The Torah very often uses a beautiful literary structure. The basic idea is that words, phrases, or other elements can be arranged to mirror each other, so that the text lays out a given set of meanings and then goes back through their parallels in the reverse order. Analyzing the use of chiasm (the formal name of this literary structure) can reveal a text’s intricate design and holistic nature. While most we usually remember is how the human and animal world was saved through the ark built by Noah, is it possible that we have almost completely missed the very point of this ancient Hebrew story?
Commonly pairs such as A and A’, B and B’ and so on are used to symbolize these “mirrored” elements. If we analyze the story of Noah in this way, we see a long pattern climaxing in line P (which lacks a parallel and signifies the main point) at the center of the chiasm. Here is an outline to illustrate the thematic chiasm in Genesis 6-9:
A Noah (6:10a)
__B Shem, Ham, and Japheth (6:10b)
___C Ark to be built (6:14-16)
____D Flood announced (6:17)
_____E Covenant with Noah (6:18-20)
______F Food in the ark (6:21)
_______G Command to enter the ark (7:1-3)
________H 7 days waiting for flood (7:4-5)
_________I 7 days waiting for flood (7:7-10)
__________J Entry to ark (7:11-15)
___________K The LORD (YHWH) shuts Noah in (7:16)
____________L 40 days of flood (7:17a)
_____________M Waters increase (7:17b-18)
______________N Mountains covered (7:19-20)
_______________O 150 days: water prevail (7:21-24)
________________P GOD REMEMBERS NOAH (8:1)
_______________O’ 150 days: waters abate (8:3)
______________N’ Mountain tops visible (8:4-5)
_____________M’ Waters abate (8:5)
____________L’ 40 days (end of) (8:6a)
___________K’ Noah opens window of ark (8:6b)
__________J’ Raven and dove leave ark (8:7-9)
_________I’ 7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:10-11)
________H’ 7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:12-13)
_______G’ Command to leave ark (8:15-17 [22])
______F’ Food outside ark (9:1-4)
_____E’ Covenant with all flesh (9:8-10)
____D’ No flood in the future (9:11-17)
___C’ Ark left (9:18a)
__B’ Shem, Ham and Japheth (9:18b)
A’ Noah (9:19)
The central element of the chiasm in Genesis 8:1 reads as follows:
וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל־הַחַיָּה וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם׃
God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to blow across the earth, and the waters subsided. (Gen 8:1)
Since the central element of the chiasm functions as the focal point of the entire story – the tipping point not to be missed – we must assign it the first importance. Everything else described in the story is also important, but not nearly as important as the message of Genesis 8:1 (God remembering Noah). This “event” marks the triumph of mercy over judgment. God remembered Noah, just as He will later remember Abraham (Gen 19:29) and other great figures of Israel’s redemptive history – and, perhaps most importantly, the people of Israel during the yet-to-come Passover deliverance from Egypt. At that time, we are told, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exod 2:23-25).
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Dr. Eli Shalom. I think that we can add Berishit 6:8, to your chart as Noah finds favor in the eyes of Hashem.
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Nov 2 (7:11 =Psalms 117 = Deliverance from Babylon) +40 days and 40 night = Chanukkah (Conception of the Messiah) +170 days = Passover/ Feast of First Fruits. Next stop: Ascension of the Messiah. Then Pentecost, Then Peter and the Sheet. Next Stop Paul's Conversion. Final Stop First day of the first month which is Tishrei 1 (Day of the Trumpet) Thanks, John for your input. Israel Bible Center equips you with the tools you need to enter into the Jewish world of Scripture. We provide first-rate teaching, and the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s top scholars. As a student, you will be able to interact personally with our teaching faculty, and gain access to hundreds of hours of Bible courses, including The Stories of the Jewish Christ: First Century Diversity and Jewish Insights Into Scripture I. Become a part of the community of teachers and students at Israel Bible Center today!
All of G-ds creation suffers because of sin. Noah spent 120 years building the Ark and brought the animals into the Ark in pairs of seven the number of perfection. G-ds animals are very important to him, you can imagine 120 years toiling to build a large vessel for the purpose of saving the land creatures. I believe we have let G-d down as many of these majestic creatures are going extinct because of mans greed. These creatures where with Adam in the beginning and communicated with man before the fall, saved from the flood and they will be changed in the twinkling of an eye when Yeshua returns, because they do not understand sin and because G-d loves them and for no other reason.G-d remembers Noah and G-d has a plan. 1897 CE First Zionist Congress; August 29-31 First Zionist Congress convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland; Zionist Organization founded. 120 years to 2017 (Psalms 117) = Deliverance from Babylon.
As i remember reading, Noah did not work on the ark for 120 years, but rather for 100 years. The 120 years were to be the days of mankind. Please explain to me if I am mistaken on this. Thanks
Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. Feast of First Fruits.
Entry to ark (7:11-15) Sept 11, 2018 was the Day of Trumpet which is Biblical Elul 1. shalom. "God remembered Noah" tells me God did not forget Noah. He will not forget us or any of His promises. Sometimes it seems he has forgotten because the world is in such turmoil but look at what He has done with Israel. His days are not our days and His time is not our time. We must wait upon the Lord and trust that He will fulfill all his promises. If we are on God's Biblical calendar, then we are on His days and we watch for Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars on His Days, but if we are on the Julian calendar, or Satan's calendar then we are not on His days or His time frame. Psalms is 19 books from Genesis and 47 books from Revelation. Hint: 1947 CE (Psalms 47 and Proclamation of Israel) + 70 years (Psalms 90:10)= 2017 (Psalms 117--Deliverance from Babylon) When: 2018= Psalms 118 with 3 events (Rapture, Armageddon (Oct 20th, 2018) and Millennium (Oct 25th, 2018). We know that Marriage of the Groom and Bride and Armageddon is on Yom Kippur and Millennium is Sukkot / Tabernacles (Psalms 118:15). Psalms 118:5 is rapture where Set me in a large place is mansions in John. Psalms 118:10-13 is All the Nations surrounds me is the Ezekiel 28-29 War which is WWIII so we have Judgment of the Nations on Yom Kippur. Psalms 1=1901. Psalms 17/18 = 1917 and 1918. Psalms 45-48 is 1945-1948. Psalms 52 is 1952. Psalms 67 is 1967. Psalms 107-117 is Revelation 2:10 10 days of Tribulation from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur from 2007-2017, then one year from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur, then 10 days from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur. If the rapture is not on Yom Teruah (2018/5779) or Sukkot 1 (2017) then that leaves in 5779 either Yom Kippur or Sukkot 1 or 8 because the Jubilee year began on Yom Kippur in 5778 (Sept 30th or Oct 5) and one year is Sept 19th, 2018 but Biblically Yom Kippur is Oct 20th. Welcome to the Day of the Lord on Rabbinic Yom Kippur (Rev 8:1-5=Lev 16=Rev 6:12-17; and Isa 24:1-6). LOOK UP Monday and Tuesday for a Blue Orb in the Northern Hemisphere for your Redemption draweth neigh (NOW)!!
Could you - Sir John Ashcraft , or anybody - explain why you have said above that "2018 but Biblically Yom Kippur is Oct 20th"? The Rabbinic Aviv began on March 18 prior to the Spring Equinox so all those who celebrated Passover did it in the winter (Song of Solomon 2). March 21 was the Spring Equinox so the Biblical month of Aviv/Abib bagan on April 16 New Moon with a Cross in the Corona of the Sun. On April 25th (Wednesday) , there was another cross in the Sun. Biblical Aviv had 3 signs. Biblical Iyaar had 6. Sivan went crazy with signs increasing. Tammuz became really crazy. Av was buzy with signs. Elul was busy with signs.
On a previous post Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg April 23, 2018 at 4:15 am, you made the following comment:
Pamela the best way to gain more understanding with this is to take our course Revelation in the Jewish Context (you can see it in our course catalog). See top of the page.
This is brilliant! Parallelism has always been my favorite part of literature to teach and I always thought that scripturally, this literary form was mainly found in the Book of Psalms... but look at it right hereat the beginning of the Bible!
Load more commentsHashem is disappointed with Adama and is willing to destroy all because of the separation (sin) that humanity had created.
In your main point (P), Hashem could not forget Noah and his family because they were the hope for the existence of Adama on earth and the keepers of all creatures.
Just my point of view and or 2 cents.
Shalom and I love your topics as I grow spiritually and enjoy the Blessings of gaining a better understanding.
Gen 7:11 (Psalms 117) In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Ezekiel's wheel 3 times has the number 117=Psalms 117.
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Gen 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. Sivan 1 in that year could have been Pentecost.
Gen 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: What is 40 days after Pentecost? Is Elul 1 40 days after Pentecost.
Gen 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; Peter and the Sheet.
Gen 8:12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. Paul's Conversion.
Gen 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. (Day of Trumpet, Oct 10th, 2018)
___________K The LORD (YHWH) shuts Noah in (7:16)
____________L 40 days of flood (7:17a) Oct 20th, 2018 is Marriage of the Groom and Bride and Armageddon.
L’ 40 days (end of) (8:6a) Elul 1 is 40 days until Yom Kippur. Moshe and the Golden Calf. Yeshua's Baptism. Sign of Jonas in Matt 12 was 687 BC. August 21 Solar Eclipse in 2017 over the USA ended on Elul 1 pointing to Yom Kippur as the 120th Jubilee year, the 70th Jubilee year and the 40th Jubilee year from Yeshua's death. Lev 25:9-10, 20-23, 29th-30. Biblical Yom Kippur ends on Oct 20th 2018 with the marriage of the Groom and bride and Armageddon. Sept 10/11 Asteroid 2018 RC passed by as Elul 1 was beginning. Green comet passed by on the 11th (Yom Teruah). All the planets ended on the same side of the Sun on the 12. Here is the forecast for the 7th day after Elul 1: Mars at Perihelion and Moon at first Quarter and the Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn in Sagittarius. The Next 7 days is Fall Equinox on the Sabbath and possibly Revelation Trumpet Judgment 1.
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As I mentioned in another post – its important to keep in mind that biblical prophecy is circular, not linear, in nature. Patterns repeat and escalate. Events in 70 CE did not exhaust the meaning of prophecies that will find their ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age.
Can you direct me to this post and also point me to other resources to gain a greater understanding of patterns in prophecy?
Thank you!