independentrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
Flush-left = a main (independent) clause. Each dependent line begins directly beneath the word it attaches to in the line above — the anchor word is dotted-underlined, and lights up when you hover its dependent clause; each tag also names the attachment. A dashed border marks verbless, elliptical, or suspended lines. Where a long sentence's staircase runs wider than the page, the diagram scrolls sideways. (In print, or without JavaScript, lines fall back to stepped indent columns.)
Milk, not solid food — still of the flesh 3:1–4
vv. 1–3a — infants in Christ, fed milk, not yet weaned
1
Κἀγώ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἠδυνήθην λαλῆσαι ὑμῖν ὡς πνευματικοῖςindependent — the diagnosis — Κἀγώ turns 2:6–16 on the readers
ἀλλ' ὡς σαρκίνοις,comparative — σάρκινος — 'made of flesh'; milder than the σαρκικός of v. 3
ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ.comparative — infants — immature, yet genuinely in Christ
2
γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα,independent — the feeding metaphor — double accusative with ποτίζω
οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε.cause — the ground — imperfect: the abiding incapacity then
ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε,independent — the rebuke sharpens — οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν
3
ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε.cause — σαρκικός now — fleshly in disposition, a step beyond v. 1's σάρκινος
vv. 3b–4 — the evidence: jealousy, strife, and the slogans
ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις,conditional — ὅπου ≈ 'since' — a verbless protasis leaning on the question below
οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστεindependent — the apodosis — οὐχί expects 'yes'
καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;independent — coordinate — conduct itself the verdict
4
ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τις·conditional — ὅταν — the recurring case; leans on the question below
Ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι Παύλου,content — the first slogan (cf. 1:12)
ἕτερος δέ· Ἐγὼ Ἀπολλῶ,content — the answering slogan — λέγῃ and εἰμί both elided
οὐκ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε;independent — the apodosis — the earlier text's blunter question
Planter and waterer — God gives the growth 3:5–9
vv. 5–7 — what is Apollos? servants only: God gives the growth
5
τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς;independent — the diatribe question — neuter τί: 'what,' not 'who'
τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος;independent — the question doubled — Paul names himself second
διάκονοι δι' ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε,independent — the answer — verbless; the relative folds their whole role into your believing
καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν.comparative — elliptical — each servant's measure a gift of the Lord
6
ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα,independent — aorist — the founding act (Acts 18)
Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν,independent — aorist — the nurturing act
ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς ηὔξανεν·independent — the imperfect against the aorists — the continuous divine work
7
ὥστε οὔτε ὁ φυτεύων ἐστίν τι οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων,independent — the ὥστε conclusion — the ministers 'nothing'
ἀλλ' ὁ αὐξάνων θεός.independent — elliptical — all the weight falls on the growth-giving God
vv. 8–9 — one work, each rewarded: God's field, God's building
8
ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν,independent — neuter ἕν — one thing, one enterprise: no ground for rivalry
ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον.independent — unity, yet individual accounting — ἴδιον twice
9
θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί·cause — θεοῦ fronted — workers who belong to God, not co-equals with him
θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε.independent — the triple θεοῦ completes — the field closes the farm image, the building opens vv. 10–17
The master-builder and the fire test 3:10–15
vv. 10–11 — the foundation laid: let each watch how he builds
10
Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα,independent — the founding act — prefaced by grace, so no boast
ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ.independent — the present builders — Apollos and any after him
ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτωindependent — the imperative that governs vv. 11–15
πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ·content — indirect question — the manner, not the fact, under scrutiny
11
θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον,cause — the ground of the warning — the base is fixed and singular
ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός.relative — the foundation named — a person, the crucified Messiah (2:2)
vv. 12–13 — the materials, and the Day's fire that sorts them
12
εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιονconditional — first-class protasis — leans on the apodosis of v. 13
χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους,phrase modifier — the durable triad — work that survives fire
ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην,phrase modifier — the combustible triad — in descending worth
13
ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται,independent — the apodosis — disclosure is certain
ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα δηλώσει·cause — the Day absolutely — the Lord's judgment (cf. 1:8)
ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται,cause — ὅτι causal — the Day (likelier than the work) comes fire-clothed
καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστιν τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ δοκιμάσει.independent — proleptic object — the work fronted into the indirect question; quality assayed
vv. 14–15 — the two outcomes: reward, or loss yet salvation
14
εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖconditional — the first protasis — future μενεῖ: it withstands the fire
ὃ ἐποικοδόμησεν,relative — the aorist gathers the whole building work
μισθὸν λήμψεται·independent — the apodosis — the wage of v. 8
15
εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται,conditional — the paired protasis — κατακαίω: consumed completely
ζημιωθήσεται,independent — the apodosis — forfeiture of reward, not of salvation
αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται,independent — the concession — αὐτός sets the builder against his ashes
οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.comparative — the qualifier — like a man escaping through the flames
You are God's temple 3:16–17
vv. 16–17 — the temple, its indwelling Spirit, its avenger
16
οὐκ οἴδατεindependent — the rhetorical formula — what they should already grasp
ὅτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστεcontent — ναός — the inner shrine; the church corporately, not yet the body (6:19)
καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν;content — the indwelling that makes them the temple
17
εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει,conditional — protasis — φθείρω: to mar the community by faction
φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός·independent — the apodosis — lex talionis: the same verb recoils
ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν,cause — the ground — holiness makes the temple inviolable
οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.relative — qualitative ὅστις — 'which (holy temple) is precisely what you are'
Let no one boast in men — all things are yours 3:18–23
vv. 18–20 — become a fool to become wise: Scripture's double witness
18
Μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω·independent — the closing exhortation opens — self-deception the danger
εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ,conditional — protasis — leans on the imperative below; ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ read with σοφός
μωρὸς γενέσθω,independent — the paradox — embrace the cross's apparent folly (1:18)
ἵνα γένηται σοφός.purpose — the goal — the wisdom that is from God
19
ἡ γὰρ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν.cause — the ground of the paradox — παρὰ τῷ θεῷ: in God's estimation
γέγραπται γάρ·cause — the warrant — one formula carries both citations
Ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν·content — Job 5:13 — their cleverness the very snare
20
καὶ πάλιν· Κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶνcontent — Ps 94:11 (LXX 93) — 'the wise' substituted for the psalm's 'men'
ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.content — proleptic — the reasonings judged empty
vv. 21–23 — all things yours; you Christ's; Christ God's
21
ὥστε μηδεὶς καυχάσθω ἐν ἀνθρώποις·independent — the ὥστε conclusion — the vice behind the factions forbidden
πάντα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν,cause — the reversal — boasting in one man is self-impoverishment
22
εἴτε Παῦλος εἴτε Ἀπολλῶς εἴτε Κηφᾶςphrase modifier — the party heads themselves (1:12) — yours, not your masters
εἴτε κόσμος εἴτε ζωὴ εἴτε θάνατοςphrase modifier — the whole order of existence — even death serves (cf. Rom 8:38)
εἴτε ἐνεστῶτα εἴτε μέλλοντα,phrase modifier — present and future realities alike
πάντα ὑμῶν,phrase modifier — the resumptive seal on the catalogue
23
ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ,independent — the chain turns — the possessors themselves possessed
Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ.independent — the climax — all ownership terminates in God (cf. 11:3; 15:28)
Analysis. The chapter is three metaphors converging on one genitive — θεοῦ — and the shape shows it. Verses 1–4 are diatribe in miniature: flush-left purple diagnosis (Κἀγώ … οὐκ ἠδυνήθην), γάρ grounds stepping down beneath it, and two forward-leaning protasis-style lines (ὅπου γάρ …, ὅταν γάρ …) hanging anchorless over the questions they set up, with the party slogans dashed as quoted content under λέγῃ. Verses 5–9 alternate clipped diatribe questions with one-line aorists — ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν — against the lone imperfect ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς ηὔξανεν, and close on the thrice-fronted θεοῦ of v. 9. In vv. 10–15 the imperative βλεπέτω governs the whole run: the two material triads of v. 12 sit as dashed verbless lines under the protasis, the ὅτι/γάρ grounds of v. 13 chain beneath the Day's disclosure, and the twin εἴ protases of vv. 14–15 lean on their apodoses μισθὸν λήμψεται / ζημιωθήσεται, with οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός hanging as a comparative qualifier on σωθήσεται. Verses 16–17 are the temple warning in talionic symmetry (φθείρει / φθερεῖ), and vv. 18–23 descend from Μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω through the double scriptural witness (Job 5:13; Ps 94:11, both cnt under γέγραπται) to the ὥστε conclusion and the verbless catalogue of v. 22, ending in the two-beat climax ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: σαρκίνοις (v. 1) and σαρκικοί (v. 3) are treated as a real lexical step (made of flesh vs. fleshly in disposition); ὅπου and ὅταν are laid out as forward-leaning protases, i.e. logically conditional; the ὅτι of v. 13 is read as causal, with the Day (not the work) the likelier subject of ἀποκαλύπτεται; θεοῦ συνεργοί (v. 9) is taken as fellow workers who belong to God, not co-workers alongside God; ζημιωθήσεται (v. 15) is forfeiture of reward, not of salvation, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται being a genuine concession; ναός in vv. 16–17 is the community, not the individual body (that is 6:19); and v. 23 is read as a chain of belonging in which even Christ is, economically, God's (cf. 11:3; 15:28).