Genesis Flood Chiasm
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 (6:11â13) â God's promised near-future literal watering of all the planet's flesh unto destruction:
- the earth before the LORD God (6:11);
- the earth's flesh (6:12);
- God's confirmation to Noah (6:13);
- B1 (6:14â18):
- the LORD instructs Noah (6:14â16);
- God's covenant with Noah (6:17â18);
- B2 (6:19â22): animals on the ark;
- B3 (7:1â5):
- Noah and his house (7:1â4);
- Noah obeys all of the LORD God's commandments (7:5);
- C1 (7:6â9): waters upon the earth accumulate;
- C2 (7:10â12): sevenfold passing of time;
- C3 (7:13â17a): forty days;
- D1 (7:17bâ20): mountains submerged in flood waters;
- D2 (7:21â23): redemption in the ark;
- D3 (7:24): 150 days;
- D4 (8:1a): God remembers Noah and all flesh on the ark;
- D3' (8:1bâ3): 150 days;
- D3 (7:24): 150 days;
- D2' (8:4): redemption in the ark;
- D2 (7:21â23): redemption in the ark;
- D1' (8:5): tops of mountains visible again;
- D1 (7:17bâ20): mountains submerged in flood waters;
- C3' (8:6â9): forty days;
- C3 (7:13â17a): forty days;
- C2' (8:10â12): sevenfold passing of time;
- C2 (7:10â12): sevenfold passing of time;
- C1' (8:13â14): waters upon the earth dried off;
- C1 (7:6â9): waters upon the earth accumulate;
- B3' (8:15â19):
- Noah and his house (8:15â17);
- Noah obeys all of the LORD God's commandments (8:18â19);
- B2' (8:20â22): animals on the ark;
- B2 (6:19â22): animals on the ark;
- B1' (9:1â11):
- the LORD instructs Noah (9:1â7);
- God's covenant with Noah (9:8â11);
- A3' (9:12â17) â God's promised far-future spiritual watering of all the planet's flesh unto a final hope of redemption:
- the earth before the LORD God (9:12â13);
- the earth's flesh (9:14â16);
- God's confirmation to Noah (9:17);
- A2' (9:18â27): Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth;
A1' (9:28â29): Noah's generations
References
- â 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.
- â The most basic, baseline chiastic format in the biblical sense follows an AâBâCâD-C'âB'âA' 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' ð A1âA2âA3... ...A3'âA2'âA1', and the D shaft can be split into an embedded mini-menorah a.k.a. D ð D1âD2âD3âD4âD3'âD2'âD1'. 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.