This story is clearly structured chiastically. It starts "without the walls" and finishes up "outside the walls." Nephi is in the dark, not knowing what’s happening at the beginning, and Zoram is confused and doesn’t know what’s happening at the end. The sword mentioned twice. The Spirit constrains twice, and so on. The main thing to realize is the central turning point, which is the recognition that decided the matter for Nephi, and this has to do with commandments in general, "Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise," but "they cannot keep the commandments according to the law save they have the law." To emphasize this crucial middle turning-point, Nephi structured this entire chapter as an extended chiasm.
As this case shows, chiasmus was used in literature to serve several purposes. In Nephi’s account of the slaying of Laban, the chiastic structure may serve to doubly emphasize the seriousness of its subject matter, to imbue its outcome with an aura of authoritativeness, and to clarify the logical relationships between the parts of this text. Chiasmus also helps to point and propel Nephi’s narrative to its focal conclusion. The balanced format of chiasmus also conveys here implicit sense of balance, justice, orderliness, and retributive justice. It also conveniently enhances the audience’s capacities for memorization, which promotes oral retellings and uses of this text in legal context and in public instruction. Ultimately chiasmus adds to a judicial verdict any often needed sense of restoration, peace, closure, and finality.
| A | Without the Walls of Jerusalem They [my brethren] did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem (4) I caused that they should hide themselves without the walls (5) | ||||||
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| B | Laban and his House I … went forth towards the house of Laban (5), not knowing beforehand the things I should do (6) near unto the house of Laban was a drunk man (7): it was Laban (8) | |||||
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| C | The Sword I beheld his sword,… and the hilt was of pure gold … the blade thereof was of the most precious steel (9) | ||||
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| D | Spirit I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban (10) And the Spirit said unto me again (11) | |||
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| E | Delivered into thy hands Slay him for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands (12) | ||
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| F | Perishing The Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes; it is better that one man should perish than a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief (13) | |
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| G | The Law and Commandments Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise (14) I also thought they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law, … save they should have the law (15) |
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| F’ | Imperishable I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass (16) | |
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| E’ | Delivered into my hands And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands (17) | ||
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| D’ | The Spirit Therefore, I did obey the voice of the Spirit (18) | |||
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| C’ | The Sword I … took Laban by the hair of the head and I smote off his head with his own sword (19) | ||||
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| B’ | Laban’s House—his treasury, his servant, his voice I went forth unto the treasury of Laban. … I saw the servant of Laban, I commanded him in the voice of Laban (20) He supposed me to be his master, Laban (21), I spake unto him as if it had been Laban (23) | |||||
| A’ | Without the Walls of Jerusalem To my elder brethren who were without the walls (24) [Zoram] did follow me, as I went forth unto my brethren who were without the walls (26–27) | ||||||
All of these reasons explain why chiasmus works so well here. Nephi used chiasmus in a lot of other places, but this is one of his prime examples. This is one of his most important stories, and he presented it in the most articulate, persuasive way that he knew how. Jonathan Burnside, a biblical scholar, has said, "The use of chiasmus is important in showing completion when divine intervention is involved because God never does anything that is imperfect or incomplete. This literary form completes it." We have here, particularly, more than in any other story, repeated instances of divine intervention.