independentparticipialpurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase 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.)
The walk that pleases God 4:1–8
vv. 1–2 — the appeal: walk as you received, and abound the more
1
Λοιπὸν οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ,independent — the letter's hinge — request and appeal, in the Lord
ἵνα καθὼς παρελάβετε παρ' ἡμῶνcomparative — the appeal's ἵνα opens onto a comparison — resumed below
τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ,content — τὸ πῶς — the whole indirect question the object of 'received'
καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε,comparative — the affirming parenthesis — commended before commanded
ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον.content — the ἵνα resumed — the appeal's real burden: μᾶλλον
2
οἴδατε γὰρcause — the ground — appeal to settled memory
τίνας παραγγελίας ἐδώκαμεν ὑμῖν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ.content — indirect question — commands with the Lord's own authority
vv. 3–8 — God's will, your sanctification: the three infinitives
3
Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ,independent — the thesis — Τοῦτο cataphoric, unpacked below
ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν,phrase modifier — apposition — the one word that carries the infinitive column
ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας,content — epexegetic infinitive 1 — the negative boundary
4
εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ,content — epexegetic infinitive 2 — σκεῦος taken as 'wife' (κτᾶσθαι 'acquire,' cf. 1 Pet 3:7); 'master one's own body' (2 Cor 4:7) the live alternative
5
μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίαςphrase modifier — the negated manner — the antithesis of holiness and honor
καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνηcomparative — the pagan foil — καθάπερ, the sharpened comparison
τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν,participial — attributive — ignorance of God the root of the passion
6
τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ,content — epexegetic infinitive 3 — ἐν τῷ πράγματι: the sexual matter of vv. 3–5, not business
διότι ἔκδικος κύριος περὶ πάντων τούτων,cause — the sanction — the Lord vindicates the wronged
καθὼς καὶ προείπαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ διεμαρτυράμεθα.comparative — no new warning — part of the founding instruction
7
οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳcause — the deeper ground — the character of the call
ἀλλ' ἐν ἁγιασμῷ.phrase modifier — the contrast — ἐπί exchanged for ἐν: the call's sphere is holiness
8
τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἀθετῶν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀθετεῖindependent — τοιγαροῦν — the solemn conclusion of the unit
ἀλλὰ τὸν θεὸνphrase modifier — the true object of the rejection — elliptical ἀλλά
τὸν καὶ διδόντα τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον εἰς ὑμᾶς.participial — present διδόντα (NA28) — the ongoing gift of the sanctifying Spirit
Brotherly love and quiet industry 4:9–12
vv. 9–10a — the love they already have: God-taught
9
Περὶ δὲ τῆς φιλαδελφίας οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε γράφειν ὑμῖν,independent — περὶ δέ — new topic, with the gracious paralipsis
αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστεcause — why no need — θεοδίδακτοι (cf. Isa 54:13)
εἰς τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους·purpose — εἰς τό + infinitive — the content of the divine teaching
10
καὶ γὰρ ποιεῖτε αὐτὸ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ.cause — καὶ γάρ — the teaching proved in Macedonia-wide practice
vv. 10b–12 — abound the more: the quiet working life
παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, περισσεύειν μᾶλλον,independent — the appeal renewed — μᾶλλον, the chapter's keynote
11
καὶ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζεινcontent — the paradox — ambitious to be quiet
καὶ πράσσειν τὰ ἴδιαcontent — the infinitive chain continues — one's own business
καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν ὑμῶν,content — manual labor dignified — against idleness (cf. 2 Thess 3)
καθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγγείλαμεν,comparative — on the whole chain — the founding charge repeated
12
ἵνα περιπατῆτε εὐσχημόνως πρὸς τοὺς ἔξωpurpose — the outward aim — a seemly walk before outsiders
καὶ μηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε.purpose — the inward aim — dependence on no one
The dead in Christ and the coming of the Lord 4:13–18
vv. 13–14 — do not grieve like the hopeless: the resurrection premise
13
Οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων,independent — the disclosure formula — κοιμωμένων, death as sleep
ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθεpurpose — the pastoral aim — not no grief, but not this grief
καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶcomparative — οἱ λοιποί — the pagan world outside
οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα.participial — attributive — hopelessness the pagan mark before death
14
εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομενconditional — protasis — leans on the assertion below; a real condition
ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη,content — the creedal core — died and rose
οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ.independent — apodosis — διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ read with the sleepers: those who fell asleep through Jesus
vv. 15–18 — the word of the Lord: the order of the parousia
15
Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου,independent — the warrant — a word of the Lord himself
ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας·content — the word's content — οὐ μή, the strongest denial: the living have no head start
16
ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι,cause — the ground begins — αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος, the subject suspended over its verb
ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ,phrase modifier — the accompanying sounds — command, voice, trumpet
καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ,cause — the suspended predicate lands — the descent itself
καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον,cause — the sequence — πρῶτον: the sleepers are first, not forgotten
17
ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαιςcause — ἔπειτα — the living caught up ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς, together with them
εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα·purpose — εἰς ἀπάντησιν — the meeting, with the civic escort overtone left open
καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα.independent — the climax — lifted to the margin: σὺν κυρίῳ, forever, is the whole comfort
18
Ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις.independent — the application — doctrine issued as mutual comfort
Analysis. The chapter is three exhortations, and each shows a different shape. Verses 1–8 hang everything from two flush-left theses: the appeal (ἐρωτῶμεν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν) whose ἵνα opens onto a comparison before landing on περισσεύητε μᾶλλον, and then Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, whose apposition ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν carries a three-line column of epexegetic infinitives — abstain, acquire, do not overreach — the whole content of sanctification suspended from one word, before the τοιγαροῦν conclusion snaps back to the margin: to reject this is to reject God. Verses 9–12 are the gentlest paragraph: paralipsis (no need to write), the θεοδίδακτοί ground, then a second παρακαλοῦμεν with its chain of quiet-life infinitives and the double ἵνα of respectability and independence. Verses 13–18 build to the letter's high point: the v. 14 protasis leans forward on its apodosis (God will bring the sleepers with Jesus); the word of the Lord (v. 15) carries the whole parousia sequence as a ὅτι-ground column — the Lord's descent with its subject suspended over the three accompanying sounds, the dead rising first, the living caught up — until καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα is lifted to the margin as the climax the layout treats as the sentence's landing point. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: the ἵνα of v. 1 is read as the content of the appeal, not purpose, resumed after the double comparison; σκεῦος (v. 4) is taken as 'wife' (κτᾶσθαι = 'acquire, take,' cf. 1 Pet 3:7), with 'gain mastery over one's own body' (2 Cor 4:7) noted as the live alternative; ἐν τῷ πράγματι (v. 6) is the sexual matter of vv. 3–5, not business dealings; and εἰς ἀπάντησιν (v. 17) is rendered simply 'to meet the Lord,' leaving open whether the civic escort-of-the-arriving-dignitary overtone is pressed.