John 6 — 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.)

The feeding of the five thousand 6:1–15

vv. 1–4 — the crossing, the crowd, the Passover frame

After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, that is, of Tiberias.independent — Johannine transition (cf. 5:1) — the sea doubly named, region and Hellenistic city

And a large crowd was following him,independent — durative imperfect — a following sustained by spectacle

because they were seeing the signscause — iterative imperfect — sign-watching, the motive v. 26 will expose

that he was doing on those who were sick.relative — the healings summarized

And Jesus went up into the mountain,independent — τὸ ὄρος — the mountain, a Mosaic staging for the bread to come

and there he sat down with his disciples.independent — the teacher's posture

Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.independent — narrator's frame — Passover colors the whole chapter's bread (vv. 51–58)

vv. 5–9 — the test: Philip and Andrew confess inadequacy

So Jesus, lifting up his eyesparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on λέγει

and seeingparticipial — coordinate preposed participle

that a large crowd was coming toward him,content — vivid present retained in indirect perception

says to Philip:independent — historic present — the speech-frame; Jesus initiates, unlike the Synoptics

'Where are we to buy bread,content — deliberative subjunctive — the test question

so that these people may eat?'purpose — the crowd's need cast as purpose

He was saying thisindependent — narrator's aside opens

testing him;participial — telic participle — πειράζων here benign: a test, not a temptation

for he himself knewcause — the narrator guards Jesus' sovereignty

what he was going to do.content — indirect question — the sign already intended

Philip answered him:independent — the first confession of inadequacy

'Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for them,content — the arithmetic of scarcity — two hundred days' wages

for each to receive even a little.'purpose — βραχύ τι — 'some scrap'; the shortfall measured

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to him:independent — historic present — Andrew again the introducer (cf. 1:41–42; 12:22)

'There is a boy herecontent — παιδάριον — a diminutive: the supply as small as its bearer

who has five barley loaves and two fish;relative — barley — the poor man's bread; cf. Elisha's twenty loaves (2 Kgs 4:42–44)

but what are these for so many people?'content — the second confession of inadequacy

vv. 10–13 — the sign: five thousand fed, twelve baskets over

Jesus said:independent — the command

'Make the people recline.'content — the banquet posture ordered

Now there was much grass in the place.independent — narrator's detail — green pasture beneath the meal (cf. Ps 23:2)

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.independent — οἱ ἄνδρες — the men counted, as at Exod 12:37

Jesus then took the loaves,independent — ἔλαβεν — the first of the quasi-eucharistic verbs

and having given thanksparticipial — εὐχαριστήσας where the Synoptics bless (εὐλογήσας) — the Eucharistic resonance; leans on διέδωκεν

he distributed them to those reclining;independent — Jesus himself distributes — no disciples intervene in John's telling

likewise also of the fish,phrase modifier — elliptical — the verb carried over

as much as they wanted.relative — abundance, not ration

And when they were satisfied,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — satiety before the gathering; leans on λέγει

he says to his disciples:independent — historic present — the speech-frame

'Gather up the fragments left over,content — κλάσματα — the broken pieces; the word of the early eucharistic prayers (Did. 9)

so that nothing may be lost.'purpose — μή τι ἀπόληται — anticipating v. 39: losing nothing of what is given

So they gathered them up,independent — the command obeyed verbatim

and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loavesindependent — twelve — a basket per tribe; the surplus outmeasures the supply

which were left over by those who had eaten.relative — περισσεύω — the abundance verb

vv. 14–15 — prophet acclaimed, kingship refused

The people therefore, seeing the sign that he had done,participial — preposed circumstantial (internal relative kept in line) — leans on ἔλεγον

were saying:independent — imperfect + recitative ὅτι

'This is truly the Prophet who is coming into the world.'content — the prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15) — right category, wrong program

Jesus therefore, knowingparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἀνεχώρησεν

that they were about to come and seize himcontent — ἁρπάζειν — kingship by force

to make him king,purpose — the crowd's purpose — a bread-king

withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.independent — the refusal — αὐτὸς μόνος, doubled solitude

Jesus walks on the sea 6:16–21

vv. 16–18 — into darkness and rising sea

And when evening came,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — leans on κατέβησαν

his disciples went down to the sea,independent — the descent from the mountain of the sign

and getting into a boat,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἤρχοντο

they were making their way across the sea toward Capernaum.independent — conative imperfect — under way, not arrived

And darkness had already come,independent — pluperfect — σκοτία, in John never merely meteorological (cf. 13:30)

and Jesus had not yet come to them.independent — the absence named — the scene's real darkness

And the sea, as a strong wind was blowing, was being stirred up.independent — internal genitive absolute kept in line — the sea roused as adversary

vv. 19–21 — the theophany on the water

Then, having rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia,participial — preposed perfect participle — three or four miles out, mid-sea; leans on θεωροῦσιν

they behold Jesusindependent — historic present — θεωρέω, the seeing-verb of the discourse (vv. 40, 62)

walking on the seaparticipial — supplementary participle — treading the sea, God's own gait (Job 9:8)

and drawing near the boat,participial — second object-participle — the approach

and they were frightened.independent — the theophanic fear

But he says to them:independent — historic present — the speech-frame

'I am;content — the chapter's primary crux — 'it is I' naturalistically, the divine Name (Exod 3:14; Isa 43:10 LXX) johannically; both left sounding

do not be afraid.'content — the theophanic reassurance-formula

Then they were willing to take him into the boat,independent — ἤθελον — willing, glad; the fear answered by the word

and at once the boat was at the landindependent — εὐθέως — the crossing compressed to a word; a quiet second wonder

toward which they were going.relative — the destination reached

The crowd crosses over 6:22–25

On the next day the crowd standing on the other side of the sea sawindependent — constructio ad sensum — plural εἶδον with singular ὄχλος; the puzzle begins

that there had been no other small boat there except one,content — first datum — one boat only

and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples,content — second datum — Jesus not aboard

but that his disciples had gone away alone;content — the sum that does not add — how did he cross?

But other small boats came from Tiberias near the placeindependent — narrator's parenthesis — the ferry supplied

where they had eaten the breadrelative — the sign recalled as a meal — eating, not marveling

after the Lord had given thanks.participial — genitive absolute — εὐχαριστήσας echoed (v. 11); ὁ κύριος, the narrator's own title

So when the crowd sawconditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — leans on ἐνέβησαν

that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples,content — vivid present retained in indirect discourse

they themselves got into the boatsindependent — the crowd embarks

and came to Capernaum,independent — the pursuit across the water

seeking Jesus.participial — ζητεῖν — the seeking v. 26 will diagnose

And finding him on the other side of the sea,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εἶπον

they said to him:independent — the speech-frame

'Rabbi, when did you get here?'content — the wrong question — 'when,' where 'how' and 'who' are at stake; it goes unanswered

The food that endures — the manna countered 6:26–33

vv. 26–27 — the motive exposed, the imperishable food

Jesus answered them and said:independent — the discourse-dialogue opens — reply one

'Truly, truly, I say to you,content — the double amen — the first of four in the chapter (vv. 26, 32, 47, 53)

you are seeking mecontent — the diagnosis — their seeking read

not because you saw signs,cause — the sign unseen as sign — spectacle without significance

but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.cause — ἐχορτάσθητε — bellies, not belief; the structural hinge of the chapter

Do not work for the food that perishes,content — the redirect — βρῶσις that spoils like the manna (Exod 16:20)

but for the food that endures to eternal life,phrase modifier — elliptical contrast — μένουσαν, the abiding-verb (v. 56)

which the Son of Man will give you;relative — the future δώσει — pointing ahead to v. 51

for on him the Father — God himself — has set his seal.'cause — ἐσφράγισεν — accredited, authorized; ὁ θεός appended with emphasis

vv. 28–29 — the work of God

So they said to him:independent — interjection one

'What are we to do,content — deliberative subjunctive — they hear 'work' as works

that we may work the works of God?'purpose — his verb taken up and pluralized

Jesus answered and said to them:independent — reply two

'This is the work of God:content — the works reduced to one ἔργον

that you believe in him whom he has sent.'content — epexegetic ἵνα — the work is faith; present subjunctive, a continuing believing

vv. 30–31 — the sign demanded, the manna cited

So they said to him:independent — interjection two

'What sign then do you do,content — emphatic σύ — yesterday's loaves already discounted

that we may see and believe you?purpose — seeing before believing — the order 20:29 will invert

What work do you perform?content — his own verb handed back as a demand

Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,content — the bar set — Moses fed a nation forty years; one meal on a hillside must top it

as it is written:comparative — the citation formula

“He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”'content — Ps 78:24 (cf. Exod 16:4, 15; Neh 9:15) — the text the discourse will re-exegete word by word

vv. 32–33 — the true bread from heaven

Jesus then said to them:independent — reply three — the citation corrected

'Truly, truly, I say to you,content — the second double amen

it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven,content — the subject corrected — not Moses; the perfect δέδωκεν denied

but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven —content — the tense corrected too — δίδωσιν, present; and the bread qualified: τὸν ἀληθινόν

for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'cause — ὁ καταβαίνων — masculine: 'he who comes down'; bread and person begin to merge

'I am the bread of life' — the Father's will 6:34–40

vv. 34–35 — the request and the declaration

So they said to him:independent — interjection three — cf. the Samaritan woman's 'give me this water' (4:15)

'Lord, give us this bread always.'content — the request that occasions the declaration — still thinking loaves

Jesus said to them:independent — reply four — the frame for vv. 35–40

'I am the bread of life;content — the first of the seven predicate ἐγώ εἰμι sayings — opening the inclusio closed at v. 48

whoever comes to me shall never hunger,content — emphatic οὐ μή — hunger ended

and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.content — coming and believing in parallel — the discourse's own gloss on eating

vv. 36–40 — given, kept, raised on the last day

But I said to youcontent — the reproach resumed (v. 26)

that you have indeed seen me and yet do not believe.content — seeing without believing — v. 30's demand already answered

All that the Father gives me will come to me,content — neuter πᾶν — the given whole; the Father's initiative beneath the coming

and whoever comes to me I will never cast out —content — οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω — the double-negative welcome

for I have come down from heavencause — the descent grounds the welcome

not to do my own will,purpose — the negated purpose

but the will of him who sent me.purpose — elliptical — ἵνα ποιῶ carried over

And this is the will of him who sent me:content — the will defined

that of all he has given me I should lose nothing,content — epexegetic ἵνα — casus pendens πᾶν resumed by ἐξ αὐτοῦ; v. 12's 'that nothing be lost' writ large

but raise it up on the last day.content — the first sounding of the last-day refrain (vv. 40, 44, 54)

For this is the will of my Father:content — the will restated — now τοῦ πατρός μου

that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life,content — the neuter πᾶν become πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν — the given whole resolved into believers

and I myself will raise him up on the last day.'content — the refrain — breaking out of the ἵνα into direct future promise, emphatic ἐγώ

The grumbling — 'I am the living bread' 6:41–51

vv. 41–42 — the murmuring: is this not Joseph's son?

So the Jews were grumbling about him,independent — γογγύζω — the wilderness verb (Exod 16:2 LXX); the manna generation redivivus

because he said:cause — the offense quoted

'I am the bread that came down from heaven.'content — their conflation of vv. 35 and 38 — accurate in substance

And they were saying:independent — the murmur voiced — interjection four

'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph,content — the known-origin objection

whose father and mother we know?relative — Johannine irony — they know neither his Father nor his origin

How does he now say,content — the first πῶς of unbelief (cf. v. 52)

'I have come down from heaven'?content — recitative ὅτι — his claim in their mouths

vv. 43–46 — no one comes unless drawn

Jesus answered and said to them:independent — reply five — the frame for vv. 43–51

'Do not grumble among yourselves.content — the prohibition — their objection not argued but overruled

No one is able to come to mecontent — the incapacity stated flatly

unless the Father who sent me draws him;conditional — backward exceptive protasis (anchored) — ἑλκύω, 'drag, draw' (cf. 12:32): the drawing beneath the coming

and I will raise him up on the last day.content — the refrain — the drawing ends in resurrection

It is written in the Prophets:content — the citation formula — the drawing documented

“And they shall all be taught by God.”content — Isa 54:13 — the new-covenant teaching (cf. Jer 31:33–34)

Everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me.content — the citation applied — being taught by God is coming to Jesus

Not that anyone has seen the Fathercontent — the guard-clause — hearing from the Father is not seeing him

except the one who is from God —conditional — exceptive εἰ μή — the one exception (cf. 1:18)

he has seen the Father.content — resumptive οὗτος — the Son alone the seer

vv. 47–51 — the bread of life restated, the flesh named

Truly, truly, I say to you,content — the third double amen

whoever believes has eternal life.content — present ἔχει — eternal life as present possession

I am the bread of life.content — the inclusio closed — v. 35 verbatim

Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,content — their v. 31 handed back — now 'your fathers'

and they died;content — the manna's verdict — two words

this is the bread that comes down from heaven,content — the counter-bread

so that one may eat of it and not die.purpose — the purpose — eating against dying

I am the living bread that came down from heaven;content — ὁ ζῶν — living, not merely life-giving; aorist καταβάς: the descent an accomplished event

if anyone eats of this bread,conditional — forward protasis — leans on ζήσει

he will live forever;content — the apodosis-promise

and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'content — σάρξ enters — future δώσω and ὑπέρ tilt toward the cross; the eucharistic turn

Flesh and blood — the eucharistic climax 6:52–59

v. 52 — the dispute

The Jews therefore were quarreling with one another,independent — μάχομαι — grumbling become open fight; interjection five

saying:participial — the speech-participle

'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'content — the second πῶς — contemptuous οὗτος; the question the discourse will not soften

vv. 53–58 — the escalation: eat the flesh, drink the blood

So Jesus said to them:independent — reply six — the frame for vv. 53–58; escalation, not retreat

'Truly, truly, I say to you,content — the fourth double amen

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,conditional — forward protasis — blood added to flesh; to ears schooled in Lev 17:10–14, maximal offense

you have no life in yourselves.content — the negative apodosis — sacramental or symbolic, contested since antiquity; v. 63 the interpretive key

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.content — τρώγων displaces φαγεῖν — 'gnaw, munch': the physicality sharpened; and the last-day refrain returns

For my flesh is true food,cause — ἀληθής — the βρῶσις of v. 27 identified at last

and my blood is true drink.cause — the parallel member — food and drink complete

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me,content — μένειν — the mutual-indwelling verb of ch. 15

and I in him.content — verbless reciprocal — the indwelling runs both ways

As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father,comparative — forward comparison — leans on ζήσει; the chain of mediated life

so whoever eats me, he also will live because of me.content — the chain extended — Father, Son, eater; τρώγων now takes 'me' whole as its object

This is the bread that came down from heaven,content — the summary — the discourse's themes gathered

not as the fathers ate and died;comparative — the manna dismissed a final time

whoever eats this bread will live forever.'content — the closing promise — v. 51 sealed

v. 59 — the narrator's close

These things he said in a synagogue, teaching at Capernaum.independent — the synagogue-note — the whole discourse located as public teaching, not private rite

'This is a hard saying' — many turn back 6:60–66

vv. 60–63 — the offense and the spirit-key

Many of his disciples, therefore, when they heard it, said:independent — the offense moves inside — disciples now, not 'the Jews'

'This is a hard saying;content — σκληρός — harsh, not obscure: intolerable rather than unintelligible

who can listen to it?'content — ἀκούειν — to hear it out; the hearing that is heeding

But Jesus, knowing in himselfparticipial — preposed perception-participle — unmediated knowledge; leans on εἶπεν

that his disciples were grumbling about this,content — γογγύζειν again — the wilderness verb now among disciples

said to them:independent — the speech-frame for vv. 61–64

'Does this scandalize you?content — σκανδαλίζει — the stumbling-word

What then if you should see the Son of Man ascendingconditional — aposiopesis — the protasis never receives its apodosis: the ascent (cross, resurrection, exaltation) will either resolve the offense or complete it

to where he was before?relative — the pre-existence assumed — the descent (v. 38) presupposes it

It is the Spirit that gives life;content — the interpretive key to vv. 51–58 — πνεῦμα the life-giver

the flesh profits nothing.content — σάρξ here humanity's unaided capacity — not a retraction of v. 51's 'my flesh'

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.content — ῥήματα — the words as bearers of spirit and life (internal relative kept in line)

vv. 64–66 — foreknown unbelief; the departure

But there are some of youcontent — the turn on his hearers

who do not believe.'relative — unbelief inside the circle

For Jesus knew from the beginningindependent — the narrator's ᾔδει-γάρ aside — ἐξ ἀρχῆς, from the outset

who they were who did not believe,content — indirect question — the unbelievers known

and who it was who would betray him.content — ὁ παραδώσων — rare future participle; Judas first shadowed

And he was saying:independent — the frame resumes

'This is why I have told youcontent — the doctrine of v. 44 recalled

that no one can come to mecontent — the incapacity restated

unless it has been granted him by the Father.'conditional — backward exceptive protasis (anchored) — periphrastic perfect: the coming rests on a standing grant

From this point many of his disciples went backindependent — ἐκ τούτου — temporal and causal at once; εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, back to what they had left

and no longer walked with him.independent — imperfect — the walking-with that ceased; the chapter's tragic hinge

Peter's confession — and the devil among the Twelve 6:67–71

vv. 67–69 — 'to whom shall we go?'

So Jesus said to the Twelve:independent — οἱ δώδεκα — the Twelve first named in this Gospel here, at the moment of desertion

'Do you also want to go away?'content — μή-question expecting no — yet genuinely put to the will

Simon Peter answered him:independent — Peter for the Twelve — the Johannine counterpart to Caesarea Philippi

'Lord, to whom shall we go?content — the counter-question — no rival named because none exists

You have words of eternal life,content — v. 63 believed — the ῥήματα received as spirit and life

and we have believed and have come to knowcontent — double perfect — settled faith, settled knowledge; faith before knowledge

that you are the Holy One of God.'content — the confession — unique to John, echoing Mark 1:24; not the Synoptic 'the Christ, the Son of the living God': a noted crux

vv. 70–71 — the election and the traitor

Jesus answered them:independent — the sobering reply

'Did I not choose you, the Twelve?content — ἐξελεξάμην — election claimed even over the traitor

And one of you is a devil.'content — διάβολος anarthrous — a devil, an adversary; the confession not allowed to bask

Now he was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot;independent — the narrator decodes — Ἰσκαριώτου the father's surname, or 'man of Kerioth'; both readings noted

for he was going to betray him,cause — μέλλειν + παραδιδόναι — the betrayal already in motion

though being one of the Twelve.participial — concessive participle — the horror precisely that he is one of the Twelve

Analysis. John 6 alternates two shapes. The narrative panels (vv. 1–25) run almost Markan: flush-left purple main clauses — went away, went up, sat down, took, gave thanks, distributed, withdrew, went down, embarked — with preposed circumstantial participles leaning forward, anchor-less, on the verbs below them (ἐπάρας, γνούς, ἐμβάντες, ἐληλακότες, εὑρόντες) and speech hanging blue beneath its λέγει/εἶπεν frames. From v. 26 the chapter becomes dialogue-punctuated discourse: the crowd or 'the Jews' interject at vv. 28, 30–31, 34, 41–42, 52 (and the disciples at v. 60), and each of Jesus' replies is a catena of content-lines under its own ἀπεκρίθη/εἶπεν frame, so the page reads as alternating shallow interjections and deep blue columns, with the narrator's synagogue-note (v. 59) closing the discourse flush left. Within the columns the layout tracks the discourse's spine: the Ps 78:24 manna citation under γεγραμμένον (v. 31) and its point-by-point correction (not Moses / my Father, gave / gives, v. 32); the Isa 54:13 catena under γεγραμμένον again (v. 45); the ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς inclusio (vv. 35, 48) with its escalations ὁ καταβάς (v. 41) and ὁ ζῶν (v. 51); the four ἀμὴν ἀμήν sayings (vv. 26, 32, 47, 53); and the last-day refrain καὶ ἀναστήσω (vv. 39, 40, 44, 54), each flagged in tags. Cruxes the layout inherits rather than resolves: Ἐγώ εἰμι at v. 20 is glossed both ways — naturalistic reassurance ('it is I') and theophany (the divine Name, Exod 3:14 / Isa 43:10 LXX); v. 40's closing ἀναστήσω is set at frame depth, read as breaking out of the ἵνα-clause into direct future promise; τρώγων in vv. 54–58 is rendered with its physicality ('gnaw, munch') and the sacramental-versus-symbolic contest over vv. 51–58 is registered in the tags, with v. 63 (spirit and life) marked as the discourse's own interpretive key rather than a retraction; v. 62 is laid out as true aposiopesis — a protasis that never receives its apodosis, dashed; Peter's ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ (v. 69) is noted as unique to John against the Synoptic confession and echoing Mark 1:24; and Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτου (v. 71) is glossed as patronymic or place-name, both left standing.