Chiasmus

[1] A similar device, antimetabole, also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses in an A-B-B-A configuration, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words.

[2] Chiasmus balances words or phrases with similar, though not identical, meanings: But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves.

Chiasmus was particularly popular in the literature of the ancient world, including Hebrew, Greek, Latin and K'iche' Maya,[7] where it was used to articulate the balance of order within the text.

[12] Conceptual chiasmus utilizes specific linguistic choices, often metaphors, to create a connection between two differing disciplines.

This is made apparent in the central 8th stanza: "Oh David, thou soughtest shelter from King Saul's tyranny.

Chiasmus represented as an "X" structure. When read left to right, top to bottom, the first topic (A) is reiterated as the last, and the middle concept (B) appears twice in succession.