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This IMPERFECT CHIASM is the story of the forty days and nights of rain. The two FRAME elements act as bookends that mark the beginning and end of the flood, but they are not emphatic.
1) The FIRST/LAST elements, A and A′, add even greater importance to the severity of the rain. By positioning those elements in that first/last position, the Holy Spirit seems to be showing that this was hardly a drizzle; it was a storm like not seen before or again.
2) Within the C element, there is a SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY, verses 7:15 and 16. They all went into the ark as commanded by God, and then the Lord Himself closed it.
3) The TRANSPOSITION of B′ including the substructure and C′ stresses the details of the B′ element. By relocating B′, emphasis is given. The repeated theme substructure in verses 7:17 to 22 is an INTENSIFICATION which emphasize the severity of the flooding. The SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY, verses 7:21 and 22, supports by evidence that everything died.
4) The X CENTER POINT tells us that horrifying reality: the Lord blotted out nearly all of the human race. This defies logic if we believe that God does only what appears to be our view of good.
5) The CLOSING SUMMARY, verse 8:5, with its parallel symmetry substructure, verses 8:6 to 13, provide confirmation that the flooding was gone. The sent birds to act as trial balloons that test his question, Is the flood gone? The SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY indicates the end of the flood because the dove did not return.
6) The second of the two FRAME elements, verse 8:13, is the miracle of dry ground after this flood.
CHIASM (IMPERFECT):
... the flood came, life was blotted out, the flood receded ...
a change of time
BEGINNING MARKER: __ ____ _____ _____ ___ _____ _____ (v7:10A)
the flood started
FRAME
____ ___ _____ __ ___ _____ ____ ____ ___ ______ (v7:10B)
a genealogy marker
SUB-UNIT MARKER: __ ___ ___ _________ ____ __ ______ _____ __ ___ ______ ______ __ ___ ___________ ___ __ ___ ______ (v7:11A)
the floodgates opened
A
__ ___ ____ ___ ___ ___ _________ __ ___ _____ ____ _____ _____ ___ ___ __________ __ ___ ___ ____ _______ (v7:11B)
rained for forty days and nights
B
___ ____ ____ ____ ___ _____ ___ _____ ____ ___ _____ _______ (v7:11C,12)
Noah and family entered the ark
C
__ ___ ____ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___ ___ ________ ___ ____ __ _____ ___ ______ ____ ___ ___ _____ _____ __ ___ ____ ____ _____ _______ ___ ____ (v7:13)
the family
a
____ (v7:14A)
beasts
b
___ _____ _____ _____ ___ _____ (v7:14B)
cattle
c
___ ___ ___ ______ _____ _____ _____ (v7:14C)
creeping things
d
___ _____ ________ _____ ____ ______ __ ___ _____ _____ ___ _____ (v7:14D)
birds
e
___ _____ ____ _____ ___ _____ ___ _____ __ ______ (v7:14E)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: they went into the ark as God commanded
sum
__ ____ ____ ____ ___ ___ __ _____ __ ____ __ ___ _____ __ _____ ___ ___ ______ __ _____ _____ ____ ________ ____ ___ ______ __ ___ ______ _______ __ ___ ___ _________ ____ ___ ___ ____ ______ __ ______ ____ (v7:15,16)
TRANSPOSITION: flood for forty days
B′
____ ___ _____ ____ ____ ___ _____ ___ _____ _____ (v7:17A)
the water increased, the ark lifted up
a
___ ___ _____ _________ ___ ______ __ ___ ____ __ ____ __ ____ _____ ___ ______ (v7:17B)
the water increased, the ark floated
b
___ _____ _________ ___ _________ _______ ____ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ _______ __ ___ _______ __ ___ ______ (v7:18)
the water increased, high mountains were covered
c
___ _____ _________ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___ ______ __ ____ ___ ___ ____ _________ __________ _____ ___ _______ ____ ________ (v7:19)
the water increased, all mountains were covered
d
___ _____ _________ _______ ______ _______ ___ ___ _________ ____ ________ (v7:20)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: all animals and people perished, nothing breathed
sum
___ _____ ____ _____ __ ___ _____ _________ _____ ___ ______ ___ ______ ___ _____ ________ _____ ____ ______ ____ ___ ______ ___ ___ ________ __ ___ ____ ___ __ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ _____ ________ ___ ___ ______ __ ___ ______ __ _____ _____ (v7:21,22)
everything was blotted out
X
____ __ _______ ___ _____ ______ _____ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ __ ___ _____ ____ ___ __ _______ __ ________ ______ ___ __ _____ __ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ _______ ___ ____ ___ ______ ___ ____ ____ ___ _____ ________ ____ _____ ____ ____ ____ ___ __ ___ ____ (v7:23)
flood persisted 150 days when God remembered everyone in the ark
C′
___ _____ _________ ____ ___ _____ ___ _______ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ __________ ____ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ______ ____ ____ ____ ___ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ ______ _ ____ __ ____ ____ ___ ______ ___ ___ _____ _________ (v7:24,8:1)
finally floodgates closed and the flooding ended
A′
____ ___ _________ __ ___ ____ ___ ___ __________ __ ___ ___ ____ _______ ___ ___ ____ ____ ___ ___ ___ ___________ ___ ___ _____ _______ ________ ____ ___ ______ ___ __ ___ ___ __ ___ _______ ___ _____ ____ ___ _____ __________ (v8:2,3)
a change of location
SUB-UNIT MARKER: __ ___ _______ ______ __ ___ ___________ ___ __ ___ ______ ___ ___ ______ ____ ___ _________ __ _______ (v8:4)
CLOSING SUMMARY: mountains were visible
SUM
___ _____ _________ ________ _____ ___ _____ ______ __ ___ _____ ______ __ ___ _____ ___ __ ___ ______ ___ ____ __ ___ _________ ______ ________ (v8:5)
a change of time
sub-unit marker: ____ __ ____ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ (v8:6A)
the raven flew until the water was gone
frame
____ ____ ______ ___ ______ __ ___ ___ _____ __ ___ _____ ___ __ ____ ___ _ ______ ___ __ ____ ____ ___ _____ _____ ___ _____ ___ _____ __ ____ ___ ______ (v8:6B,7)
he sent a dove to see if the water was receding
a
____ __ ____ ___ _ ____ ____ ____ __ ___ __ ___ _____ ___ ______ ____ ___ ____ __ ___ _____ (v8:8)
dove found no rest
b
___ ___ ____ _____ __ _______ _____ ___ ___ ____ __ ___ _____ __ ___ ________ __ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ ___ _______ __ ___ ___ ______ (v8:9A)
he gave rest to the dove
x
____ __ ___ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___ _______ ___ ____ ___ ___ __ ________ (v8:9B)
a change of time
sub-unit marker: __ __ ______ ___ _______ _____ _____ (v8:10A)
he sent another dove
a′
___ _____ __ ____ ___ ___ ____ ____ ___ ____ (v8:10B)
the dove returned with a leaf
b′
___ ____ ____ __ ___ ______ ________ ___ _______ __ ___ ____ ___ _ _______ ______ _____ _____ (v8:11A)
Noah knew the water was gone
frame
__ ____ ____ ____ ___ _____ ___ ______ ____ ___ ______ (v8:11B)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: he sent another dove that did not return
sum
____ __ ______ ___ _______ _____ _____ ___ ____ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ __ ___ ______ (v8:12)
the floodwaters were gone
FRAME
___ __ ____ _____ __ ___ ___ _______ ___ _____ _____ __ ___ _____ ______ __ ___ _____ __ ___ ______ ___ _____ ___ _____ __ ____ ___ ______ ____ ____ _______ ___ ________ __ ___ ____ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ __ ___ ______ ___ _____ ___ (v8:13)