Chiasmus / Literary Structure
The Chiastic Structure of Ps 22
Ps 22 (Psalm 22 — Forsaken and Enthroned) 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: “Be not far from me — the pivot of crisis and petition”. Psalm 22 moves from apparent abandonment to universal praise. The structure is a chiasm pivoting on God's response to the cry of the afflicted — the most-quoted psalm in the passion narratives.
The Mirror Pattern
- A
Cry of abandonment: My God, why have you forsaken me?
Ps 22:1-2
- B
You are holy — enthroned on the praises of Israel
Ps 22:3
- C
Our fathers trusted and were delivered
Ps 22:4-5
- D
I am a worm — mocked by all who see me
Ps 22:6-8
- E
Yet you brought me from the womb — early trust
Ps 22:9-10
- X
Be not far from me — the pivot of crisis and petition
Ps 22:11
Central pivot — the emphasized point
- E'
Dogs surround me, hands and feet pierced — crisis intensifies
Ps 22:16-18
- D'
But you have not despised the afflicted — God heard
Ps 22:24
- C'
All who fear the LORD shall praise him — future assembly
Ps 22:25-26
- B'
All the ends of the earth shall worship — universal scope
Ps 22:27-28
- A'
Posterity shall serve him — the Lord's righteous acts proclaimed
Ps 22:30-31
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 Ps 22 as a mirror pattern draws the eye to its pivot — “Be not far from me — the pivot of crisis and petition” — as the key the passage turns on. Recognizing the structure changes how the passage is read and preached.