independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecontentphrase 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.)
Dead in trespasses — made alive with Christ 2:1–7
vv. 1–3 — the diagnosis: dead, walking with the world, children of wrath
1
Καὶ ὑμᾶςindependent — anacoluthon — the object suspended until συνεζωοποίησεν (v. 5)
ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν,participial — the former state — dead, not merely sick
2
ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου,relative — on ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις — the deadness was a walk
κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος,phrase modifier — the second norm — the unseen ruler behind the age
τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας·phrase modifier — apposition to τὸν ἄρχοντα (loose concord) — the energizing spirit
3
ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν,relative — on τοῖς υἱοῖς — Paul folds 'we all' into the indictment
ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν,participial — manner — flesh and mind alike enlisted
καὶ ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί·relative — coordinate finite in the ἐν οἷς clause — the verdict: by nature under wrath
vv. 4–7 — but God: mercy's verbs at last — made alive, raised, seated
4
ὁ δὲ θεὸςindependent — the hinge — the subject suspended over its grounds, verb still to come
πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει,participial — causal — he acts because of who he is
διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦcause — διά + accusative — the moving cause of συνεζωοποίησεν (v. 5)
ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς,relative — on τὴν ἀγάπην — cognate accusative, 'loved with the love'
5
καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασινparticipial — concessive — v. 1 resumed with 'us': grace meets us at the point of death
συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷindependent — the long-delayed main verb — the first σύν-compound
— χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι —independent — parenthesis — the thesis of vv. 8–9 breaks in
6
καὶ συνήγειρενindependent — the second σύν-compound — co-resurrection
καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ,independent — the third σύν-compound — co-enthronement (cf. 1:20)
7
ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦpurpose — the goal of all three verbs — grace exhibited to the ages
ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.phrase modifier — the manner and locus of the display
By grace through faith — for good works 2:8–10
8
τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως·independent — the parenthesis of v. 5 unfolded — grace the ground, faith the channel
καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν,independent — neuter τοῦτο — the whole grace-faith salvation, not πίστις alone
θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον·phrase modifier — the positive counterpart — θεοῦ fronted: God's gift
9
οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων,phrase modifier — the denial doubled — source in works excluded
ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται.purpose — God's design in the exclusion — boasting foreclosed (cf. Rom 3:27)
10
αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα,independent — the ground — αὐτοῦ fronted: his handiwork, not our own
κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖςparticipial — the workmanship explained — new creation, aimed at works
οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεὸςrelative — on ἔργοις (attracted οἷς) — works laid out in advance
ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.purpose — the new walk — answering the old walk of v. 2
Then and now — far off, brought near 2:11–13
vv. 11–12 — then: Christless, stateless, covenantless, hopeless, godless
11
Διὸ μνημονεύετεindependent — the imperative — grace remembered against its dark background
ὅτι ποτὲ ὑμεῖς τὰ ἔθνη ἐν σαρκί,content — the ὅτι clause suspended — its verb waits for the restated ὅτι of v. 12
οἱ λεγόμενοι ἀκροβυστία ὑπὸ τῆς λεγομένης περιτομῆς ἐν σαρκὶ χειροποιήτου,participial — attributive — the taunt-names of the divide, both merely ἐν σαρκί
12
ὅτι ἦτε τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ,content — the ὅτι restated — the suspended clause of v. 11 resumed with its verb
ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας,participial — the estrangement — no citizenship, no covenants
ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.participial — the climax of the privations — hopeless and ἄθεοι
v. 13 — now: brought near by the blood
13
νυνὶ δὲ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ὑμεῖςindependent — νυνὶ δέ — the great reversal; the subject held a moment
οἵ ποτε ὄντες μακρὰνrelative — on ὑμεῖς — 'far' and 'near' from Isa 57:19
ἐγενήθητε ἐγγὺς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ.independent — the clause's finite verb — nearness at the price of blood
He himself is our peace — the two made one 2:14–18
vv. 14–16 — the wall down: one new man, one body, through the cross
14
Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν,independent — the thesis — not merely peacemaker: peace in person (cf. Mic 5:5)
ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓνparticipial — attributive — expands Αὐτός: the two made one
καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας,participial — coordinate — the barrier demolished
τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ,phrase modifier — apposition to τὸ μεσότοιχον — the wall is the hostility; ἐν τῇ σαρκί with the breaking
15
τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας,participial — how the wall fell — ἐν δόγμασιν read with the law, not the abolishing
ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπονpurpose — purpose 1 — a new creation, not a Gentile absorbed into a Jew
ποιῶν εἰρήνην,participial — attendant — the creating is itself peacemaking
16
καὶ ἀποκαταλλάξῃ τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ,purpose — purpose 2 — coordinate with κτίσῃ: both reconciled Godward
ἀποκτείνας τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν αὐτῷ.participial — means — ἐν αὐτῷ read 'in himself' rather than 'by it (the cross)'
vv. 17–18 — peace preached, access gained
17
καὶ ἐλθὼν εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς·independent — Isa 57:19 with 52:7 — the peacemaker turned herald
18
ὅτι δι’ αὐτοῦ ἔχομεν τὴν προσαγωγὴν οἱ ἀμφότεροι ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα.cause — the proof of the peace — one access, one Spirit, one Father
The household and the temple 2:19–22
19
Ἄρα οὖν οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι,independent — the conclusion — the old labels of v. 12 revoked
ἀλλὰ ἐστὲ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ,independent — the counter-assertion — citizenship and family
20
ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν,participial — the household becomes a house — founded on apostles and prophets
ὄντος ἀκρογωνιαίου αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ,participial — genitive absolute — the ἀκρογωνιαῖος of Isa 28:16
21
ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν κυρίῳ,relative — on Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ — πᾶσα οἰκοδομή read 'the whole building' though anarthrous
22
ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς συνοικοδομεῖσθε εἰς κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν πνεύματι.relative — on ἐν κυρίῳ — the readers themselves built in: God's dwelling ἐν πνεύματι
Analysis. The chapter opens with the boldest anacoluthon in Ephesians, and the layout lets it hang: Καὶ ὑμᾶς stands flush left as a dashed fragment — an accusative object with no verb — and everything of vv. 1–3 descends from it, the deadness unpacked by a coral relative chain that sinks through the age, the ruler, the spirit, and the sons of disobedience to the universal 'we were children of wrath.' Then ὁ δὲ θεός starts a second suspended column (subject, mercy, love), and only at συνεζωοποίησεν in v. 5 does a purple main verb finally appear to claim both columns at once — God's act arriving after the whole diagnosis has been read into the record. The dashed parenthesis χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι breaks in beside it and becomes the thesis that vv. 8–10 unfold. Verses 14–16 are the peace-chain: one purple line, Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, carries two teal aorist participles (made one, broke the wall), a third participle (abolished the law), and a double amber ἵνα (create one new man, reconcile both to God), each purpose trailing its own peacemaking participle. Verses 19–22 convert citizenship into architecture: two flush-left assertions, then the building participles step down through foundation, cornerstone, and the paired ἐν ᾧ relatives of the growing temple. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: the neuter τοῦτο of v. 8 points to the whole grace-faith salvation, not to πίστις alone; τὴν ἔχθραν (v. 14) is read as apposition to τὸ μεσότοιχον — the wall is the hostility — with ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ construed with the breaking; ἐν δόγμασιν is taken with 'the law of commandments' (the law in its decrees), not as the instrument of abolition; ἐν αὐτῷ (v. 16) is read 'in himself,' not 'by the cross'; and πᾶσα οἰκοδομή (v. 21), though anarthrous, is rendered 'the whole building.'