1 Peter 3 — Clausal Layout (English)

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.)

Wives and husbands: the hidden person of the heart 3:1–7

vv. 1–2 — the wife's submission, and the winning without a word

Likewise wives, be subject to your own husbands,independent — imperatival participle — the household code continues (2:13, 18); τοῖς ἰδίοις: their own husbands, not men generally

so that even if some disobey the word,conditional — the ἵνα opens the purpose, then the real protasis intrudes — leans on the promise below

they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives,purpose — the ἵνα's own verb — the missionary hope: ἄνευ λόγου answers τῷ λόγῳ, conduct where the word was refused

when they observe your pure conduct carried out in reverence.participial — the occasion of the winning — ἐν φόβῳ read of reverence toward God (1:17; 2:17), not fear of the husband

vv. 3–4 — the adornment antithesis: not the outside but the hidden person

Let your adornment not be the external one — braiding of hair and wearing of gold or putting on of garments —relative — continuative relative on γυναῖκες — the κόσμος held to the line's end, after the braiding-gold-clothing list

but the hidden person of the heart,phrase modifier — the ἔστω carried over — the counter-adornment: what no eye but God's inspects

in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,phrase modifier — τὸ ἄφθαρτον — the imperishable against gold that perishes (1:18)

which is very precious in God's sight.relative — neuter ὅ — the whole imperishable adornment; πολυτελές, God's own price-word set against the χρυσία

vv. 5–6 — the precedent: the holy women, and Sarah

For in this way the holy women of old who hoped in God also adorned themselves,independent — γάρ — the ground from sacred history; their hope in God defines them

being subject to their own husbands,participial — their adornment was the submission of v. 1 — the same words repeated

as Sarah obeyed Abraham,comparative — the named example — the matriarch herself

calling him lord;participial — Gen 18:12 — Sarah's κύριος, spoken there only to herself, taken as her habit of honor

and you have become her childrenrelative — on Σάρρα — Gentile wives made daughters of Sarah, as believers are sons of Abraham

if you do good and do not fear any intimidation.participial — conditional-force participles — doing good, unafraid of any πτόησις (Prov 3:25 LXX)

v. 7 — husbands: knowledge, honor, unhindered prayer

Husbands likewise, dwelling with your wives with understanding,independent — imperatival participle again — the code's one word to the stronger party: live together κατὰ γνῶσιν

showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel,participial — both are σκεύη — hers the frailer; the comparative concedes his advantage only to command honor

and as fellow heirs of the grace of life,comparative — nominative — husbands joint-heirs with their wives (some witnesses read the dative: honoring them as co-heirs); in grace, no weaker vessel

so that your prayers may not be hindered.purpose — εἰς τό + infinitive — dishonor at home cuts the line of prayer

One mind, blessing for reviling — Psalm 34 3:8–12

vv. 8–9 — the five virtues, and blessing instead of retaliation

Finally, all of you: of one mind, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, humble in mind,independent — verbless — five adjectives framed by ὁμόφρονες and ταπεινόφρονες, the code widened to all

not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult,participial — the implied imperative carried on — the non-retaliation of 2:23 made the community's rule

but on the contrary blessing,participial — the exchange reversed — a blessing paid out for the insult received

because to this you were called,cause — the ground — the call of 2:21 again: εἰς τοῦτο, to this very exchange

that you might inherit a blessing.purpose — epexegetic to εἰς τοῦτο — bless, and inherit blessing: the two εὐλογ- words answer each other

vv. 10–12 — Ps 34:12–16 (LXX 33:13–17), quoted without a formula

For the one who desires to love life and to see good days —cause — Ps 34:12 — the psalm enters on bare γάρ, its suspended subject grounding the whole call to bless

let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;independent — Ps 34:13 — the psalm's own imperative resumes the suspended subject: the tongue first (v. 9's λοιδορία)

let him turn away from evil and do good;independent — Ps 34:14a — from speech to deed: the ἀγαθοποιεῖν of the whole letter

let him seek peace and pursue it.independent — Ps 34:14b — peace not merely kept but hunted

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,cause — Ps 34:15 — the psalm's own ground, verbless: the watching eyes

and his ears are open to their prayer;cause — the listening ears — the προσευχαί of v. 7 heard

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.cause — Ps 34:16a — the citation stops before the psalm's 'to destroy them': the face set, the doom left unquoted

Suffering for righteousness: the ready defense 3:13–17

vv. 13–14 — who will harm you? blessed even if you should suffer

And who is the one who will harm you,independent — verbless question with future participle — echoing Isa 50:9: who is he that will do you evil?

if you become zealous for what is good?conditional — backward protasis on the question — zealots for the good, the letter's ἀγαθοποιεῖν made a passion

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake,conditional — the rare OPTATIVE πάσχοιτε — suffering as remote possibility, not expectation; leans on the beatitude below

you are blessed.independent — the one-word apodosis — the beatitude of Matt 5:10 in a single verbless word

Do not fear what they fear, nor be troubled,independent — Isa 8:12 — αὐτῶν read as the fear they inspire; the prophet's word to the conspiracy-frightened

vv. 15–16 — sanctify Christ as Lord: the defense with gentleness

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,independent — Isa 8:13 continued — τὸν Χριστόν set where the LXX has the LORD of hosts (later witnesses restore τὸν θεόν)

always ready to make a defensephrase modifier — verbless readiness — the inner sanctifying issues in a standing preparedness

to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you,phrase modifier — the court is anyone who asks — a λόγος rendered concerning the hope, the letter's keyword (1:3, 21)

but with gentleness and reverence,phrase modifier — the manner of the defense — the πραΰς spirit of v. 4, and fear toward God, not the askers

keeping a good conscience,participial — the defense's silent partner — the conscience that reappears in baptism's ἐπερώτημα (v. 21)

so that, in the very matter in which you are slandered, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.purpose — ἐν ᾧ — in the point of the slander itself (cf. 2:12); the shame changes sides

v. 17 — the maxim: better for doing good

For it is better, doing good —independent — the maxim suspended — κρεῖττον with its ἐστίν elided, the participle waiting for its infinitive

if the will of God should so will,conditional — the second OPTATIVE — a parenthesis: even this suffering only if the willing Will wills it

to suffer, than for doing evil.content — the subject-infinitive lands — better to suffer as doers of good than as doers of evil

Christ's suffering and victory: the spirits, the flood, baptism, the throne 3:18–22

vv. 18–19 — the once-for-all suffering, and the proclamation to the spirits

Because Christ also suffered once for sins,cause — ὅτι grounds the maxim of v. 17 — Christ the proof that suffering for good is better; ἅπαξ: once, unrepeatable

the righteous for the unrighteous,phrase modifier — apposition — the substitution in four words; the δίκαιος suffering διὰ δικαιοσύνην (v. 14) to the uttermost

that he might bring you to God,purpose — the purpose — προσάγειν, the word of presentation at court and at the altar

having been put to death in the fleshparticipial — μέν — the first of the pair; dative of sphere: in the realm of flesh, men killed him

but made alive in the spirit;participial — δέ — the answering member: in the realm of the Spirit, God made him alive — the resurrection, not a disembodied state

in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,relative — the crux — read as the risen Christ's proclamation of victory to the imprisoned spirits of Gen 6:1–4 (1 Enoch's watchers); not a descensus offer to the human dead, nor Christ preaching through Noah

vv. 20–22 — Noah's flood, baptism's antitype, the session at God's right hand

who formerly disobeyed,participial — the spirits identified by their ancient revolt — ἀπειθεῖν, the letter's word for unbelief (2:8; 3:1)

when God's patience kept waiting in the days of Noah,conditional — ὅτε-temporal — the longsuffering personified, waiting out the hundred and twenty years (Gen 6:3)

while the ark was being prepared,participial — genitive absolute — every plank of the building a measure of the patience

into which a few — that is, eight souls — were brought safely through water.relative — the little flock in the ark — ὀλίγοι, like the exiles of Asia; δι' ὕδατος both through and by means of the water

which water, as an antitype, now saves you — baptism —relative — ὃ with ὕδωρ as antecedent — the flood-water finds its ἀντίτυπον in baptism's water: judgment passed through, not around

not as a removal of dirt from the fleshphrase modifier — the negative definition — no mere bath; σάρξ again the outer sphere (v. 18)

but as the appeal of a good conscience toward God,phrase modifier — ἐπερώτημα read as appeal (some: pledge) — the good conscience of v. 16 turned Godward in the water

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,phrase modifier — with σῴζει — the water saves only through the risen One; ζῳοποιηθείς (v. 18) is the engine of the sacrament

who is at the right hand of God,relative — the session — Ps 110:1, the sentence's landing place: from suffering to the throne

having gone into heaven,participial — πορευθείς again — the same journey-verb as v. 19: one triumphal progress, proclamation to enthronement

with angels and authorities and powers subjected to him.participial — genitive absolute — ὑποτάσσω, the code's own verb (3:1, 5), spoken last of the cosmos: every power under the sufferer

Analysis. The household code keeps its shape from chapter 2: flush-left imperatival participles carry the commands — Ὁμοίως αἱ γυναῖκες ὑποτασσόμεναι (v. 1), Οἱ ἄνδρες ὁμοίως συνοικοῦντες (v. 7) — with an olive protasis nested inside the very ἵνα of v. 1 (even if some refuse the word), so that the wordless winning κερδηθήσονται stands as the purpose's own verb. The adornment antithesis of vv. 3–4 hangs as a dashed pair: the outward κόσμος (held to the end of its line, after braiding, gold, clothing) denied, the hidden person of the heart supplied under the same ἔστω, descending to God's price-word πολυτελές. The Psalm 34 citation (vv. 10–12) enters with bare γάρ, no citation formula, so the psalm's third-person imperatives hang as a column under the suspended subject ὁ γὰρ θέλων ζωὴν ἀγαπᾶν, ending in the three verbless eyes-ears-face lines. Twice an optative is flagged — πάσχοιτε (v. 14) and θέλοι (v. 17), the mood of remote possibility, rare in the NT: suffering is entertained, not expected — and Isa 8:12–13 is quoted with τὸν Χριστόν set where the LXX has the LORD of hosts, the letter's highest christology. Verses 18–22 are one descending sentence, ten levels deep, from Christ's once-for-all suffering down through the spirits, the flood, baptism, to the throne. The crux of v. 19 is resolved thus: ἐν ᾧ picks up πνεύματι — in the sphere of his risen, Spirit-wrought life — and πορευθείς (repeated of the ascension in v. 22) is the risen Christ's journey to proclaim victory, not an offer of salvation, to the imprisoned spirits of Gen 6:1–4 (the watchers of 1 Enoch); the alternatives — a descensus preaching to the human dead, or the pre-incarnate Christ preaching through Noah — are named but not taken. The ὃ of v. 21 has ὕδατος as antecedent (the flood-water finds its antitype in baptism's water), ἐπερώτημα is read as the appeal of a good conscience toward God, and δι' ἀναστάσεως is taken with σῴζει: the water saves only through the resurrection.