Luke 17:5-19: Two Inspiring Versions!

I've worked out two different versions of the design of this profound passage of scripture. These are so compelling that I felt it necessary to present both of them here. I invite you to hover your mouse cursor over (or tap on, if using a touch-screen device) the presentation's lines of text and vertical bars to compare the colorful thematic pairings that are dynamically represented therein. For more instruction, read the directions found at the bottom of the page.

You will find a video that features these presentations here: Surprising Discovery about Luke 17: How the Author Embedded a Big Secret

These interactive presentations are supplemental to this study called "Increase Our Faith" - The Hidden Treasure of Luke 17:5-19 - Part 2: Keys to Developing a Hearing Ear.

The first version doesn't suggest a structural parallel while the second one clearly does. This first version presents verses 5-10 as a 2+2 chiasm and verses 11-19 as a 4+4 parallelism.

The second version presents verses 5-10 as a 3+3 chiasm and verses 11-19 as a 5+5 chiasm. The structural parallel is seen in how the units at the pivots are the only ones that have subdivisions, and they both present as 2+2 parallelisms. The pivots naturally receive the most emphasis, and when the subtle message is grasped, this feature makes the version and the powerful message it reinforces extremely compelling! The Author is greatly to be praised for His handiwork and for His kindness toward those of us who, like the apostles, want to increase our faith!

Generated with the Chiasmatron 2000

Attribution: Bob Schlenker (updated April 12, 2025)

Explanation:

What you see above is an exhibit of the linguistic structure that appears throughout the Bible. The featured passage of scripture is straight from the Bible. Nothing has been added or removed or shifted out of sequence.

What's the point of studying this kind of symmetrical design? Firstly, be inspired by the awesome beauty and intricacy of the Author's Word. The structure also conveys meaning to those seeking knowledge and wisdom! In an elegant way, it suggests where the Author places emphasis. It presents context in a very refined manner that guides us to ask questions we would otherwise not be inclined to ask, subsequently leading us to profound insights we would not otherwise glean! How are the paired elements alike and how do they differ? In what specific ways do they compare? Why are they paired? Ask the questions prompted by the holy spirit as you're being informed by the structural comparisons.

Directions:

The interactive features will vividly illustrate the structural design. Pass your mouse cursor over the passage. Hovering over a vertical bar or a line of text will cause it to be highlighted together with its matching elements. If you see a bar or a line of text called out for special attention, click it to open a Commentary Window (which can be repositioned by dragging) and freeze the relevant background highlighting.

Tip: When a presentation is too big to fit on your device screen, you can make adjustments that will allow you to see the elements of interest together onscreen for easier comparison. Right clicking on a bar will collapse it to a single line - a very useful feature! Make your browser full screen - try F11. You can also adjust the zoom (ctrl- or ctrl+ to zoom out or in). If you have a monitor that rotates into a portrait display, leveraging that vertical real estate can be very useful.

For more explanation, see: About These Thematic Patterns

For more examples, see: Interactive Content