independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase 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.)
Crave the pure spiritual milk 2:1–3
1
Therefore, having put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisies and envies and all slanders,participial — fronted renunciation — leans on the imperative below; the garment of the old life put off
2
like newborn infants,comparative — the simile — newborns of 1:23, leaning on the imperative below
long for the pure spiritual milk,independent — the one imperative — ἄδολον answering the δόλος just laid aside
that by it you may grow up unto salvation,purpose — the craving's goal — growth unto final salvation
3
if indeed you have tastedconditional — backward protasis — first-class, 'since you have tasted'
that the Lord is good.content — Ps 34:8 (LXX 33:9) — χρηστός punning on Χριστός
The living stone and the chosen people 2:4–10
vv. 4–5 — coming to the living Stone, built into a spiritual house
4
to whom coming, a living stone —participial — πρὸς ὅν resumes ὁ κύριος (v. 3) — the cultic approach; leans on οἰκοδομεῖσθε below
rejected indeed by men,participial — the human verdict — the μέν limb (Ps 118:22 anticipated)
but in God's sight chosen and precious —phrase modifier — the divine verdict — the δέ limb (Isa 28:16 anticipated)
5
you also, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual houseindependent — the main clause — οἰκοδομεῖσθε read as indicative: God's building work
into a holy priesthood,purpose — the building's goal — Exod 19:6 anticipated
to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.purpose — infinitive — the priesthood's function, acceptable only through the Mediator
vv. 6–8 — the stone testimonia: Isa 28:16, Ps 118:22, Isa 8:14
6
For it stands in Scripture:cause — the scriptural ground of vv. 4–5
'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,content — Isa 28:16 — God himself lays the cornerstone
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.'content — Isa 28:16 — faith vindicated: οὐ μή, the strongest denial
7
To you therefore who believe is the honor;independent — the application — believers share the Stone's ἔντιμον honor
but to those who disbelieve —independent — the counter — an ellipse completed by the citations that follow
'the stone which the builders rejected,content — Ps 118:22 (LXX 117:22) — the stone as casus pendens
this has become the head of the corner,'content — Ps 118:22 — the reversal: rejected, now keystone
8
and 'a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.'content — Isa 8:14 — the same stone, a trap to unbelief
who stumblerelative — on ἀπιστοῦσιν — the stumblers named
because they disobey the word,participial — causal — unbelief as disobedience
to which also they were appointed.relative — the hard clause — appointed (divine passive) to the stumbling itself
vv. 9–10 — the honor-titles of the people of God (Exod 19:6; Isa 43:20–21; Hos 1–2)
9
But you are a chosen race,independent — the bright antithesis — Isa 43:20: the elect race
a royal priesthood,phrase modifier — Exod 19:6 — the kingdom of priests
a holy nation,phrase modifier — Exod 19:6 — the holy nation
a people for God's possession,phrase modifier — Isa 43:21 / Exod 19:5 — the acquired people
that you may proclaim the excellenciespurpose — the vocation — Isa 43:21: the priestly people's witness
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;participial — whose excellencies — the Caller, from darkness to marvelous light
10
you who once were not a people, but now are God's people;relative — Hos 1:9; 2:23 — no-people made God's people
who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy.relative — Hos 2:23 — the unpitied shown mercy: the panel's seal
Sojourners among the Gentiles, subjects under every institution 2:11–17
vv. 11–12 — the appeal: abstain, and keep your conduct beautiful
11
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exilesindependent — the appeal — addressed to resident aliens and passing strangers
to abstain from the fleshly passions,content — complement infinitive — the appeal's content
which wage war against the soul,relative — qualitative αἵτινες — passions of the sort that campaign against the soul
12
keeping your conduct among the Gentiles honorable,participial — the positive side of the appeal — conduct visibly good
so that, in the matter in which they slander you as evildoers,purpose — purpose opened by the embedded relative — the very point of slander
by observing your good works they may glorify God on the day of visitation.purpose — the ἵνα clause's verb — slanderers turned doxologists
vv. 13–17 — submit for the Lord's sake; the four-beat close
13
Submit yourselves to every human institution for the Lord's sake:independent — the command — subjection with a theological motive
whether to the emperor as supreme,phrase modifier — the first limb — the emperor
14
or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do good.phrase modifier — the second limb — governors, with their double commission
15
For so is the will of God,cause — the ground of the command
that by doing good you silence the ignorance of foolish men;content — epexegetic infinitive — the will defined: good deeds muzzle ignorance
16
as free,phrase modifier — the frame of the submitting (read with v. 13) — free people
yet not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,participial — the abuse denied — freedom no cloak for κακία (v. 1)
but as slaves of God.phrase modifier — the paradox — free precisely as God's slaves
17
Honor everyone,independent — the staccato — beat 1: honor to all
love the brotherhood,independent — beat 2 — love within the family
fear God,independent — beat 3 — fear reserved for God (Prov 24:21 recast)
honor the emperor.independent — beat 4 — the emperor honored, not feared
Household servants under the suffering Christ 2:18–25
vv. 18–20 — unjust suffering endured: this is grace
18
Household servants, submitting yourselves with all respect to your masters,independent — imperatival participle — the household code's first station
not only to the good and gentle but also to the perverse.phrase modifier — the scope — even the crooked master
19
For this is grace,independent — the maxim — τοῦτο defined by the protasis that follows
if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrowsconditional — backward protasis — endurance out of God-consciousness
while suffering unjustly.participial — the circumstance — the suffering undeserved
20
For what credit is itindependent — the verbless question — what κλέος?
if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?conditional — backward protasis — deserved blows earn no credit
But if, when you do good and suffer for it, you endure,conditional — protasis — leans on the verdict below: doing good yet suffering
this is grace before God.independent — apodosis — the maxim of v. 19 sealed
vv. 21–25 — called to this: the ὅς-hymn of the suffering Christ (Isa 53)
21
For to this you were called,independent — the ground of vv. 18–20 — suffering-with-endurance is the calling
because Christ also suffered for you,cause — the christological ground — καὶ Χριστός, the pattern and the price
leaving you an example,participial — ὑπογραμμός — the copybook-line left to trace
that you should follow in his steps:purpose — the example's purpose — walking in his footprints
22
who committed no sin,relative — the ὅς-column opens — Isa 53:9: no sin done
neither was deceit found in his mouth;relative — Isa 53:9 — no δόλος (v. 1) in his mouth
23
who, when reviled, did not revile in return;relative — the second ὅς — reviled without retort
when suffering, did not threaten,relative — the ὅς-clause continued — suffering without threat
but kept entrusting himself to the one who judges justly;relative — the counter — imperfect παρεδίδου: kept handing (himself/it) over to the just Judge
24
who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,relative — the third ὅς — Isa 53:4, 12: he himself bore, ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον (Deut 21:23)
that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness;purpose — the bearing's purpose — dead to sins, alive to righteousness
by whose wound you were healed.relative — Isa 53:5 — οὗ on Christ: healed by his welt
25
for you were straying like sheep,cause — why healing was needed — Isa 53:6: the straying flock
but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.cause — the return — to the Shepherd and Overseer: the chapter's close
Analysis. 1 Peter 2 moves through four textures, and the shape shows each. Verses 1–3 hang everything on one purple imperative — ἐπιποθήσατε, crave the milk — with the fronted renunciation-participle (v. 1) and the newborn simile leaning forward onto it, an amber growth-purpose beneath it, and the tasting-protasis of Ps 34:8 (LXX 33:9) anchored backward as its ground. Verses 4–10 are the stone panel: the προσερχόμενοι line leans onto the flush-left οἰκοδομεῖσθε, and from the two anchors περιέχει and the dative fragment ἀπιστοῦσιν δέ hang the testimonia in blue columns — Isa 28:16 spoken by God, then Ps 118:22 (LXX 117:22) and Isa 8:14 as the unbelievers' portion — before the emphatic ὑμεῖς δέ opens a verbless column of Israel's honor-titles (Exod 19:6; Isa 43:20–21) sealed by the Hosea reversal. Verses 11–17 are exhortation: two purple appeals (παρακαλῶ, Ὑποτάγητε) each trailing their qualifications, and the four-beat staccato of v. 17 flush left. Verses 18–25 descend from the servants' submission through the twin grace-maxims (their protases olive, one anchored backward, one leaning forward) into the calling-sentence whose ὅτι carries the Isaiah-53 hymn — a ὅς-column of four relative lines all hanging from the one word Χριστός, like the ὅς-hymn of 1 Tim 3:16 — down to the chapter's deepest lines, the straying-and-returned sheep grounding οὗ τῷ μώλωπι ἰάθητε. Interpretive choices the layout takes a side on: οἰκοδομεῖσθε (v. 5) is read as indicative (God's building work), not imperative; ἡ τιμή (v. 7) is taken as the believers' share in the Stone's ἔντιμον honor, with the datives ἀπιστοῦσιν δέ left as an ellipse completed by the citations themselves; εἰς ὃ καὶ ἐτέθησαν (v. 8) is read as divine appointment of the disobedient to their stumbling; ὡς ἐλεύθεροι and ὡς θεοῦ δοῦλοι (v. 16) are construed with Ὑποτάγητε (v. 13), not with v. 17; ὑποτασσόμενοι (v. 18) is an imperatival participle and so sits flush left; and οὗ (v. 24) is Christ, the Isa 53:5 wound by which you were healed.