
each line. There
is
only
one
apparent
irregu-
larity
in
this
long passage,
namely,
in
C',
which
is
only
a
single
line,
whereas
there
is
a
couplet
in
C. Of
course,
one need
not insist that a
couplet
in
C'
is
absolutely necessary,
for minor
irregularities
are to
be
looked
for
in
all
composition
of a
practical
nature. The construc-
tion of the
couplets
seems
to
follow
a
general scheme, though -
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124
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
thence
(DEE'D')
in
alternating
order.
It
would therefore
seem
natural
to
combine
the words and
though
in
C'
with thence will
I
in
B', according
to
the
scheme
of the
previous couplets.
Upon
closer
examination, however,
this
arrangement
will have to be aban-
doned,
for
when
B'
is combined with C'
its
parallel
line
B
is
left with-
out
counterpart.
The
lines B
and
B' are so
clearly parallel
that
they
cannot be
made to
serve elsewhere
in
the
system.
It
should also be
observed
that the
general
sequence
of
though
and
thence
is not
found
in
the
couplet
C.
Instead
two lines
dealing
with
flight
and
es-
cape
are
found.
If, therefore,
we shall
assume
at all that
the counter-
part
of
C
originally
had a
couplet,
the
missing
line
ought
not
to be
supplied
according
to
the
couplets
immediately
preceding it,
but
ac-
cording
to
the
pattern
of
C.
In
other
words, any
line
in
C' which
repeats
the
thought
of
the line found
in
the text would
satisfy
the
requirements,
e.g.,
C'
and
though
they go
into
captivity
before
their
enemies,
(and though they
hide
in
distant
lands from their
oppressors)
B' thence
will
I
command
he sword
and it
shall
slay
them.
The
line which
has
been
supplied
is
offered
only
as an
indication of
what
one
is inclined
to look for
in
C', following
the
hint taken from
the
nature
of its
counterpart
C.
It is for the
Hebrew
specialist
to
solve
the
problem
as
far as
that is
possible
under the circumstances.
Numbers
and the
various
items in
long
lists seem
to
be
among
the
difficult
things
to
preserve
intact
in
the
transcription
of
manuscripts.
Numbers
are
easily misread,
and the items
of a list
may
be
either
transposed or dropped by the scribe as the case may be. If the omis-
sion
does
not
seriously
impair
the sense
of the
passage,
it
may
never
be
detected. We
have such
a
passage
in
Gen. 7:21-23.
This
passage
has
every
earmark
of
having
once been
a
perfect
chiastic
structure,
which
has
been
disarranged
accidentally
in
transcription.
The
pas-
sage
is
given
as reconstructed
according
to
suggestions
from the
chias-
tic form.
It
will be noticed
that all
changes
are
found
in
the last
half
of the
system,
the
only
addition
being
the words and
beasts,
which
are found within parentheses.
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CHIASMUS
IN
THE-OLD
TESTAMENT 125
A And all flesh diedthat moved
upon
the
earth,
both
birds,
and cattle,
and
beasts,
and
every creeping hing
that
creepeth
upon
the
earth,
and
every
man:
B
all
in
whose
nostrilswasthe breath f
the
spirit
of
life,
of
all
that was on the
dry
land
C
died;
and
was
estroyed
B'
every
living
thing
that was uponthe face of the ground
both
man,
and
creeping
hings,
(and
beasts)
and
cattle,
and
birds
of
the
heavens,
A' and
they
were
destroyed
rom the earth
Gen.
7:21-23].
The reason
for
assuming
that this
reconstruction
represents
the
original
state
of
the Hebrew text is
the
recurrence of
the same ideas
in the extreme sections A and A' and in C.
Though
the word died
in
our version is
represented by
two different
words
in
Hebrew,
the
idea
of
the two words is
parallel.
The word for
destroyed,
however,
is
the same
in
C
and
in
A'.
Another
instance
of
the
same kind
of
regularity
is
provided
by
the word
earth
in
A and A'
which
is
paralleled
by dry
land
in B
and
ground
in
B'.
Creeping things
is also
represented by
different
Hebrew
words. Of
course,
if
this
pas-
sage
is
taken
by
itself without
regard
to
similar
structures found else-
where,
the
argument
here
presented,
which is based on the recurrence
of related
or
identical ideas
in
the
center and
in
the
extremes of
the
system,
will
have
little
or
no
weight,
and
might
even
be
looked
upon
as a
piece
of
misplaced
ingenuity.
But
if
it
once
be
accepted
that
in
the
application
of the
chiastic
principle
to
literary
construction
in
the
Old Testament one of the
regular
features is
the
distribution of
related
or
identical ideas
in
the
extreme
and
central
parts
of
a
system,
there
will
be no
difficulty
in
recognizing
such a
principle
in
the
reconstructed
passage.
The reader will recall how the terms unclean
(Lev.
11:24-
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120
THE
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
SEMITIC
LANGUAGES
28),
before Jehovah
(Lev.
14:10-20),
and cleanse the
house
(Lev.
14:49-53)
were
found to be distributed
in
the
extreme and
central
parts
of
their
respective
systems.
There are
many
more
such
instances
as
these
in
the New
Testament,
and there can
be
no
doubt
that
we are
to
accept
such
a
distribution of the ideas as a
regular
ap-
plication
of a
law
governing
this kind
of
style.
It is
only
on such
grounds
that it has been
invoked
in
the reconstruction
of
Gen. 7:21-
23.
It
is
well worth
noticing
before
we
dismiss the
passage
that
it
follows the
regular
chiastic construction
until the center is
passed
and
we
reach
the
words
both
man
and once more becomes
regular
in
the
last two
lines,
and
birds,
etc.
Since
regularity
is
encountered
to this
degree
without
any
reconstruction
whatever,
one
naturally
looks for it also
in
the other lines
of
the
system.
It is as
if
one
saw
an
arch
in
perfect
state of
preservation
up
to one
block
beyond
the
key-
stone
and sets
out to find the
other blocks somewhere
in
the
neigh-
borhood
to
fit
them
into the
proper place
in
the
restored
arch.
The restoration
of
texts is
at all events more
or less
conjectural,
and the
textual
critic,
even
when he
has
done
his
best,
must
always
be
aware
of
many
other
possibilities
than the one he
has
decided to
make
use of. The
purpose
of
the
examples
here offered
is
merely
to
show
how
the
principle
of
chiasmus,
when
judiciously
employed, may
under
certain
favorable
conditions be
productive
of results.
Other
poetic
forms
in
Hebrew
literature have
been studied
and
their
prin-
ciples
have
been
put
to
gooa
use
in
the
study
of
the Hebrew text.
The
principle
of chiasmus
might
be
added to this collection
of critical
tools,
for
by
the
application
of
it
to
textual
studies
some former re-
constructions
may
be
tested
and new
problems
may
be raised
in
passages
which
have
not hitherto been
under
any
suspicion
of
cor-
ruption.