Hebrew Parallelism

Alma 15:46-Alma 15:59

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And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives, yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed;
And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth;
Yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo;
While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, yea, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God in a state of never - ending happiness.
And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, And the power of the devil which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men;
And thus we see the great call of the diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; And thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing - Sorrow, because of death and destruction among men, And joy, because of the light of Christ unto life.
O that I were an angel and could have the wish of mine heart. That I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, With a voice to shake the earth and cry repentance unto every people.
Yea, I would declare unto every soul as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, That they should repent and come unto our God, That there might be no more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
But behold, I am a man and do sin in my wish, For I had ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me;
I had not ought to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, For I know that He granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life, Yea, I know that He allotteth unto man, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable according to their wills, whether it be unto salvation or unto destruction.
Yea, and I know that good and evil hath come before all men - Or he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless, But he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, Whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach His word, yea, in wisdom all that He seeth fit that they should have; Therefore, we see that the Lord doth counsel in His wisdom according to that which is just and true.
(LDS: Alma 29:8)

ChatGPT Response to Alma 15:46-Alma 15:59:

This passage contains various types of Hebrew parallelism. Let's analyze them:

1. Synonymous Parallelism:
• "And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives, yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed;"
• "And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth;"
• "Yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo;"
• "While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, yea, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God in a state of never-ending happiness."
2. Antithetic Parallelism:
• "And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression,"
• "And the power of the devil which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men;"
3. Chiasmus:
• "And thus we see the great call of the diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord;"
• "And thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing - Sorrow, because of death and destruction among men,"
• "And joy, because of the light of Christ unto life."
4. Epistrophe:
• "O that I were an angel and could have the wish of mine heart."
• "That I might go forth and speak with the trump of God,"
• "With a voice to shake the earth and cry repentance unto every people."
5. Epiphora:
• "For I know that He granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life,"
• "Yea, I know that He allotteth unto man, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable according to their wills, whether it be unto salvation or unto destruction."
6. Epizeuxis:
• "Why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?"
• "Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?"
7. Isocolon:
• "Why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?"
• "Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?"
• "For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach His word, yea, in wisdom all that He seeth fit that they should have;"
• "Therefore, we see that the Lord doth counsel in His wisdom according to that which is just and true."

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2 Nephi 15:5-2 Nephi 15:18

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And the things which I have written in weakness will He make strong unto them, for it persuadeth them to do good; It maketh known unto them of their fathers, And it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth men to believe in Him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal,
And it speaketh harsh against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; Wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written, save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.
I glory in plainness. I glory in truth. I glory in my Jesus, for He hath redeemed my soul from hell.
I have charity for my people, And great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at His judgment seat.
I have charity for the Jew - I say Jew because I mean them from whence I came; I also have charity for the Gentiles;
But behold, for none of these I cannot hope, except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, And enter into the narrow gate and walk in the strait path which leads to life, And continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.
And now my beloved brethren, and also Jew and all ye ends of the earth, Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; And if ye believe not in these words, believe in Christ;
And if ye shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ and He hath given them unto me; And they teach all men that they should do good.
And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye, For Christ will show unto you with power and great glory that they are His words at the last day;
And you and I shall stand face to face before His bar, And ye shall know that I have been commanded of Him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.
And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in His kingdom at that great and last day.
And now my beloved brethren, all they which are of the house of Israel and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust - Farewell, until that great day shall come.
And you that will not partake of the goodness of God and respect the words of the Jews, And also my words and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, Behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day,
For what I seal on earth shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; For thus hath the Lord commanded me and I must obey. Amen.

ChatGPT Response for 2 Nephi 15:5-2 Nephi 15:18:

Here are the types of Hebrew parallelism found in the passage:

1. Synonymous Parallelism:
• "And it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth men to believe in Him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal."
• "I glory in plainness. I glory in truth. I glory in my Jesus, for He hath redeemed my soul from hell."
• "And now my beloved brethren, and also Jew and all ye ends of the earth, Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ;"
2. Chiasmus:
• "And if ye believe not in these words, believe in Christ; And if ye shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these words..."
• "And you and I shall stand face to face before His bar, And ye shall know that I have been commanded of Him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness."
3. Antithetic Parallelism:
• "And I have charity for my people, And great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at His judgment seat."
• "And you that will not partake of the goodness of God and respect the words of the Jews, And also my words and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God..."
4. Climactic Parallelism:
• "And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye, For Christ will show unto you with power and great glory that they are His words at the last day;"
5. Inclusio (Envelope Structure):
• The passage begins and ends with a similar tone, emphasizing the importance of hearkening to the words, believing in Christ, and facing judgment at the last day.

These elements contribute to the rich and layered structure of the passage, reflecting characteristics commonly found in Hebrew poetic forms.

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Alma 17:79-Alma 17:84

For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ,

   which will point to you a strait course to eternal bliss,

As it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass,

   which would point unto them a strait course to the Promised Land.
And now I say, is there not a type in this thing?

For just assuredly as this director did bring our fathers,

   by following its course,

to the Promised Land,

Shall the word of Christ,

   if we follow its course,

carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better Land of Promise.
O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way,

   for so was it with our fathers;

For so was it prepared for them

   that if they would look, they might live

 even so it is with us.
The way is prepared

   And if we will look, we may live forever.
And now my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things,

   Yea, see that ye look to God and live;.

ChatGPT Response for Alma 17:79-Alma 17:84

Let's identify the Hebrew parallelisms in the provided passage:

1. Synonymous Parallelism:
• "For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a strait course to eternal bliss, As it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a strait course to the Promised Land."
2. Climactic Parallelism:
• "O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way, for so was it with our fathers; For so was it prepared for them that if they would look, they might live even so it is with us. The way is prepared And if we will look, we may live forever."
3. Chiasmus:
• "Shall the word of Christ, if we follow its course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better Land of Promise."
• "O my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, Yea, see that ye look to God and live;"
4. Synthetic Parallelism:
• "And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just assuredly as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the Promised Land, Shall the word of Christ, if we follow its course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better Land of Promise."

These forms of parallelism contribute to the rhetorical and poetic qualities of the passage, aligning with characteristics found in Hebrew literary structures.