Hebrew Parallelism

Antithetic Parallelism examples from the Book of Mormon comparing light and dark

2 Nephi 11:78 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews that Jesus is the very Christ,

It must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God,

And that He manifesteth Himself unto all they that believe in Him by the power of the Holy Ghost,

(Consider this beautiful parallelism)

Alma 12:133-134 
He knew that the dark veil of unbelief
being cast away from his mind,
And the light which did light up his mind,
which was the light of the glory of God
which was a marvelous light of His goodness-
Yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul,
the cloud of darkness having been dispelled-
And the light of everlasting light was lit up in his soul,

ChatGPT Analysis:

1. Antithetic Parallelism: The contrast between "dark veil of unbelief" and "light which did light up his mind" creates an antithetic structure, emphasizing the removal of darkness and the introduction of light.

2. Synonymous Parallelism: Similar ideas are expressed using different words or phrases, reinforcing the contrast. For example, "light" is reiterated in different forms, such as "light up his mind" and "light of the glory of God." 'Light' is truly 'God's Glory'

3. Climactic Parallelism (Staircase Parallelism): The structure builds upon itself, creating a sense of progression or escalation. The mention of the removal of the dark veil leads to the introduction of light, and the subsequent phrases continue to describe the transformative effect of the light.

Light and Dark
2 Nephi 8:90 
Wo unto them that call evil good
and good evil!
That put darkness for light 
and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.

2 Nephi 2:9 
That the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days in the Spirit of power,
Unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light –
yea, out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom. (Ellipsis)
(LDS: 2 Nephi 3:5 )

2 Nephi 12:97 
There is nothing which is secret,
save it shall be revealed;
There is no work of darkness,
save it shall be made manifest in the light;
And there is nothing which is sealed upon earth,
save it shall be loosed
(LDS: 2 Nephi 30:17 )

1. Antithetic Parallelism: The contrast between opposites is evident in the pairs of statements. For example, nothing...secret contrasts with revealed, and work of darkness contrasts with made manifest in the light.
2. Synonymous Parallelism: Similar ideas are expressed using different words or phrases. For instance, nothing...secret is synonymous with nothing...sealed upon earth, and revealed is synonymous with made manifest in the light.
3. Climactic Parallelism (Staircase Parallelism): The structure of the statements creates a sense of progression or escalation. Each subsequent phrase builds upon the previous one, reinforcing the idea. In this case, the progression is from the concealment of secrets to their eventual revelation.

Mosiah 8:82 
He is the light and the life of the world;
Yea, a light that is endless,
that can never be darkened;
Yea, and also a life which is endless,
that there can be no more death. 
(LDS: Mosiah 16:9)

Mosiah 11:192 
I was in the darkest abyss,
but now I behold the marvelous light of God. 
(LDS: Mosiah 27:29)

Alma 3:12 
Behold, they were in the midst of darkness,
Nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; 
(LDS: Alma 5:7)

Alma 14:81 Behold, I answer for you - For our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, But behold how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God
(LDS: Alma 26:3)

Alma 14:85 And behold the number of your sheaves, And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted, Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day, 
(LDS: Alma 26:6)

Alma 14:95 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction, But behold, He hath brought them into His everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation, And they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of His love.
(LDS: Alma 26:15)

3 Nephi 5:114 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness; If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness. 
(LDS: 3 Nephi 13:23)

Mormon 4:20 And blessed be him that shall bring this thing to light; For it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God, 
(LDS: Mormon 8:16)

Ether 3:3 And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness to give light unto men, women and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness. 
(LDS: Ether 6:3)

Moroni 7:13 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; And the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night; 
(LDS: Moroni 7:15)