Friday, June 18, 2010

Chiasmus:

A literary form with two parallel clauses – the second clause reverses the order of the important words or ideas in the first, and thus emphasizes them. There are lots of them in the Bible; Alma is the master of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Alma 41 contains my favorite chiasm because it is elegantly structured, it teaches important truth, and it does it all twice:

And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration1 to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?
O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration1 is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish – good2 for that which is good;2 righteous3 for that which is righteous;3 just4 for that which is just;4 merciful5 for that which is merciful.5
Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful5 unto your brethren; deal justly,4 judge righteously,3 and do good2 continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy5 restored unto you again; ye shall have justice4 restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous3 judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good2 rewarded unto you again.
For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored;1 therefore, the word restoration1 more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.

(Alma 41:12-15).