Purpose of the Scriptures Tab
The Scriptures tab provides basic information, organized by Biblical Book, from a structural perspective.
The focus of the Scriptures tab is on the Scriptural development and use of the words “near” and “far",” and on Menorah structures written prior to Isaiah.
Menorah-Tree Structure in Isaiah 28 - 33
In Isaiah, it is proposed that portions of the literary structure have correspondence to a Menorah-Tree structure. Interestingly, these branch-paired Menorah structures appear to be “visually” surrounded by stanzas containing the words “near” and/or “far.” That observation partially explains the focus of the Scriptures tab on the words “near” and “far.”
In Isaiah 28 – 33, the branches have correspondence to stanzas starting with the word “woe,” or “ah” in some translations.
Being aware of this structure has incredible value to readers because they will understand what pattern Isaiah was following as he wrote his scroll and then can also understand why the text jumps around in tone. However, the text of Isaiah is not random at all, it is highly structured. At this date of writing, this Menorah-Tree literary structure continues to be under review, and reaching consensus may of course take a very long time.
On this website, the color yellow is used to help identify verses or stanzas containing the words “near” or “far.”
Important Note: When you observe the structural charts, found on links under the Sections of Isaiah page on this website, look for the yellow coloration. Verses containing the words “near” and /or “far” are colored yellow in the charts. This will help you to connect the structural importance of these words in Isaiah, to the their development in these pages found under the Scriptures tab.
The words “near” and “far” are structural markers in Isaiah.
The reason for the focus on the words “near” and “far” is that these words are employed as inclusio-like structural markers in Isaiah. That is, they tend to mark or locate the boundaries of chiastic passages which occur at the multi-stanza level.
It is not quite as simple as this figure indicates as there are other verses within Isaiah that provide boundaries in the poetry.
The purpose of the Scriptures tab pages on this website is two-fold:
1) To introduce the use of the words “near” and “far.” This includes the thematic connection of these words to the blessings and curses of the covenant, and their structural placement in Biblical passages. This is important because these words are often used as inclusio-like structural markers, to surround multi-stanza chiastic structures in Isaiah.
2) To introduce the land region Menorah-Tree structures that are found in the scriptures written earlier than Isaiah. The connection of the land Menorah-Tree structures proposed in Isaiah, with earlier tree structures, is an on-going investigative area.
As will be demonstrated, these Menorah-Tree structures and the use of “near” and “far” are related or intertwined.
To be clear, the coverage of various scriptures, as listed in the drop-down menu under the scriptures tab, is only in preparation for study of Isaiah. The material will be exceedingly helpful as you study the other books, but there is no sense in which the coverage is comprehensive. The site will be examining a very thin slice. Links to Bible Study materials, books, and other resources are made as appropriate.
Menorah or tree structures have been proposed to occur in the literary structure of Isaiah.
It has also been proposed Menorah structures occur in the literary structure of Isaiah, and that these Menorah structures are in some cases marked by the words “near” and “far” which “visually surround” the Menorah structures.
An initial concept is that specific verses or stanzas in the text of Isaiah have correspondence to the branch structure of a Menorah.
There is strong evidence for the tree structures from Scriptures written earlier than Isaiah, from internally in Isaiah, and from Scriptures written after Isaiah. However, further investigation is needed for both the Menorah structures, and Isaiah’s use of the words “near” and “far” in marking these structures.
There is more information on the Menorah structures on the Scriptures/Isaiah tab.
To see a chart presenting the structural use of “near” and “far” in Isaiah, click the following button, and then click on the various links to charts on that page.
These links are to the main page and to information on Leviticus