What a Chiasm Is in the Bible | Verse of the Day

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Welcome to today's daily Bible verse.

[00:00:03]Today's message helps us understand why Christians should know what a chiasm is in the Bible.

[00:00:10]Our verse today comes from 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 to 17.

[00:00:16]All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

[00:00:28]The Bible is a unique collection of 66 books written by approximately 40 different authors over a time period of roughly 1,500 years.

[00:00:39]It includes different history, poetry, prophecy, >> [music] >> letters, and apocalyptic literature, which, to better understand and properly interpret the message it portrays, we must understand the role of different literary devices used by its authors when writing this beautiful book.

[00:00:56]There are many literary devices used when writing the Bible, and if we say we discuss all of them today, the video will be over an hour long.

[00:01:04]That is why today we are going to discuss one specific device called a chiasm.

[00:01:10]The word chiasm, more properly chiasmus, is a literary structure that arranges ideas in a mirror image pattern, >> [music] >> where the order of words or concepts in one section is reversed in another.

[00:01:23]The word chiasm itself comes from this Greek letter, which resembles the shape of an X, visually representing the crisscrossing pattern.

[00:01:32]This tool has not only been used in scripture, the great public speakers and communicators you know all use this tool.

[00:01:39]But nowhere it's more powerfully used than in the word of God.

[00:01:43]In most chiastic structures of sentences, the most important idea appears at the very center of the passage, right before the earlier ideas are repeated or mirrored in reverse order.

[00:01:55]For example, in Mark chapter [music] 2 verse 27, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

[00:02:03]Here, the chiasmus device follows a symmetrical cross pattern where the key terms Sabbath [music] and man swap positions as you see in the picture.

[00:02:12]Notice [music] how the first half of the sentence establishes the Sabbath as a tool created to serve man.

[00:02:18]Then the second half of the sentence continues to reinforce this idea by stating that man is not a tool created to serve the Sabbath.

[00:02:26]This is what this literary device does when it is used in sentences. [music] It draws attention to the central point, highlights contrasts or paradoxes, [music] and makes the statement more and more memorable.

[00:02:38]Another great example is found in Matthew chapter 23 verse 12, where Jesus said those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

[00:02:50]Same as above, it follows a symmetrical cross pattern where the key terms exalted and humbled swap positions to emphasize the message that shows the end result of a person's life will be the exact opposite of their current status [music] because God alone is the equalizer.

[00:03:08]Let's come before the Lord for prayers.

[00:03:11]Heavenly Father, thank you for [music] the depth and richness of your word that keeps proving that the Bible is not merely a collection of disjointed stories and teachings.

[00:03:22]Give us a hunger to study it more carefully and to discover the layers of truth you have hidden within it for us to find.

[00:03:28]>> [music] >> In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

[00:03:33]Thank you for joining us today.

[00:03:35]What other examples of chiasms did you note from the Bible?

[00:03:38]Share them in the comments, and may the Lord bless you and your family.