Sunday, November 24, 2019

Chiasmus in 1 Nephi 3:16-22

Nephi uses patterns of repetition throughout his writings.  Here is an great example of chiasmus in a passage in which he persuades his brothers to gather their precious things from the land of their inheritance in an effort to get the plates:

16 Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father’s inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord.
17 For he knew that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.
18 For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be that he flee out of the land.
19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers;
20 And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.
21 And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God.
22 And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things.

Here is the same passage again with the key words only, to highlight the pattern:

go down...land of our father’s inheritance...gold and silver...riches
the commandments of the Lord.
the words of the prophets
preserve language 
preserve words
mouth of all the holy prophets
the commandments of God.
went down...land of our inheritance...gold, and our silver...precious things.