A chiasm is a literary structure where the words or themes of the first section of a passage are repeated in reverse order in the second. Typically whatever is in the center of the chiasm is what is being emphasized. In 1 Kings 19:9-16, the emphasis is on the fact that God did not speak to Elijah in hurricane force winds, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in a sound of gentle blowing (1 Kgs 18:11b-12).A1Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (18:9)2He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” (18:10)3So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! (18:11a)B1And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. (18:11b)B2And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. (18:11c)B3After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; (18:12a)B4and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. (18:12b)A’1When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (18:13)2Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons ofIsrael have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” (18:14)3The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.(19:15-16)
The Chiasm of 1 Kings 19:9-16
About the Author: Mike Rusten
Mike Rusten grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. God drew him to himself at a Billy Graham crusade when Mike was a junior high boy, and life was never to be the same. He graduated from Princeton University where he was president of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship. Read More ...
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