Pattern Analysis: June 14, 2026 Update, 95% completion

Of the Bible's 31,100 verses, 29,500 (95%) has been analyzed using the Pattern Analysis methodology. The consistency of the structures and rhetoric, found in previous progress reports, continues. Most of my recent time has been devoted to writing a book, Evidence of Holy Spirit Inspiration. It is aimed at laypeople who might question the Bible's inspiration. I expect that book will be self-published in 2027—the second draft is nearing completion.

95% — June 13, 2026
94% — February 9, 2026
93% — October 17,2025
92% — September 23, 2025
91% — September 2, 2025
90% — August 13, 2025
89% — July 18, 2025
88% — June 7, 2025
87% — May 13, 2025
86% — April 26, 2025
85% — April 15, 2025
84% — February 17, 2025
83% — January 26, 2025
82% — January 22, 2025
81% — January 15, 2025
80% — January 1, 2025
75% — June 22, 2024
70% — April 19, 2024
65% — April 6, 2022
60% — September 29, 2020
  0% — May 16, 2016

My hope is to complete this analysis of the Bible in 2026. Click here to read more about Pattern Analysis.

I suggest that the implications associated with Pattern Analysis are significant. If one consistent yet complex model for Genesis to Revelation can be shown, that strongly suggests One underlying source behind the entire work, not forty individual authors. This is evidence, not proof, for One inspiration. Therefore we should not be picking and choosing what we like or dislike in the Bible, but instead we should come to grips with what that original source intended, the God who loves us so very deeply.

Comments, questions, and words of encouragement are appreciated.

Pattern Analysis: June 7, 2025 Update on Completion

A first draft of 27,300 (88%) of the Bible's 31,100 verses has been completed using the Pattern Analysis methodology. For the last month, the concentration has been on completing the book of Isaiah (nearly done). The strong consistency seen in the previous months has continued.

88% — June 7, 2025
87% — May 13, 2025
86% — April 26, 2025
85% — April 15, 2025
84% — February 17, 2025
83% — January 26, 2025
82% — January 22, 2025
81% — January 15, 2025
80% — January 1, 2025
75% — June 22, 2024
70% — April 19, 2024
65% — April 6, 2022
60% — September 29, 2020
  0% — April 6, 2016

Currently in the tenth year, this methodology has become more complete and comprehensive. Since 2020, modifications have been made about how the system works with a goal to complete a first draft of the entire Bible. At the same time, two manuscripts are being written: Pattern Analysis Methodology, a detailed description of this approach for a more scholarly audience, and Evidence of Holy Spirit Inspiration for those in the congregations and beyond. Click here to read more about Pattern Analysis.

I suggest that the implications associated with Pattern Analysis are significant. If one consistent yet complex model for Genesis to Revelation can be shown, that strongly suggests One underlying source behind the entire work, not forty individual authors. This is evidence, not proof, for One inspiration. It suggests that we should not be picking and chosing our way through the Bible, but instead we should come to grips with what that original source intended, the God who loves us so very deeply.

Comments, questions, and words of encouragement are appreciated.

Pattern Analysis for Half of the Bible is Completed

Pattern analysis is the study of the thought process that the Holy Spirit used when He inspired the Bible. Through literary devices such as the chiasm, parallel symmetry, concluding summary, and substructures, I am seeing a very complex, unique and consistent method for presenting themes. There are forty literary devices in all. Each of the so-called ‘authors’ of the Bible, Moses, Malachi and Mark to name a few, reveal this same methodology. So far in my analysis of half of the Bible, every verse participates in this well-organized thought process. Using the NASB translation, there is no verse that is randomly placed.

Of the 31,100 verses in the Bible, I have today analyzed 15,600 which is 50%. It has taken nearly three years:

0% — April 6, 2016
26% — May 6, 2017
30% — August 31, 2017
35% — January 21, 2018
40% — April 20, 2018
45% — October 24, 2018
50% — March 14, 2019

At least 25% of every book has been sampled and thirty-one have been completed. Overall that is 43% of the Old Testament and 70% of the New Testament.

Three major things have happened during the five months since my last update in October. By far the most significant was last December when my wife Nancy passed away. During the time since, I have been confronted with how much she was my best friend. I knew that but what I'm saying is I miss her. She was an excellent woman who truly loved and depended upon the Lord despite her health issues.

In my April 2018 blog article, I announced I had started another manuscript entitled Pattern Analysis Findings. I hit a stumbling block shortly after that, so in November I picked that up again. That has been my focus for the last few months as I work through issues related to my wife.

My ability to identify literary structures has substantially improved since 2016. I find myself going back to those earlier efforts to review and potentially modify each as necessary. The third major thing has been the review of Genesis through Romans — that process is nearing completion.

To say I am 50% complete does not do justice to the effort that is still to come. Just as I have been reviewing my effort to date, others must come alongside to do the same. These would include both editors and scholars. Input from others is an essential component to an effort of this magnitude. It is exciting to see how the Lord is putting all this together.
Peace, Tom

Pattern Analysis Methodology Remains Essentially Unchanged

The Lord has given me a large project: to analyze the entire Bible using a methodology that I've named pattern analysis. I have now analyzed 14,000 of the 31,000 verses in the Bible which represents 45%. Here is my progress to date:
0% — April 6, 2016
26% — May 6, 2017
30% — August 31, 2017
35% — January 21, 2018
40% — April 20, 2018
45% — October 24, 2018

There are times, such as this moment composing this brief update, where I am in awe at what I am seeing. It is the same Bible that everyone reads but the increased clarity and strong locations of emphasis have made the text much more alive to me. I want to show it to others, yet because I am not complete, I feel released to only present some samples.

At least 20% of every book has been sampled and thirty have been completed. To date, 40% of the Old Testament and 60% of the New Testament has identified literary structures. Over 1,200 literary structures have been documented. Since April 2018, most of my analyses have been in the Old Testament. Still to date, every verse that has been analyzed fits within the model of pattern analysis. That is, pattern analysis continues to point to the belief that there is but one inspiring author of the Bible: the Holy Spirit.

The methodology that was outlined in September 2017 has basically remained—there have been only minor changes since that time. Most of my time since April 2018 has concentrated on the book of Proverbs. Pattern analysis does not replace the more classical exegesis methods, it supplements it. The book Pattern Analysis Handbook will define the methodology.

More Progress with Pattern Analysis

I have now analyzed 40% of the Bible using the Pattern Analysis methodology. Here is my progress over the last two years:
0% — April 6, 2016
26% — May 6, 2017
30% — August 31, 2017
35% — January 21, 2018
40% — April 20, 2018

In addition to the Pattern Analysis Handbook that was last updated in September 2017, I recently started a scholarly paper, Pattern Analysis Findings. While the Handbook targets those in the church body who are interested in gleaning more from the Bible, the Findings manuscript targets those of academic persuasion. It assumes that the reader is very familiar with literary analysis of the Bible, not just chiasms but a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

My hope is that if I can get some good scholarly feedback on this methodology, then I can more confidently update and complete the Handbook. The Preface of the Findings book currently reads:

Pattern Analysis is a methodology to help us know the Holy Spirit’s emphasis within any literary unit (pericope) in the Bible. It uses established literary structure techniques, yet it also extends those techniques as well. It is intended for use by both scholars and non-scholars. A core element of this method is the belief that “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Study of the Bible’s literary structure has received increased attention in recent years from both scholars and the worldwide church. For example, many have read and/or analyzed structures using macro-level chiasms and similar approaches. This proposed method takes us from identification of structures to hearing the Holy Spirit’s emphatic voice within structures.

In April 2016, I began to prepare a database of literary structures by sampling each book of the Bible. I had read Jerome Walsh’s Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative several years earlier—I wondered if Walsh’s methodology could be used or modified to apply to the entire Bible. In particular, I was most curious to see if Walsh’s rules for emphasis could be applied throughout the Bible, or possibly modified. ¹

My approach was to select at least three contiguous chapters from each book. Using the NASB as a source, the verses were not to be paraphrased, modified, or rearranged in any way. Every verse was to be included; that is, no words were to be skipped between literary units.

In April 2018 I completed that assignment by analyzing 12,400 (forty percent) of the 31,100 verses in the Bible: twenty-four books in entirety and fifteen to eighty percent of the remaining books. This paper is a presentation of the findings of that investigation.

Pattern Analysis is the name that I selected for this methodology. There are forty tools which comprise this toolbox of techniques. Many of those tools have been established by Walsh and many others over the last three centuries. I modified some of these tools based on where the emphasis was found. Some tools are new, or at least new to me. The combination and presentation of these tools is unique. When these tools were put together, the emphasis was dependably found in the expected locations.

This paper presents the results of this study with details on how these techniques appear. The purpose of this paper then is to describe this pattern analysis toolbox, how these tools appear, and the frequency of their appearance.

1.  Jerome T. Walsh, Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative, (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2001).

That is the Preface—the remainder is still to be written and may some day be published as a book. As with other scholarly papers such as a thesis or dissertation, this will take some time. If you are interested in being notified when the Handbook or the Findings is available to the general public, please contact me: Tom@ThomasBClarke.com.

Oh to enjoy the refreshing Word of God, Tom

Progress Update on Pattern Analysis

Today I met a short-term goal: I have now analyzed 30% of the Bible using the Pattern Analysis methodology. My goal when I started this effort a year ago was to take a sampling of every book of the Bible with a minimum of 10% of each book or three chapters, whichever is more comprehensive. I am very close to completing that goal with today being another milestone. Hallelujah!

Over this past year I had to substantially enhance the Pattern Analysis model to accomodate the new patterns that I was seeing. With this improved model, I can say that every verse that I’ve looked at has fit into one or more literary patterns. That is, I am not seeing any evidence at this time where an editor (the technical name is a redactor) has modified the biblical text. All the variations that people use to support the theory of a redactor are, at least in my analysis so far, the Holy Spirit’s use of emphasis.

The current model that I am using may be seen in part at Pattern Analysis Handbook. That handbook is currently undergoing scholarly review and will hopefully be published in 2017. You may email me at Tom@ThomasBClarke.com for more information and/or notification of availability.

*** Update on 1/21/2018 ***:
While I have now completed 35% of the Bible, I have decided to postpone publication for some period of time because I want to be absolutely positive that the approach that I have been seeing is correct. I expect my various writings about Pattern Analysis will be controversial because people who do not believe the Bible was inspired by God will attempt to punch holes into this methodology. Thank you for your patience—if you wish, I will be very glad to add you to my mailing list as the various teachings and workbooks become available.
Tom

An Example of Pattern Analysis: Acts 3:1-11

Pattern Analysis, an analytical tool to help discern the emphatic voice of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, is one step closer to being released to the public. I am so excited because the first book, Pattern Analysis Handbook: A Compact Guide, has been sent to a few Bible scholars for their technical review. I can now, for the moment, concentrate on the web-based presentation of these structured themes.

Pattern analysis allows us to use our native language (mine is English) to understand what was most important to the Holy Spirit when He inspired the Bible. We don't need to know the ancient Hebrew or Greek although that is always a good thing. Instead we analyze the repetitive patterns to help us find what is most important. These patterns, what I call structured themes, persist in whatever language you are using as long as your translation is fairly literal.

I typically use the New American Standard Bible (NASB) because it attempts to adhere to the original languages without rephrasing for the sake of readability. When sentences are reorganized or new paragraphs started which are not logically based literary units, these structured themes can be much more difficult to discern. Reorganized text can lead to the association of two themes that were not intended to be associated together.

Back to pattern analysis. A chiasm is one of the ways that themes were organized. Here is an example from Acts 3:1-11. On the left side of that page, there is a brief explanation of four emphatic portions to that chiasm. Then as you scroll over each of the elements on the right, the colors should change to reflect their association.

You may contact me directly at Tom@ThomasBClarke.com for further inquiries about pattern analysis.
Many blessings, Tom

Pattern Analysis in the Bible

I believe I am onto something significant regarding the Bible. I'm calling it Pattern Analysis—a way of reading the Bible for greater understanding and meaning. Pattern Analysis includes literary devices such as the chiasm and lists and summarizations; forty devices in all. I'm really excited to start showing this tool later this year but my work is not yet ready.

A year ago I announced that Discovering Emphasis in the Bible is ready for review. I received some comments that basically said I need to dig deeper. At the same time, the Holy Spirit nudged me to develop a catalog of structured themes. I never imagined the extent and beauty that would be revealed to me from this process. They were right, I was not ready.

Today I have completed cataloging 25% of the Bible: 18% of the Old Covenant and 45% of the New. While that is more than 800 structured themes, I'm not done yet. But what I can say is that so far there is not a verse that does not fit into this methodology!

Why is that important to you? Because Pattern Analysis,

1. organizes Bible passages into complete units,
2. clarifies the text and often adds new meaning, and
3. reveals one or typically several emphatic messages in each structure

Pattern Analysis also gives considerable credibility to the thinking that the Holy Spirit inspired the entire Bible. Just as you can look at the signature on a credit card receipt to see if it is from your spouse, so it seems we can use Pattern Analysis to ask, Is this passage from that same source?. Pattern Analysis supports the thinking that there is a Verbal Plenary Inspiration of the Bible.

Through this medium called the Bible Discernments blog, I hope to keep you informed about my progress. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Tom

Throw Away Your Bible In A Year Plan; Pursue Meaningful Study Instead

I remember the nutritionist stating to my wife, "You have a choice: continue staying on your prescription medications or stop taking them. You may have good reason to continue taking them; discuss that with your doctor. I am not telling you to stop taking them, I just believe there is a better plan."

My wife went from seven prescription medications each day to one, a thyroid medication that she will take for the remainder of her life. She made that choice over three years ago–her blood pressure has dropped to normal ranges, her cholesterol blood work has been consistently good, and her other complications have been under control. She is living a normal healthy life and enjoying those benefits with the help of her nutritionist.

If you are under your pastor's direction to read the Bible in a year, that is between you and him or her. If you have not read the Bible through twice, cover to cover, I recommend reading it in a year so that you catch the big picture. But to many people, a daily Bible reading plan may have stolen your precious time.

There is wonderful, glorious, and exciting joy in digging into the Scriptures, and that is what I propose as an alternative. Make your time meaningful. Renew your time with the Lord.

I have been teaching a Bible study which has been helping me improve the quality of Pattern Analysis while they learn a new tool. We first read Psalm 43, a very brief psalm yet one that may seem confusing. Here is that psalm from the NASB:

¹ Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
² For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Everyone in the group last night expressed some confusion: "Why does this psalm seem to contradict itself?" We then looked at this literary structure: Psalm 43. Not only did they see the advantage of literary structure from that chapter, they understood why a year-long march through the Bible limits their study. That half-hour, or whatever time is allotted, could be much more productive and thereby more satisfying.

The Enemy's Attack on the Bible

In my soon to be published book Discovering Emphasis in the Bible: Hearing God's Voice through Literary Structure, I present three steps to better hear God's voice. The process is deemed DIG:

1. Discern the literary structure of a passage
2. Identify the emphasis within that literary structure
3. Glean God's personal message for you based on that emphasis

This study will teach you how to recognize the 14 most common types of literary structure in the Bible. Each type has its own method for detecting the emphasis. Where a structure exists, this process works for Genesis through Revelation.

The book targets two groups of born-again believers: those that are having a difficult time hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and those that want to dig deeper into the Bible.

Hallucinogenic Drugs
While I would hope that everyone would benefit from my manuscript, there is one group that I specifically cannot target: those involved in illicit drugs. These drugs, such as marijuana, ketamine, cocaine, and heroine, distort a person's ability to think and react in both the short-term and the long-term.

Confusion is a significant tool of the enemy to distract us from understanding the biblical text. Not only does the drug's high prevent good comprehension, so there is a long-term effect that impedes wisdom in pattern recognition. The good news is that over time, continued abstinence restores this processing power that God gave us.

In our United States and throughout the world, drug abuse has become a very significant problem. So has Bible illiteracy. Is there a correlation? I suspect so.

I am not an expert on the effects of these drugs on our minds, but it makes sense to me. In my own experimentation with marijuana about 45 years ago, my ability to think through problems diminished quickly. I thought there was no difference in my cognitive skills while I was not high; once I stepped away from all substance abuse, I saw differently.

Here is some research that supports my understanding: National Institute on Drug Abuse: What are marijuana's long-term effects on the brain?. For example it states, "As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information."

Conclusion
The enemy is continually attempting to separate us from pursuing our God. His tactic of confusion through drugs seems to have worked for many people. If your state is looking to legalize marijuana, consider getting involved in defeating that effort. And if your child suddenly comes home with poor grades in a subject, be aware–there may be more to it than the pretty girl nearby.

Is Your Chiasm Meaningful?

The book of Proverbs has many great aphorisms (brief sayings) that are full of wisdom. Some of these have a chiastic A-B-B′-A′ shape but the center point is often not particularly meaningful. That is, there does not seem to be an emphatic center in these chiasms. Consider this example from Proverbs 22:22,23 (NET Bible):

A  Do not exploit a poor person because he is poor
    B  and do not crush the needy in court,
    B′ for the Lord will plead their case
A′ and will rob those who are robbing them.

In both B and B′ the setting is a court scene; the A and A′ versets are pictures of one triumphing over another. The shape is chiastic but the emphasis is not the court scene.

Instead the emphasis should be the contrast between verses 22 and 23. Simplified, these two verses could be stated as:

A  Do not abuse a poor person,
    A′ Else the Lord will abuse you.

The problem is not limited to Proverbs, where chiasms do not seem to have a strong center point. Consider Genesis 1:27 (NASB) for example. The structure is clearly chiastic and has been referenced by many as an example of a chiasm. However, to me it does not demonstrate the emphatic value of chiastic structures:

A  God created man
    B  in His own image,
    B′ in the image of God
A′  He created him.

I believe this value statement is individual and should be inspired to each person. To a certain extent, whether a center point is meaningful or not is subjective. To me, God's creation is more important than the image He created. It may be emphatic to you but not so much to me. I grant that some will see things differently than others.

SO, when you believe you have located a chiasm, go beyond the beauty of your finding. Ask yourself, "Is this chiasm meaningful to me?" Then ask, "Why?"