Acts 16 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecontentconditionalphrase 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.)

Timothy — the co-worker recruited 16:1–5

vv. 1–3 — Timothy: the double parentage and the concession

And he came down also to Derbe and to Lystra.independent — καταντάω — Lukan travel verb; back to the cities of the first journey (14:6–21)

And behold, a certain disciple was there named Timothy,independent — ἰδού — the spotlight lands on a new character

the son of a believing Jewish womanphrase modifier — apposition — by the mother's line he counts as a Jew

but of a Greek father,phrase modifier — the δέ turns — an uncircumcised half-Greek: the problem v. 3 must solve

who was well attested by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.relative — iterative imperfect — a standing good report, across two cities

This man Paul wanted to go out with him,independent — τοῦτον fronted — the recruit chosen before the obstacle is handled

and taking him,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on περιέτεμεν

he circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those regions;independent — the famous concession — διά + accusative: for mission access, not for salvation; set beside Titus uncircumcised (Gal 2:3) and the decree he carries (v. 4)

for they all knewcause — pluperfect of οἶδα — common knowledge, the mission's standing liability

that his father was a Greek.content — ὑπῆρχεν — a settled fact; so Timothy would read as apostate Jew, not Gentile

vv. 4–5 — the decrees delivered; the summary refrain

And as they went through the cities,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — leans on παρεδίδοσαν

they kept delivering to them,independent — iterative imperfect — city by city

to observe the decisions reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.content — epexegetic infinitive — the ch. 15 decree, carried by the man just circumcised 'because of the Jews'

So the churches were being strengthened in the faithindependent — μὲν οὖν summary refrain (cf. 6:7; 9:31) — a Lukan panel-divider

and kept increasing in number daily.independent — imperfects of steady growth — quality (τῇ πίστει) and quantity (τῷ ἀριθμῷ)

The Macedonian call — the Spirit's roadblocks and the vision 16:6–10

vv. 6–8 — the double prevention: funneled to Troas

And they went through the Phrygian and Galatian region,independent — the itinerary bends — the contested 'North/South Galatia' phrase, left open

having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;participial — causal participle — the door west shut; how the Spirit spoke, Luke does not say

And coming opposite Mysia,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐπείραζον

they kept attempting to go into Bithynia,independent — conative imperfect — the door north tried

and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;independent — τὸ πνεῦμα Ἰησοῦ — with v. 6 a rare double formulation: the same Spirit, named by the Lord it preaches

So, passing by Mysia,participial — preposed circumstantial — nothing left but the coast; leans on κατέβησαν

they went down to Troas.independent — the funnel's end — the Aegean at their feet

vv. 9–10 — the night vision; the 'we' begins

And a vision appeared to Paul during the night:independent — ὤφθη — the appearance-verb of theophanies (7:2, 26, 30)

a certain Macedonian man was standing and urging him and saying:content — the vision's content — triple periphrastic: standing, urging, saying

'Cross over into Macedonia and help us.'content — the hinge of world mission — attendant-circumstance διαβάς folded into the imperative βοήθησον; the gospel crosses to Europe

And when he had seen the vision,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — leans on ἐζητήσαμεν

immediately we sought to go out into Macedonia,independent — THE FIRST WE-PASSAGE BEGINS — ἐζητήσαμεν, first person plural: the narrator steps aboard at Troas (through v. 17; resumed 20:5)

concludingparticipial — συμβιβάζω — piecing the preventions and the vision together into one guidance

that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.content — perfect προσκέκληται — the call stands; the vision's 'help us' decoded as evangelism

Philippi — Lydia at the riverside 16:11–15

vv. 11–12 — the straight run to Philippi

And putting out to sea from Troas,participial — preposed nautical participle — leans on εὐθυδρομήσαμεν

we ran a straight course to Samothrace,independent — εὐθυδρομέω — a favoring wind: two days for what later takes five in reverse (20:6)

and on the following day to Neapolis,phrase modifier — elliptical second leg — the port of Philippi

and from there to Philippi,phrase modifier — third elliptical leg — up the Via Egnatia

which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a colony.relative — the πρώτη crux — 'a leading city' (honorific), hardly 'the capital' (Amphipolis was); κολωνία: Roman law in force, the fact behind vv. 21 and 37

And we were staying in this city some days.independent — periphrastic imperfect — the we-party settles in

vv. 13–15 — the place of prayer; the opened heart

And on the sabbath day we went outside the gate beside a river,independent — no synagogue in Philippi — too few Jewish men; the mission goes to the water

where we supposed there was a place of prayer,relative — προσευχή — the diaspora prayer-place; ἐνομίζομεν, the party feeling its way

and sitting down,participial — preposed — the teacher's posture; leans on ἐλαλοῦμεν

we began speaking to the women who had come together.independent — inceptive imperfect — Europe's first congregation is women

And a certain woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth of the city of Thyatira, a worshipper of God, was listening;independent — σεβομένη τὸν θεόν — a God-fearer; the purple trade marks her means; the appositions delay the one durative verb ἤκουεν to clause-end

whose heart the Lord openedrelative — the theological center — the Lord, not the preacher, opens (cf. Lk 24:45)

to attend to the things spoken by Paul.purpose — infinitive of intended result — grace produces the attention

And when she was baptized, and her household,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd) — the first European baptism, household included; leans on παρεκάλεσεν

she urged us,independent — the convert's first act is hospitality

saying:participial — pleonastic speech-participle — the frame

'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord,conditional — protasis inside quoted speech — εἰ + perfect: the judgment presumed already made in the baptism itself

come into my house and stay.'content — the apodosis — attendant εἰσελθόντες folded into the imperative μένετε

And she prevailed upon us.independent — παραβιάζομαι — she 'compelled' us (elsewhere only Lk 24:29, Emmaus); the we-narrator confesses defeat

The python spirit and the prison 16:16–24

vv. 16–18 — the python girl: the true cry silenced

And it happened,independent — the Semitic ἐγένετο-frame — governing an accusative-and-infinitive

as we were going to the place of prayer,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on the ὑπαντῆσαι clause; still 'we'

that a certain slave girl having a python spirit met us,content — πνεῦμα πύθωνα — THE CRUX: a 'Python' spirit, the Delphic oracle-snake's name for ventriloquial divination (Plutarch, Def. orac. 414E); appositional accusative

who kept bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling.relative — μαντεύομαι — the LXX's verb for pagan divination; the girl doubly enslaved, to owners and to spirit

She, following close behind Paul and us,participial — preposed — κατακολουθέω, dogging their steps; leans on ἔκραζεν; the we-passage's last 'us'

kept crying out,independent — iterative imperfect — day after day (v. 18)

saying:participial — pleonastic speech-participle

'These men are servants of the Most High God,content — true words from the wrong mouth — ὕψιστος is ambiguous on pagan lips (Zeus Hypsistos); cf. the demons of Mk 1:24

who proclaim to you a way of salvation.'relative — anarthrous ὁδὸν σωτηρίας — 'a way,' one option in the religious market: the confession's subtle poison

And this she kept doing for many days.independent — the imperfect stretched over days — advertising Paul does not want

But Paul, greatly annoyed and turning,participial — preposed pair — διαπονηθείς, worn through; leans on εἶπεν; the narration is third person again: the 'we' has receded

said to the spirit:independent — the address bypasses the girl — the spirit is the party dealt with

'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.'content — the Name is the whole authority — no formula, no negotiation; complement infinitive kept in line

And it came out that very hour.independent — αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ — Lukan immediacy; the command obeyed to the letter

vv. 19–24 — seized, denounced, beaten, stocked

But her masters, seeingparticipial — preposed — leans on εἵλκυσαν; οἱ κύριοι, 'the masters,' against ὁ κύριος of v. 14

that the hope of their profit had gone out,content — ἐξῆλθεν repeated from v. 18 — Luke's irony: the hope exited with the spirit

seizing Paul and Silas,participial — second preposed participle — hands on the missionaries, not the girl

they dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers,independent — ἑλκύω — dragged; the ἀγορά, where Roman justice and Roman commerce share one square

and bringing them before the praetors,participial — στρατηγοί — the colony's duoviri, styled praetors; leans on εἶπαν

they said:independent — the charge — note what it omits: the money

'These men are throwing our city into utter confusion,content — ἐκταράσσω — the stock riot-charge; ἡμῶν fronted: OUR city

being Jews,participial — causal — the ethnic card played; anti-Jewish feeling does the prosecutors' work

and they proclaim customscontent — καταγγέλλουσιν — the girl's verb (v. 17) turned into an indictment

which it is not lawful for us to accept or to practice,relative — religio-illicita rhetoric — Roman decorum against foreign rites

being Romans.participial — causal, with ἡμῖν — 'we Romans': the boast v. 37 will turn inside out

And the crowd rose up together against them,independent — συνεπέστη — a joint rush; mob pressure substitutes for evidence

and the praetors, tearing the garments off them,participial — preposed — stripped for the rods; no hearing held; leans on ἐκέλευον

kept ordering them to be beaten with rods,independent — ῥαβδίζειν — the lictors' fasces unbound; one of the three rod-beatings of 2 Cor 11:25

And laying many blows on them,participial — preposed — πολλὰς πληγάς, the wounds v. 33 will wash; leans on ἔβαλον

they threw them into prison,independent — the third station of the day — square, rods, cell

charging the jailer to keep them securely;participial — the δεσμοφύλαξ enters — ἀσφαλῶς, the 'security' v. 26 will demolish

who, having received such a charge, threw them into the inner prisonrelative — the jailer over-performs — the windowless inner cell

and made their feet fast in the stocks.relative — coordinate with ὃς … ἔβαλεν — ἠσφαλίσατο echoes ἀσφαλῶς; τὸ ξύλον, the torture-stocks, legs wrenched wide

The midnight earthquake — the jailer saved 16:25–34

vv. 25–28 — hymns at midnight; the halted sword

And about midnight Paul and Silas, praying, were singing hymns to God,independent — ὑμνέω — bleeding backs in the stocks, and the imperfect keeps the music going

and the prisoners were listening to them.independent — ἐπακροάομαι — an audience-verb: the cell block turned congregation

And suddenly there was a great earthquake,independent — ἄφνω — the answer interrupts the hymn (cf. 4:31, the shaken house)

so that the foundations of the prison were shaken;purpose — ὥστε + infinitive — actual result (typed pur; no result key)

and immediately all the doors were opened,independent — divine passives — no agent named; πᾶσαι, nothing stays shut

and everyone's chains were loosed.independent — πάντων — the whole prison freed for the sake of two; cf. Peter's night in ch. 12

And the jailer, starting from sleep and seeing the prison doors opened,participial — preposed pair — he sees doors and infers escape; leans on ἤμελλεν

drawing his sword,participial — third preposed participle — the Roman way out of a capital failure

he was about to do away with himself,independent — a guard answered with his own life for lost prisoners (12:19; 27:42)

supposing the prisoners to have escaped.participial — causal participle — the false premise; the darkness hides the truth of v. 28

But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying:independent — the cry beats the sword — cognate φωνέω/φωνῇ

'Do yourself no harm,content — prohibitive aorist subjunctive — stop it before it starts

for we are all here.'cause — the ground — ἅπαντες: not one has fled; how Paul knows in the dark, Luke leaves alone

vv. 29–34 — the question of questions; the washed and the fed

And calling for lights,participial — preposed — φῶτα, plural torches into the dark; leans on εἰσεπήδησεν

he leaped in,independent — εἰσπηδάω — a running entrance; the panic not yet spent

and falling a-tremble,participial — preposed — the trembling transferred from earthquake to man; leans on προσέπεσεν

he fell down before Paul and Silas,independent — προσέπεσεν — the jailer at his prisoners' feet: the night's reversal in one verb

and leading them outside,participial — preposed — out of the ruin; leans on ἔφη

he said:independent — the speech-frame for the chapter's central question

'Sirs, what must I docontent — Κύριοι — 'sirs'; the next verse redirects the word to the one κύριος

that I may be saved?'purpose — the question of the book (2:37; cf. Lk 3:10) — saved from what? more than magistrates

And they said:independent — the answer given jointly — Paul and Silas one voice

'Believe on the Lord Jesus,content — the most compressed soteriology in Acts — one aorist imperative, one object

and you will be saved — you and your household.'content — imperative + καί + future, conditional in force; σύ is singular: the household follows by hearing (v. 32), not automatically

And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, with all who were in his house.independent — the household evangelized before it is baptized — v. 31 kept honest

And taking them along in that hour of the night,participial — preposed — the same night, no prudent delay; leans on ἔλουσεν

he washed them from their blows,independent — the exchange of washings — he washes their wounds (v. 23), then is himself washed

and he was baptized, he and all his own, at once.independent — παραχρῆμα — the chapter's second household baptism (v. 15)

And bringing them up into his house,participial — preposed — prisoners at the family table; leans on παρέθηκεν

he set a table before them,independent — the jailer feeds the men he stocked — hospitality as evidence of conversion

and rejoiced with his whole household,independent — ἀγαλλιάομαι — the loud joy-verb of salvation (2:26, 46); πανοικεί, household-wide

having believed in God.participial — causal perfect participle — the settled state of faith grounds the joy; v. 31's imperative now a perfect

Uncondemned Romans — the honorable departure 16:35–40

vv. 35–37 — the quiet release refused

And when day had come,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning; the earthquake night ends in official business as usual

the praetors sent the lictors,independent — οἱ ῥαβδοῦχοι — the rod-bearers: the very men who beat them carry the release

saying:participial — the speech-participle frames the order

'Release those men.'content — why the change of mind — the earthquake? — Luke declines to say

And the jailer reported these words to Paul:independent — the convert as messenger — glad to hand on good news

'The praetors have sent orderscontent — recitative ὅτι — perfect Ἀπέσταλκαν: the order stands

that you be released;purpose — purpose of the sending — the passive keeps the magistrates at arm's length

now therefore come out and go in peace.'content — the jailer's blessing — εἰρήνη from the man who nearly died at midnight

But Paul said to them:independent — the refusal — spoken to the lictors, aimed at their masters

'Having beaten us publicly, uncondemned,participial — preposed indictment — δημοσίᾳ and ἀκατακρίτους pile up the illegalities (lex Porcia; cf. 22:25); leans on ἔβαλον

men who are Romans,participial — THE BOMBSHELL held to the end — Ῥωμαίους ὑπάρχοντας answers the accusers' Ῥωμαίοις οὖσιν (v. 21) word for word

they threw us into prison;content — the bare aorist lands after the participles — the deed now legally naked

and now they are throwing us out secretly?content — indignant present — λάθρᾳ against δημοσίᾳ: public beating, secret release

No indeed!content — elliptical refusal — two words slam the door

but let them come themselves and lead us out.'content — third-person imperative — the magistrates summoned in person; the public vindication shelters the infant church

vv. 38–40 — the fearful apology; Lydia's house again

And the lictors reported these words to the praetors.independent — the message travels back up the chain

And they were afraidindependent — the fear changes sides

on hearingparticipial — causal participle — the one word that frightens magistrates

that they were Romans,content — magistrates who flogged citizens were themselves liable — careers, perhaps more, at stake

and coming,participial — preposed — v. 37's ἐλθόντες αὐτοί performed to the letter; leans on παρεκάλεσαν

they appeased them,independent — παρακαλέω — here 'placate, apologize'; the verb of Lydia's plea (v. 15) in official mouths

and leading them out,participial — preposed — ἐξαγαγέτωσαν (v. 37) obeyed; leans on ἠρώτων

they kept asking them to go away from the city.independent — iterative imperfect — they ask, not order, the men they once commanded

And going out from the prison,participial — preposed — in their own time; leans on εἰσῆλθον

they went in to Lydia,independent — the chapter closes where the church began — the house of v. 15

and seeing them,participial — preposed — leans on παρεκάλεσαν

they encouraged the brothersindependent — παρακαλέω a third time (vv. 15, 39) — now 'encourage'; ἀδελφοί: a church exists in Philippi

and departed.independent — third person — the 'we' stays behind in Philippi (until 20:5): the narrator remains with the church

Analysis. Acts 16 is narrative that keeps changing register, and the layout tracks each shift. The Timothy paragraph (vv. 1–5) runs as flat Lukan travel-report — aorist and imperfect mainlines flush left — with its one knot indented at v. 3: περιέτεμεν hung with its γάρ-ground, the circumcision 'because of the Jews' performed by the very courier of the ch. 15 decrees (v. 4); the tags read it as missiological concession, not soteriological reversal. In vv. 6–10 the mainline verbs are all frustrated motion (Διῆλθον, ἐπείραζον, κατέβησαν) hedged by the Spirit's participles of prevention, until the night vision's Διαβὰς … βοήθησον breaks the deadlock — and at v. 10 the narration itself changes person: ἐζητήσαμεν, THE FIRST WE-PASSAGE, tagged where it begins (running through v. 17, resuming at 20:5) and where it recedes into third person (v. 18). At Philippi each encounter carries a crux the layout names. Lydia's conversion turns on the divine initiative of v. 14 — ἧς ὁ κύριος διήνοιξεν τὴν καρδίαν, the Lord, not the preacher, opening the heart — and her εἰ-κεκρίκατέ protasis leans forward on its hospitable imperative. The slave girl's πνεῦμα πύθωνα (v. 16) is tagged as the chapter's lexical crux — a 'Python' spirit, the Delphic oracle-snake's name for ventriloquial divination — and her cry proclaims an anarthrous ὁδὸν σωτηρίας, 'a way of salvation,' true words with a subtle poison. The jailer scene descends to the chapter's central exchange, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; answered by imperative-plus-future Πίστευσον … καὶ σωθήσῃ — σύ singular, the household then included by hearing and baptism, not automatically (vv. 31–34). The finale (vv. 35–40) is built on withheld information detonated: Paul's protest strings its participles before the verb — Δείραντες, δημοσίᾳ, ἀκατακρίτους, then the bombshell ἀνθρώπους Ῥωμαίους ὑπάρχοντας answering the accusers' Ῥωμαίοις οὖσιν (v. 21) word for word — and the magistrates who ordered the rods come in person to plead, the public vindication that shelters the infant church left gathered in Lydia's house.