independentparticipialrelativepurposecomparativecontentphrase 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 salutation 1:1–2
1
Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦindependent — the sender — a verbless superscription
τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·phrase modifier — dative of address — the recipients
2
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.independent — the greeting
The blessing — one Greek sentence 1:3–14
vv. 3–6 — in the Father: chosen and destined before time
3
Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,independent — the doxology — 'Blessed be…' (verb supplied)
ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ,participial — attributive — expands ὁ θεός: the one who blessed us
4
καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου,comparative — the blessing grounded in election
εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ,purpose — infinitive — election's goal (ἐν ἀγάπῃ read with this line)
5
προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς αὐτόν,participial — on ἐξελέξατο — predestined to sonship
κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ,phrase modifier — the norm — his good pleasure
6
εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦpurpose — refrain 1 — the goal of the choosing and destining (on προορίσας)
ἧς ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ,relative — on τῆς χάριτος (attracted ἧς) — grace bestowed in the Beloved
vv. 7–12 — in the Son: redeemed, and let into the plan
7
ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων,relative — on τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ — in him, redemption
κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ,phrase modifier — the measure — the riches of his grace
8
ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει,relative — on τῆς χάριτος (attracted ἧς) — the grace lavished
9
γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ,participial — the lavishing as disclosure — the mystery made known
κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦphrase modifier — the norm — his good pleasure
ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷrelative — on τὴν εὐδοκίαν — purposed in him
10
εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν,purpose — the horizon of προέθετο — the fullness of the times
ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·content — epexegetic infinitive — on τὸ μυστήριον (v. 9): all things summed up in Christ
ἐν αὐτῷ,phrase modifier — resumptive — repeats ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ and launches v. 11
11
ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἐκληρώθημενrelative — in him — made God's own portion
προορισθέντες κατὰ πρόθεσιν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ,participial — grounded — predestined by the all-working God
12
εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦpurpose — refrain 2 — εἰς τό + infinitive (on ἐκληρώθημεν)
τοὺς προηλπικότας ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ·participial — apposition to ἡμᾶς — 'we who first hoped'
vv. 13–14 — in the Spirit: sealed until the inheritance
13
ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖςrelative — anacoluthon — 'in whom you also—' (antecedent τῷ Χριστῷ, v. 12)
ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν,participial — temporal — having heard the word
ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντεςrelative — the suspended clause resumed, with a second temporal participle
ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ,relative — the ἐν ᾧ clause's finite verb — sealed with the Spirit
14
ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν,relative — on τῷ πνεύματι — the Spirit as ἀρραβών
εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως,phrase modifier — the term — until God redeems his possession
εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.purpose — refrain 3 — closing the blessing (on ἐσφραγίσθητε)
The thanksgiving and prayer for illumination 1:15–23
15
Διὰ τοῦτο κἀγώ,independent — the subject, suspended over the participle — 'I also…'
ἀκούσας τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς πίστιν ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους,participial — causal — the report of your faith and love
16
οὐ παύομαι εὐχαριστῶν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶνindependent — the sentence's one main verb — unceasing thanksgiving
μνείαν ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου,participial — manner — mention in prayer
17
ἵνα ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης, δῴη ὑμῖν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ,purpose — the petition — the content of the prayer (on μνείαν ποιούμενος)
18
πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶνparticipial — result of the giving — enlightened eyes of the heart
εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶςpurpose — εἰς τό + infinitive — governing three questions
τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ,content — question 1 — the hope of his calling
τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις,content — question 2 — the wealth of his inheritance
19
καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύονταςcontent — question 3 — the surpassing power
κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦphrase modifier — the measure — his mighty working
vv. 20–23 — the power displayed: Christ raised, enthroned, given as head
20
ἣν ἐνήργησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷrelative — on τὴν ἐνέργειαν (v. 19) — the working worked in Christ
ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν,participial — means — raised from the dead
καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοιςparticipial — means — seated at his right hand (Ps 110:1)
21
ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένουphrase modifier — far above every power
οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι·phrase modifier — the scope — this age and the next
22
καὶ πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ,independent — coordinate finite — continues ἐνήργησεν: all things under his feet (Ps 8:6)
καὶ αὐτὸν ἔδωκεν κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ,independent — coordinate finite — given as head to the church
23
ἥτις ἐστὶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ,relative — the church, his body
τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου.phrase modifier — apposition — the fullness of the all-filling one
Analysis. Verses 3–14 are one Greek sentence — the longest opening benediction in the Pauline corpus — and the colors show how it moves: almost nothing sits on the margin. The single flush-left line is the verbless doxology Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός, and everything after it advances by participles (teal) and by relative pronouns (coral) that hook onto the nearest preceding noun — the Beloved, his grace, his good pleasure, the Spirit — so the sentence never stops, it hands itself forward. Three times an amber purpose line εἰς ἔπαινον (vv. 6, 12, 14) interrupts the chain like a refrain, dividing the blessing into its trinitarian movements: chosen in the Father, redeemed in the Son, sealed by the Spirit. Verses 15–23 are again a single sentence with one purple main verb (οὐ παύομαι, v. 16): the prayer descends through an amber petition into three blue indirect questions, and the third question's 'power' is caught by a coral relative that climbs from resurrection to enthronement to headship over the church. Interpretive cruxes the layout takes a side on: ἐν ἀγάπῃ (v. 4) is read with what precedes (holiness in love) rather than with προορίσας (v. 5); ἐκληρώθημεν (v. 11) is taken as 'we were made a heritage' rather than 'we obtained an inheritance'; and τὸ πλήρωμα (v. 23) is read passively — the church as the fullness filled by Christ. Indentation is strict: every line steps in exactly one column from the line it attaches to, so the staircase of vv. 3–14 — seventeen levels deep by its end — is itself a picture of the sentence's relentless chaining, and each line is set directly beneath the very word it hangs from — dotted-underlined in the line above, and highlighted when its dependent clause is hovered (each tag also names the attachment).