Chiasmus / Literary Structure
The Chiastic Structure of Amos 5:1-17
Amos 5:1-17 (Amos 5:1-17 — The Call to Seek God) is arranged as a chiasm— an ancient mirror pattern (A-B-C-B′-A′) in which ideas repeat in reverse order around a central pivot. The structure turns on its center: “He who made Pleiades and Orion — LORD is his name”. Amos 5 is a literary masterpiece: a chiastic lament calling Israel to seek God and live, with the pivot being the nature of God himself — the one who made Pleiades and Orion.
The Mirror Pattern
- A
Lament: fallen is virgin Israel
Amos 5:1-3
- B
Seek the LORD and live
Amos 5:4-6
- C
You who turn justice to bitterness
Amos 5:7
- X
He who made Pleiades and Orion — LORD is his name
Amos 5:8-9
Central pivot — the emphasized point
- C'
You who hate the one who upholds justice
Amos 5:10-13
- B'
Seek good and not evil, that you may live
Amos 5:14-15
- A'
Lament in all the vineyards — the day of the LORD
Amos 5:16-17
Indentation shows the nesting toward the central pivot and back out — the hallmark of a chiasm.
Why the Structure Matters
In a chiasm, the author’s main point is placed at the center rather than the end. Reading Amos 5:1-17 as a mirror pattern draws the eye to its pivot — “He who made Pleiades and Orion — LORD is his name” — as the key the passage turns on. Recognizing the structure changes how the passage is read and preached.