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)

Directions:

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

What's the point of this design? Firstly, be inspired by the awesomeness of the Author's Word. Meditate prayerfully on what you see, seeking insight about each thematic pairing. How are the elements alike? How do they differ. Why are they paired? If questions are raised that would not otherwise be raised, ask them. May the Author Himself grant you insight.

Pass your mouse cursor over the passage. Hovering over a line of text will cause it to be highlighted along with matching elements. Hovering over a bar will produce the same result.

If a line of text is underlined, click on it. Commentary will appear in a window and the highlighting will remain. If you see a bar that looks different, click on it to produce the same result.

Tip: If this presentation is too big to fit on screen, you can make your browser full screen. Try F11. You can also adjust the zoom (ctrl - to zoom out). If you have a monitor that rotates into a portrait display, the vertical real estate can be very useful. If it helps you see what you want to see, you can drag the pop-up commentary window around the screen.

For more explanation, see: About These Thematic Patterns

For more examples, see: Interactive Content