Alma 36

I'm going to spend two days on Alma 36 because I want to first share something about chiasmus and then tomorrow something about the message.

This chapter is one of the best examples of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Chiasmus is an ancient form of Middle Eastern poetry that is found throughout the Book of Mormon. It gives evidence to the Book of Mormon having semitic (Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, etc.) origins. It gives evidence that the Book of Mormon is a translation of an ancient text and not something that was written in the 19th century. In the Book of Mormon, sometimes it occurs within in a few verses, but in this case, the whole chapter is chiastic.

Chiasmus is a form of writing where the first verse corresponds to the last verse, the second verse corresponds to the second to the last verse and so on. It was not written about until ten years after the death of Joseph Smith. He could not have known about it and he certainly would not have known how to write something in such a difficult structure. Since he never said anything about it, it is doubtful he even realized it was there. Here is an outline of the overall chiastic structure of Alma 36. Look at "a" at the top and then "a" at the bottom, then "b" at the top and then "b" at the bottom and so on. The numbers at the end of each line are the verse numbers.

(a) My son, give ear to my WORDS (1) (b) KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS of God and ye shall PROSPER IN THE LAND (2) (c) DO AS I HAVE DONE (2) (d) in REMEMBERING THE CAPTIVITY of our fathers (2); (e) for they were in BONDAGE (2) (f) he surely did DELIVER them (2) (g) TRUST in God (3) (h) supported in their TRIALS, and TROUBLES, and AFFLICTIONS (3) (i) shall be lifted up at the LAST DAY (3) (j) I KNOW this not of myself but of GOD (4) (k) BORN OF GOD (5) (l) I sought to destroy the church of God (6-9) (m) MY LIMBS were paralyzed (10) (n) Fear of being in the PRESENCE OF GOD (14-15) (o) PAINS of a damned soul (16) (p) HARROWED UP BY THE MEMORY OF SINS (17) (q) I remembered JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD (17) (q') I cried, JESUS, SON OF GOD (18) (p') HARROWED UP BY THE MEMORY OF SINS no more (19) (o') Joy as exceeding as was the PAIN (20) (n') Long to be in the PRESENCE OF GOD (22) (m') My LIMBS received their strength again (23) (l') I labored to bring souls to repentance (24) (k') BORN OF GOD (26) (j') Therefore MY KNOWLEDGE IS OF GOD (26) (h') Supported under TRIALS, TROUBLES, and AFFLICTIONS (27) (g') TRUST in him (27) (f') He will deliver me (27) (i') and RAISE ME UP AT THE LAST DAY (28) (e') As God brought our fathers out of BONDAGE and captivity (28-29) (d') Retain in REMEMBRANCE THEIR CAPTIVITY (28-29) (c') KNOW AS I DO KNOW (30) (b') KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS and ye shall PROSPER IN THE LAND (30) (a') This is according to his WORD (30).