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34 Structure and the Book ofZechariah
He begins by setting the limits of the passage under discussion and
concludes that vv. 1-17 is a rhetorical unit. Reasons given are:
1. 4.4-13 is a rhetorical unit; 5.1 represents a new start with the
imperative 'Hear this word...'
2. 5.18-20 is a unit with a clear structure, although it may have
a secondary relationship with vv. 1-17. He points to the
'death' theme ('darkness' would be more obvious: vv. 8,
18, 20). 1
3. The theme of mourning found in vv. 1-2 and 16-17 encloses
the whole passage.
Still, he says, the structure is difficult, and he proceeds to analyse the
whole into sub-units.
Verses 1-3 should be taken together; "O (v. 3) does not indicate a
later addition, for, semantically, it provides the ground of the qinah
(lament) in v. 2. In addition, the 3 + 2 (qinah) metre is contained in
the first two lines of v. 3.
Verse 4 is formally similar to v. 3 ('For thus says Yahweh...') but
is best taken as the beginning of a new paragraph because (a) *o can
function as a paragraph link; (b) the setting changes from 'war' to
'sanctuaries and exile'; (c) the call to life contrasts with the qinah', and
(d) v. 4 is integrally connected with vv. 5-6. He presents the
following chiastic structure for vv. 4b-6:
a Seek me and live
b seek not Bethel
c and to Gilgal do not go
d and to Beersheba do not go over
c' for Gilgal shall surely go into exile
b' and Bethel shall come to nought
a 1 Seek Yahweh and live.
The break at v. 3 seems to be justified. We could also point to the
fact that in v. 3b 'to the house of Israel' appears to have a double
function. It corresponds to "?fcOto' rva in v. 1, and it is echoed in v. 4.
A.G. Auld, in his JSOT Guide to Amos (Amos [OTG; Sheffield: JSOT Press,
1986], pp. 50-53), comments: 'De Waard was the first to argue persuasively that
Amos 5.1-17 is an example of palistrophe. ..' He then proceeds to refine de
Waard's basic suggestion, and to commend Tromp's further work.
1. He refers here to J.L. Mays, Amos (London: SCM Press, 1969), p. 103.