Battle With Amalek - More Chiastic Structure

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Battle With Amalek-More Chiastic Structure

I. Remember, a chiastic structure is essentially a thematic method of organizing the narratives of the Torah. A chiastic structure is a “pattern” organized as follows: Generally, a story is divided into two halves. The themes of the first half of the literary unit are repeated in the second half of the unit, sometimes in reverse order. Furthermore, both halves of the story point to the central axis, the most important element in the narrative. Let’s apply this here.

First, let’s look at the general flow of these passages.

Devarim 25:17—Exhortation to remember what Amalek did.
Devarim 25:18—Amalek’s attack.
Devarim 25:19—Adonai’s instructions for Yisrael’s response (to avenge themselves).

At this point, it may not appear to be a chiastic structure, however; If we diligently search through these three verses, we’ll find the following chiastic structure:

A) Devarim 25:17—The command (mitzvah) to remember what Amalek did to Israel.

B) Devarim 25:17-18—The emphasis on WHERE and HOW the event occurred (on the way)

C) Devarim 25:18—Yisrael’s physical condition during the attack.

D) Devarim 25:18—Amalek did not fear Adonai.

C1) Devarim 25:19—Yisrael’s physical condition when they avenge Amalek.

B1) Devarim 25:19—WHERE Yisrael will be located and HOW they will avenge Amalek.

A1) Devarim 25:19—The command (mitzvah) for Yisrael not to forget Amalek’s actions.

As you can see, this story definitely divides into a chiastic structure, even though it’s only three verses long! The second half contains the exact same themes as the first half in inverse order. I like to show you chiastic structures because they emphasize the importance of learning how to think THEMATICALLY. If you don’t analyze the Scriptures thematically, you’ll miss a great portion of its wisdom.

In the first half of the chiastic structure, the themes are presented according to Amalek’s actions. In the second half of the structure, the themes are presented in terms of Am Yisrael’s future response to Amalek’s attack. Remember, both halves of the story always point to the central axis. In this case, the central axis is the fact that Amalek did not fear Adonai. Could this be the reason why Adonai commanded Am Yisrael to avenge them? To answer this question, we need to look at other Scriptures thematically related to this one. Therefore, let’s study the original passage involving Amalek’s attack to gain more insight into why Adonai has such contempt for them.

II. Read Exodus 17:8 - 17:13—In order to determine the overall theme of a passage, it's good to outline it and study the topics of the outline first. After reading the passage, establish a general outline of the flow of topics in this story.

17:8-10—Amalek attacks Israel and the preparations for war
17:11-13—The battle
17:14-16— The outcome of the battle

Believe it or not, we have another chiastic structure here:

A1) 8-10—Initial attack and preparations

B1) 11—The battle teeters back and forth

C) 12—The strengthening of Moses' hands

B2) 13—Joshua prevails over Amalek

A2) 14-16—Broadening of the conflict forever

Now, let's thematically analyze this structure from different perspectives:

A. Comparing and Contrasting the Opposing Halves of the Story:

When we compare the A sections, we see that in the first half of the story, it is Amalek who initiates the battle with Israel. In the second half of the story, it is Adonai who will initiate battles with Amalek for all time. Note how this parallels the chiastic structure in Devarim 25:17-19, where the first half of the story reflects Amalek’s actions, whereas the second half reflects Am Yisrael’s.
When we compare the B sections, we see that in the first half of the story, Israel is weakened in battle (note last phrase in verse 11). In the second half of the story, Amalek is weakened in battle.
Note the one to one correspondence of the two halves. The second half “opposes” the first half.
The central axis appears to be the most significant event, since it changes the direction of flow from one half of the story to the next.

B. Comparing and Contrasting Events on the Mountain and on the Battlefield:

This story is also divided in space as follows: Activity is occurring in two places—on the mountain and on the battlefield. When we compare and contrast events occurring on the mountain with those on the battlefield, we will immediately see that the word Amalek is used seven times in the battlefield passages. The word hand appears seven times in the mountain passages. Through this parallel, the Torah wants us to focus on the fact that what happened on the battlefield was directly influenced by what happened on the mountain.

C. These contrasts are not by chance. Thematic analysis allows you to uncover many parallels, similarities and contrasts, which help reinforce the main message of the story. We have discovered two things through thematic analysis of the structure of this story:

Because the two halves of the story "oppose" one another, they point us to the importance of the central axis (verse 12).
Analysis of events occurring on the battlefield and on the mountain teaches us that Israel's battle against Amalek (in the natural) is directly connected to what occurred on the mountaintop.

III. What did Amalek do to deserve the generational judgment Adonai pronounced? If we search the Scriptures for other passages that mention Amalek, we should be able to uncover significant thematic parallels.

We see that Amalek used unethical standards in warfare because they attacked the weak stragglers, probably older people, women and children. We also read of Amalek engaging in unethical forms of warfare, taking women and children. This is a perfect example of how a theme will carry throughout the Scriptures.
It is not by chance that these two accounts, although separated in time by hundreds of years, both contain the same theme (unethical practices in warfare) concerning Amalek.
Note, in the Exodus account, Amalek attacked Israel for no cause.
Considering 1) that Israel had just left Egypt (on their way to Canaan), 2) the purpose for establishing the nation of Israel in Canaan was to be a light to all the nations pointing them to the One true God.

In summary, we can now see a clearer picture of why Amalek’s attack was so heinous. Just think for a moment. The Elohim of Israel had just literally destroyed the greatest, most powerful nation on earth, Egypt. How brazen of Amalek to attack Am Yisrael!!! Now do you see the real importance of the central axis in Devarim 25:17-19—that Amalek didn’t fear Adonai! Wow! They had a lot of nerve to attack the nation who just utterly destroyed the greatest nation on the earth. They did not fear the Holy One at all. They had utter contempt for Him despite His awesome deeds that had never been performed in the sight of the nations on such a grand scale. Furthermore, they were characterized by their despicable battlefield behavior—unethical wartime practices. These may be the reasons why Adonai commands that Amalek be utterly destroyed. Shalom