Difference between revisions of "Genesis Flood Chiasm"

Revision as of 17:55, July 17, 2025

The Genesis Flood Chiasm is the first out of four(?)^[1] fully subdivided^[2] chiasmus-menorah literary patterns in the Bible.

A1 (6:9): Noah's generations;

A2 (6:10): Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth;

A3 (6:11-13): 1/3) the earth before the LORD God (6:11); 2/3) the earth's flesh (6:12); 3/3) God's confirmation to Noah (6:13);

B1 (6:14-18): 1/2) the LORD instructs Noah (6:14-16); 2/2) God's covenant with Noah (6:17-18);

B2 (6:19-22): animals on the ark;

B3 (7:1-5): 1/2) Noah and his house (7:1-4); 2/2) Noah obeys all of the LORD God's commandments (7:5);

C1 (7:6-9): waters upon the earth accumulate;

C2 (7:10-12): sevenfold passing of time;

C3 (7:13-17a): forty days;

D1 (7:17b-20): mountains submerged in flood waters;

D2 (7:21-23): redemption in the ark;

D3 (7:24): 150 days;

D4 (8:1a): God remembers Noah and all flesh on the ark;

D3' (8:1b-3): 150 days;

D2' (8:4): redemption in the ark;

D1' (8:5): tops of mountains visible again;

C3' (8:6-9): forty days;

C2' (8:10-12): sevenfold passing of time;

C1' (8:13-14): waters upon the earth dried off;

B3' (8:15-19): 1/2) Noah and his house (8:15-17); 2/2) Noah obeys all of the LORD God's commandments (8:18-19);

B2' (8:20-22): animals on the ark;

B1' (9:1-11): 1/2) the LORD instructs Noah (9:1-7); 2/2) God's covenant with Noah (9:8-11);

A3' (9:12-17): 1/3) the earth before the LORD God (9:12-13); 2/3) the earth's flesh (9:14-16); 3/3) God's confirmation to Noah (9:17);

A2' (9:18-27): Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth;

A1' (9:28-29): Noah's generations

↑ The others being the at-large chiasms for the three longer Johannine "books" of the New Testament: the Fourth Gospel, First Epistle to John, and Book of Revelation.
↑ The most basic, baseline chiastic format in the biblical sense follows an A-B-C-D-C'-B'-A' pattern, reflecting the shape of the Hebrew menorah. However, any of the three side branches can be split into three sub-branches, i.e. A/A' --> A1-A2-A3... ...A3'-A2'-A1', and the D shaft can be split into an embedded mini-menorah a.k.a. D1-D2-D3-D4-D3'-D2'-D1'. It appears that only in the Genesis Flood Chiasm and at-large chiastic sequences in the three longer Johannine writings are the chiasms "fully" delineated in the sense all three outer branches are split into three sub-branches in addition to the shaft's embedded central mini-menorah.

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 :::::B3' (8:15-19): 1/2) Noah and his house (8:15-17); 2/2) Noah obeys all of the LORD God's commandments (8:18-19);
 ::::B2' (8:20-22): animals on the ark;
-:::B1'(9:1-11): 1/2) the LORD instructs Noah (9:1-7); 2/2) God's covenant with Noah (9:8-11);
+:::B1' (9:1-11): 1/2) the LORD instructs Noah (9:1-7); 2/2) God's covenant with Noah (9:8-11);
 ::A3' (9:12-17): 1/3) the earth before the LORD God (9:12-13); 2/3) the earth's flesh (9:14-16); 3/3) God's confirmation to Noah (9:17);
 :A2' (9:18-27): Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth;