Evidence #298 | January 17, 2022
Chiasmus in Mosiah 5:10–12
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
Abstract
The chiasm in Mosiah 5:10–12 has elegant symmetry, strong correspondences between elements, unique phrases, and good statistical backing, making it one of the most impressive chiasms in the Book of Mormon.The first chiasm discovered in the Book of Mormon is found in Mosiah 5:10–12. It was identified by John W. Welch in 1967 while he was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Regensburg, Germany.1 It also happens to be one of the most impressive chiasms in the Nephite record. As shown below, it is highly symmetrical and has tightly correlating elements:2
A | And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; | ||||
| B | therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God. | |||
|
| C | And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name | ||
|
|
| D | that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, | |
|
|
|
| E | except it be through transgression; |
|
|
|
| E’ | therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, |
|
|
| D’ | that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. | |
|
| C’ | I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, | ||
| B’ | that ye are not found on the left hand of God, | |||
A’ | but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you. |
One striking feature of this particular chiasm is its use of unique terms. The phrase “left hand of God” (B/B’) appears nowhere else in scripture, and the phrase “blotted out” (D/D’) is also quite rare.3 Another key factor is that some of the elements involve lengthy phrases or compound ideas. For instance, the entire phrase “I would that ye should remember” is connected with the term “name” in both C and C’. Similarly, the words “findeth”/“find” are connected with the phrase “on the left hand of God” in B and B’.
Such phrases, involving multiple words in the same sequential order (in contrast to just a single word), are less likely to randomly occur in corresponding sections of the chiasm. While lacking a verbatim lengthy phrase, elements A and A’ feature a distinct compound idea: the importance of being “called” by the “name” of Christ.4 The center of the chiasm presents the key word “transgression,” upon which the outer-most elements (A/A’) appropriately hinge.5
The likelihood that this chiasm was intentional is strengthened by the fact that King Benjamin uses a variety of parallelisms, including other instances of chiasmus, throughout his masterful speech.6 Thus, the chiastic arrangement in Mosiah 5:10–12 fits right in with the highly poetic nature of his discourse. Finally, it should be noted that this is one of the four statistically strongest chiasms in the Book of Mormon, showing that it is unlikely (statistically speaking) to have been produced by random chance.7
Conclusion
Whether due to serendipity or divine intervention, the first chiasm discovered in the Book of Mormon happens to be one of the best. The chiasm in Mosiah 5:10–12 has elegant symmetry, strong correspondences between elements, unique phrases, and good statistical backing. Further, it was delivered in the type of setting where such poetic flourishes are expected. As concluded by Welch,
[King Benjamin’s] use of chiasmus is not illogical: at the time that he delivered this famous speech, he was acting in a traditional coronation and would naturally be using the most traditional and convincing rhetoric at his command. Benjamin’s thoughts had been carefully prepared beforehand and had even been “written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice” (Mosiah 2:8). This degree of painstaking deliberation in writing was the rule, rather than the exception, among the Book of Mormon prophets. In cases such as these, chiasmus is used to give emphasis to points of special importance.8
John W. Welch, “The Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon: Forty Years Later,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 16, no. 2 (2007): 74–87, 99.
John W. Welch, “Parallelism and Chiasmus in Benjamin’s Speech,” in King Benjamin's Speech: “They Ye May Learn Wisdom,” ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 373.
John W. Welch, “Criteria for Identifying and Evaluating the Presence of Chiasmus,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 4, no. 2 (1995): 1–14.
John W. Welch, “Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon,” in Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins, ed. Noel B. Reynolds (Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1982), 44.
Mosiah 5:10–12- 1 See John W. Welch, “The Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon: Forty Years Later,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 16, no. 2 (2007): 74–87, 99. See also, Book of Mormon Central, “How Was Chiasmus Discovered in the Book of Mormon? (Mosiah 5:11),” KnoWhy 353 (August 16, 2017).
- 2 This formatting is slightly adapted from its typical presentation in other publications. See John W. Welch, “Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies Quarterly 10, no. 3 (1969): 8; John W. Welch, A Study Relating Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon to Chiasmus in the Old Testament, Ugaritic Epics, Homer, and Selected Greek and Latin Authors (Masters Thesis, Brigham Young University, 1970), 122; John W. Welch, “Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon,” in Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins, ed. Noel B. Reynolds (Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1982), 44; John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch, Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999), chart 131; John W. Welch, “Parallelism and Chiasmus in Benjamin’s Speech,” in King Benjamin's Speech: “They Ye May Learn Wisdom,” ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 373; Welch, “The Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon,” 80. Note that the major difference in formatting is that elements A/A’ in this article are typically broken down into separate elements in other presentations (A/A’ and B/B’). The reason for combining these elements is that treating them as a compound idea avoids random repetitions of key words. See note 4 for further explanation.
- 3 This term only shows up on 6 other occasions in the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 1:12, Mosiah 26:36; Alma 1:24; Alma 6:3; Alma 7:13; Moroni 6:7).
- 4 The word “name” also shows up in element D’, but there it is used in isolation. Likewise, “name” is used in A and A’, but, in these instances, is joined with the concept of being “called” rather than with the phrase “I would that ye should remember.” In other words, if “name” is seen as part of a distinct compound element in both A/A’ and C/C’ (rather than as a complete element on its own) then its use in different parts of the chiasm arguably shouldn’t be viewed as extraneous repetition or a “maverick.” See John W. Welch, “Criteria for Identifying and Evaluating the Presence of Chiasmus,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 4, no. 2 (1995): 1–14.
- 5 For further information about criteria developed for assessing chiasmus, see Book of Mormon Central, “What Counts as Chiasmus? (1 Nephi 19:7),” KnoWhy 337 (July 10, 2017); Neal Rappleye, “Chiasmus Criteria in Review,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, no. 2 (2020): 289–309; Welch, “Criteria for Identifying and Evaluating the Presence of Chiasmus,” 1–14; “Criteria Chart,” at Chiasmus Resources, online at chiasmusresources.org.
- 6 See Welch, “Parallelism and Chiasmus in Benjamin’s Speech,” 315–410; Donald W. Parry, Donald W. Parry, Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon: The Complete Text Reformatted (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2007), 159–172.
- 7 See Boyd F. Edwards and W. Farrell Edwards, “Does Chiasmus Appear in the Book of Mormon by Chance?” BYU Studies 43, no. 2 (2004): 103–130, esp. Appendix G; Boyd F. Edwards and W. Farrell Edwards, “When are Chiasms Admissible as Evidence?” BYU Studies 49, no. 4 (2010): 142.
- 8 Welch, “Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon,” in Book of Mormon Authorship, 44.
© 2024 Scripture Central: A Non-Profit Organization. All rights reserved. Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 20-5294264