Chiasm and Parallelism in Deuteronomy 9:26-29

 

Deuteronomy 9:26-29 – A parallelism in a chiasm on God's faithfulness to the covenant

• V26 - Don't destroy your people and heritage, whom you redeemed through greatness and a mighty hand
• V27 - Remember the Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
• Forget the sins of this people
• V28 - YHWH wasn't able to keep his Covenant
• He hated and destroyed the people
• V29 - They are your people and heritage, whom you brought out with great power and an outstretched arm

God keeps his promises and he wants to hear us remind him of it. When it looks like God has forgotten or rejected you, he might just be waiting for you to tell him that you believe in him and trust him to keep his promises.

A Chiasm on Obedience to All the Words of God

A chiasm in Deuteronomy 9:3-16 highlights the consequences of sinning against the commandments of God, by whatever medium you received them. The nations of Canaan were destroyed because they refused to heed God's Law and Israel was exiled for a time for the same reason. Repentance from sin will bring them back.

A: V3-4 – God is a fire, so don’t sin against him
----B: V5 – God destroys the nations for their wickedness
--------C: V6 – God gave the land to Israel despite their faults & stubbornness
------------D: V7-8 – Israel sinned from when they left Egypt
----------------E: V9 – 40 days & nights to get the stone tablets
--------------------F: V10a – The finger of God
------------------------G: V10b – All the words of God
--------------------F: V10c – The voice of God
----------------E: V11 – 40 days & nights to get the stone tablets
------------D: V12 – Israel, whom Moses brought out of Egypt, sinned
--------C: V13 – God knows Israel’s faults & their stubbornness
----B: V14 – God threatens to destroy Israel for their wickedness
A: V15-16 – God is a fire, yet Israel sinned against him