Acts 13 — 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.)

Set apart for me — the sending from Antioch 13:1–3

Now there were in Antioch, in the church there, prophets and teachers:independent — scene-setting imperfect — the cosmopolitan leadership of the sending church

Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger,phrase modifier — the roster opens — Barnabas first (11:22–26); Niger, a Latin name

and Lucius the Cyrenean,phrase modifier — Cyrene — the African reach of the Antioch church (11:20)

Manaen, a lifelong companion of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.phrase modifier — σύντροφος — raised at court with Antipas; Saul named last, about to become first

And while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning; λειτουργούντων, the cultic serving-verb

the Holy Spirit said:independent — the Spirit speaks in person — the mission's true sender

'Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the workcontent — ἀφορίσατε δή — urgent particle; cf. Paul ἀφωρισμένος (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:15)

to which I have called them.'relative — perfect προσκέκλημαι — the call stands issued before the church acts

Then, fasting and praying and laying their hands on them,participial — three preposed aorist participles — the church's answering acts

they sent them off.independent — ἀπέλυσαν — released; v. 4 corrects the agency: the Spirit sent them

Cyprus — the magician blinded, the proconsul believing 13:4–12

vv. 4–5 — Salamis: the word in the synagogues

So they, sent out by the Holy Spirit,participial — preposed passive participle — the true sender named; μὲν οὖν, Luke's resumptive

went down to Seleucia,independent — Antioch's port — sixteen miles to the sea

and from there they sailed away to Cyprus.independent — Barnabas' home island (4:36) — the mission starts on known ground

And arriving in Salamis,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on κατήγγελλον

they were proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews;independent — iterative imperfect — synagogue first, the chapter's pattern (cf. v. 46)

and they also had John as assistant.independent — John Mark (12:25) as ὑπηρέτης — his departure at v. 13 will divide Paul and Barnabas (15:37–39)

vv. 6–12 — Paphos: Bar-Jesus opposes, Paul pronounces, the proconsul believes

And passing through the whole island as far as Paphos,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εὗρον; Paphos, the proconsul's seat

they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet,independent — the piled epithets — μάγος and ψευδοπροφήτης in one man

whose name was Bar-Jesus,relative — verbless naming idiom — 'son of Jesus,' an irony Luke leaves standing

who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence.relative — second relative on the same head — the court magician; ἀνθύπατος, exact for senatorial Cyprus

This man, summoning Barnabas and Saul,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐπεζήτησεν; οὗτος is the proconsul

sought to hear the word of God.independent — ἐπεζήτησεν + complement infinitive — Roman power asks for the word

But Elymas the magician kept opposing themindependent — conative imperfect — the resistance in progress

— for so his name, Elymas, is translated —cause — narrator's aside on the name — 'magician/wise one'; the gloss-crux noted

seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.participial — purpose participle — διαστρέψαι, the verb Paul will hurl back (v. 10)

But Saul — who is also Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, fixing his gaze on him,participial — ὁ καὶ Παῦλος — the Roman name enters here and 'Saul' never returns; Spirit-filling before the verdict

said:independent — the speech-frame for the prophetic denunciation

'O you full of all deceit and all fraud, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness,content — verbless triple vocative — υἱὲ διαβόλου answers 'Bar-Jesus': the true paternity

will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?content — διαστρέφων returned on the perverter — echoing Hos 14:9; Prov 10:9 LXX

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you,content — verbless oracle — χεὶρ κυρίου, the Septuagintal judgment idiom

and you will be blind, not seeing the sun, for a time.'content — ἄχρι καιροῦ — the blindness is disciplinary, as Paul's own was (9:8–18)

And immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him,independent — παραχρῆμα — Luke's 'instantly'; ἀχλύς, a medical rarity: the dimming before the dark

and going about he was seeking people to lead him by the hand.independent — iterative imperfect — the seducer now needs χειραγωγούς, as Saul once was led (9:8)

Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐπίστευσεν

believed,independent — the first named Gentile convert of the journey — a Roman governor

being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.participial — not at the miracle but at the διδαχή — Luke's accent

To Pisidian Antioch — the synagogue invitation 13:13–15

And putting to sea from Paphos, Paul and his companionsparticipial — οἱ περὶ Παῦλον — Paul now heads the company; Barnabas slips to second

came to Perga in Pamphylia;independent — the mainland reached

but John, withdrawing from them,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ὑπέστρεψεν; the unexplained departure behind 15:38

returned to Jerusalem.independent — back to the mother city — not to Antioch

But they themselves, passing through from Perga,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on παρεγένοντο; the climb to the Anatolian plateau

arrived at Pisidian Antioch,independent — a Roman colonia — the sermon's stage

and entering the synagogue on the sabbath day,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐκάθισαν

they sat down.independent — one verb — seated among the congregation, waiting

And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets,phrase modifier — fronted temporal phrase — the synagogue liturgy; leans on ἀπέστειλαν

the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying:independent — the invitation — the customary visitor's word offered

'Brothers,content — verbless address

if there is among you any word of exhortation for the people,conditional — protasis leaning forward on λέγετε — λόγος παρακλήσεως, the sermon's genre named

say it.'content — the apodosis — one imperative opens the door to vv. 16–41

The sermon at Pisidian Antioch — Israel's story arrives at Jesus 13:16–41

v. 16 — the frame: Paul stands, and one εἶπεν carries the whole speech

So Paul, rising and motioning with his hand,participial — two preposed participles — the orator's gesture; leans on εἶπεν

said:independent — the single verb of saying — all of vv. 16–41 hangs here

vv. 16–22 — the retrospect: from the choosing of the fathers to David

'Men of Israel, and you who fear God,content — the double audience — Israel and the God-fearers, the seam the chapter splits along

listen.content — the opening imperative — a Shema-like summons

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers,content — ἐξελέξατο — election opens the history, as it will close the crux (v. 48)

and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt,content — ὕψωσεν — made them great in the very place of bondage

and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.content — μετὰ βραχίονος ὑψηλοῦ — the exodus formula (Exod 6:6; Deut 4:34 LXX)

and for about forty years he bore with their ways in the wilderness;content — ἐτροποφόρησεν printed; rival ἐτροφοφόρησεν 'he carried them as a nurse' (Deut 1:31 LXX) — a one-letter crux

and destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on κατεκληρονόμησεν (Deut 7:1)

he gave them their land as an inheritancecontent — κατεκληρονόμησεν — the allotment verb of Joshua LXX

for about four hundred and fifty years.phrase modifier — the round sum — Egypt, wilderness, and conquest reckoned together

And after this he gave judges, until Samuel the prophet.content — the judges' era compressed to one clause; Samuel the hinge to kingship

And from then on they asked for a king,content — ᾐτήσαντο — the people's demand (1 Sam 8)

and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.content — Saul of Benjamin — the speaker's own name and tribe (Phil 3:5), quietly set aside

And removing him,participial — preposed participle — leans on ἤγειρεν; the rejection of Saul in one word

he raised up David for them as king,content — ἤγειρεν — the raising-verb that will turn resurrection at v. 30

of whom he also said, bearing witness:relative — the citation formula inside the relative

'I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart,content — Ps 89:20 fused with 1 Sam 13:14 — a composite testimony

who will do all my will.'relative — Isa 44:28's phrase folded in — the obedient king, foil to Saul

vv. 23–25 — from David's seed, the promised Savior; John's disclaimer

From this man's seed, according to promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,content — fronted τούτου — from David's line; κατ᾽ ἐπαγγελίαν (2 Sam 7:12), the sermon's keyword

John having proclaimed beforehand, before the face of his entry, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.participial — genitive absolute — the herald placed πρὸ προσώπου (cf. Mal 3:1)

And as John was completing his course,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — imperfect, mid-course; δρόμος, the race Paul will claim too (20:24)

he kept saying:content — iterative imperfect — the disclaimer repeated

'What do you suppose me to be?content — the Baptist's question — the offered identification refused

I am not he.content — the emphatic denial — οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγώ

But behold, one is coming after me,content — the Coming One — the synoptic logion in Lukan dress

the sandal of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'relative — the slave's task refused — cf. Luke 3:16; Mark 1:7

vv. 26–31 — the word of this salvation: Jerusalem's ignorance, the tree, the risen one and his witnesses

'Brothers, sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God,content — the address renewed — the sermon's second panel opens

to us the word of this salvation has been sent out.content — fronted ἡμῖν — to us, here, now; ἐξαπεστάλη, divine passive

For the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers, not recognizing this man,participial — preposed participle — the ignorance (ἀγνοήσαντες) that executed; leans on ἐπλήρωσαν

and, in condemning him, the voices of the prophets read every sabbathparticipial — the fronted object of ἐπλήρωσαν, with κρίναντες — Luke's irony: the readers fulfilled the readings

they fulfilled.content — one verb lands the irony — fulfillment by misreading

And finding no cause of death,participial — concessive preposed participle — leans on ᾐτήσαντο; Luke's innocence motif (Luke 23:4, 14, 22)

they asked Pilate to have him executed.content — ᾐτήσαντο — as they once asked for a king (v. 21), they now ask for a death

And when they had completed all that was written about him,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — even the burial belongs to the γεγραμμένα

taking him down from the tree,participial — preposed participle — ξύλον, the tree of Deut 21:22–23 (cf. 5:30; Gal 3:13)

they laid him in a tomb.content — the story's lowest line — the tomb before the ἤγειρεν

But God raised him from the dead;content — ὁ δὲ θεός — the adversative pivot of the sermon, as of Acts (2:24; 3:15)

and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem,relative — ὤφθη — the resurrection-appearance verb (1 Cor 15:5–8); the forty days of 1:3

who are now his witnesses to the people.relative — μάρτυρες πρὸς τὸν λαόν — the Galileans to Israel; Paul's own witness begins at v. 32

vv. 32–37 — the promise fulfilled: Psalm 2, Isaiah 55, Psalm 16, and David's tomb

And we bring you the good news of the promise made to the fathers:content — emphatic ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς — the witnesses' word arrives at this synagogue

that God has completely fulfilled this promise for us, their children,content — ἐκπεπλήρωκεν — perfect, and intensified: filled out to the full

by raising Jesus,participial — means participle — ἀναστήσας: raised onto history's stage, and from the dead; both senses ring

as also it is written in the second Psalm:comparative — the citation formula — 'the second Psalm' expressly numbered

'You are my Son; today I have begotten you.'content — Ps 2:7 — the 'today' read of the resurrection, not the nativity (cf. Rom 1:4; Heb 1:5)

And as to the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption,content — fronted ὅτι-clause, resumed by οὕτως — leans on εἴρηκεν; διαφθορά enters, the catchword of vv. 34–37

he has spoken thus:content — the second formula — εἴρηκεν with recitative ὅτι

'I will give you the holy and sure things of David.'content — Isa 55:3 LXX — τὰ ὅσια, the bridge-word to Ps 16's ὅσιον

Wherefore also in another psalm he says:cause — διότι — the ὅσια pledge argued from the ὅσιος text; gezerah shawah in Greek

'You will not give your Holy One to see corruption.'content — Ps 16:10 — Peter's Pentecost text (2:27) now in Paul's mouth

For David, having served the counsel of God in his own generation,participial — preposed participle — leans on ἐκοιμήθη; ἰδίᾳ γενεᾷ, his service bounded by his era

fell asleepcontent — the sleep of death — the psalm cannot rest on the psalmist

and was added to his fatherscontent — the patriarchal burial formula (Judg 2:10)

and saw corruption;content — the blunt clause — David's tomb closes the Davidic reading (cf. 2:29)

but he whom God raised —relative — fronted headless relative — leans on the main clause below; ἤγειρεν a third time

he did not see corruption.content — the syllogism lands — the ὅσιος of the psalm is the risen one

vv. 38–41 — forgiveness, justification, and the scoffers' warning

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers,content — the herald's formula (2:14; 4:10) — the application begins

that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,content — διὰ τούτου — through the risen one; ἄφεσις, Luke's gospel-word (Luke 24:47)

and from all the things from which you could not be justified in the law of Moses,relative — fronted relative complex, resumed by ἐν τούτῳ — leans on δικαιοῦται below

in him everyone who believes is justified.content — δικαιοῦται — Paul's signature verb, its one full statement in Acts; πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων as Rom 10:4

Watch, therefore,content — the turn to warning — the sermon's last imperative

lest what has been said in the Prophets come upon you:content — μή + subjunctive after the verb of caution — the citation formula for Habakkuk

'Look, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish,content — Hab 1:5 LXX — καταφρονηταί, the Septuagint's 'despisers' for the Hebrew 'among the nations'

for I am working a work in your days,cause — the divine first person — the work underway in their own days

a work you will never believerelative — οὐ μή + subjunctive — emphatic future denial; πιστεύσητε, the word the chapter turns on

even if someone should recount it to you.'conditional — backward concessive ἐάν — anchored, εἴπερ-style; someone is recounting it even now

The aftermath — the turn to the Gentiles 13:42–52

vv. 42–43 — begged for more; urged to continue in grace

And as they were going out,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on παρεκάλουν

they kept begging that these words be spoken to them on the following sabbath.independent — iterative imperfect — the congregation's appetite; μεταξύ, 'the next' sabbath

And when the synagogue assembly had broken up,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on ἠκολούθησαν

many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas,independent — the first harvest — Jews and proselytes both; ἠκολούθησαν, the discipleship verb

who, speaking with them, kept urging them to continue in the grace of God.relative — οἵτινες = Paul and Barnabas; conative imperfect ἔπειθον; προσμένειν τῇ χάριτι, the pastoral keynote

vv. 44–48 — the whole city, the jealousy, the declared turn, the appointed

And on the coming sabbath almost the whole city was gatheredindependent — σχεδὸν πᾶσα ἡ πόλις — the Gentile city itself, not the synagogue only

to hear the word of the Lord.purpose — purpose infinitive — the word draws the crowd

But the Jews, seeing the crowds,participial — preposed participle — the sight that ignites; leans on ἐπλήσθησαν

were filled with jealousyindependent — ἐπλήσθησαν ζήλου — the counter-filling to v. 9's πλησθεὶς πνεύματος

and kept contradicting the things spoken by Paul,independent — iterative imperfect — point-by-point opposition

blaspheming.participial — manner participle — one word darkens contradiction into blasphemy

But Paul and Barnabas, speaking boldly,participial — παρρησιασάμενοι — Acts' boldness-word; preposed on εἶπαν

said:independent — the joint declaration — both names on the sentence

'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you.content — ἀναγκαῖον — the 'to the Jew first' of Rom 1:16 as salvation-historical necessity

But since you thrust it awaycause — ἐπειδή — forward-leaning grounds for the turn; ἀπωθεῖσθε, their own hands push

and judge yourselves not worthy of eternal life,cause — the self-passed sentence — κρίνετε ἑαυτούς; v. 27's κρίναντες returns as irony

behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.content — the programmatic turn — repeated at 18:6; 28:28; present tense: the turning happens as they speak

For so the Lord has commanded us:cause — the turn is obedience, not pique — perfect ἐντέταλται

'I have set you as a light of the Gentiles,content — Isa 49:6 — the Servant's commission (cf. Luke 2:32) claimed as the missionaries' mandate

that you may be for salvation to the end of the earth.'purpose — τοῦ + infinitive of purpose — ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, the program of 1:8 given its warrant

And the Gentiles, hearing this,participial — preposed participle — leans on ἔχαιρον

began rejoicingindependent — inceptive imperfect — the chapter's joy motif opens

and glorifying the word of the Lord,independent — the word itself glorified — Luke's high phrase for reception

and they believed —independent — the aorist among the imperfects — the decisive act

as many as were appointed to eternal life.relative — ἦσαν τεταγμένοι — 'appointed' (divine ordering) or 'enrolled'; the chapter's chief crux, answering v. 46's self-judgment, left open

vv. 49–52 — the word spreads, the missionaries expelled, the disciples full of joy

And the word of the Lord kept spreading through the whole region.independent — imperfect διεφέρετο — the word, not the missionaries, is the subject

But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city,independent — influence through the influential — the God-fearing women and the civic first men

and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,independent — διωγμός — the mission's pattern fixed: word, division, expulsion

and expelled them from their district.independent — ἐξέβαλον — cast out of the ὅρια; the missionaries take the leper's place outside

But they, shaking off the dust of their feet against them,participial — the commanded gesture (Luke 9:5; 10:11) — preposed on ἦλθον

went to Iconium.independent — the road east — the mission does not stop, it moves

And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.independent — imperfect ἐπληροῦντο — the chapter closes on its third filling: not jealousy but joy and the Spirit

Analysis. Acts 13 is the pivot of the book, and the page falls into two shapes. The narrative frames (vv. 1–15, 42–52) read like Mark: purple main clauses down the left margin, with Luke's preposed circumstantial participles and genitive absolutes leaning forward, anchor-less, on the verbs below them (Λειτουργούντων … καὶ νηστευόντων before the Spirit speaks, λυθείσης τῆς συναγωγῆς, παρρησιασάμενοι before the great εἶπαν), and the Antioch roster of v. 1 hanging as verbless appositions under προφῆται. The center of the chapter is Paul's Pisidian-Antioch sermon (vv. 16–41), his longest in Acts, held in one section as a single blue catena: every main assertion hangs at one constant depth under the lone εἶπεν of v. 16, movement labels marking its turns (retrospect to David, the Savior announced, the Jerusalem irony, the resurrection, the proofs, the warning), while its quotations step one deeper beneath their citation formulas — 1 Sam 13:14 with Ps 89:20 under ᾧ καὶ εἶπεν μαρτυρήσας, Ps 2:7 under γέγραπται (sonship declared at the resurrection, as in Rom 1:4 and Heb 1:5 — a crux the layout inherits), Isa 55:3 under εἴρηκεν, Ps 16:10 under λέγει, and Hab 1:5 under τὸ εἰρημένον. Cruxes are named in the tags rather than hidden: Σαῦλος ὁ καὶ Παῦλος at v. 9, where the Roman name permanently displaces the Hebrew; ἐτροποφόρησεν ('he bore with them') at v. 18 against the rival ἐτροφοφόρησεν ('he carried them as a nurse,' Deut 1:31 LXX); the fronted ὅτι- and ἀπὸ-πάντων-clauses of vv. 34 and 39 that lean forward on their resumptive main clauses, the latter carrying Paul's signature δικαιοῦται into Acts; Isa 49:6, the Servant's commission, quoted at v. 47 as the missionaries' own mandate; and ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον at v. 48 — 'appointed' by God or 'enrolled' for life, the chapter's chief theological crux, glossed but left open.