Two More Chiasmus Examples

Here are two more examples of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, both in Mosiah.  In Mosiah 5:10-12 I think we can break it up as follows:

A.      “Whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name”

B.      “He findeth himself on the left hand of God”

C.      “Never should be blotted out”

D.      “Except it be through transgression”

D.    “Therefore take heed that ye do not transgress”

C.    “That the name be not blotted out of your hearts”

B.    “Retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God”

A.    “Know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.”

The high point of the chiasmus is the injunction to not transgress: to take upon ourselves the name of Christ we must not transgress the commandments.  A similar idea is expressed in Mosiah 26:24-27 which I think likewise forms a chiasmus:

A.      “They shall have a place eternally at my right hand”

B.      “Then shall they that never knew me come forth”

C.      “I am their Redeemer”

C.    “They would not be redeemed”

B.    “I will confess unto them that I never knew them”

A.    “They shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil”

Together these teach us that the focus in our lives should be both our own actions (“do not transgress”) and the Redeemer.