Luke 10 — 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.)

The sending of the seventy(-two) and the woes on the cities 10:1–16

vv. 1–2 — the appointment, and the harvest-prayer

Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy-two othersindependent — ὁ κύριος, Luke's narrative title, formally installs a second wave — ἑβδομήκοντα [δύο], the count split down the middle (nations of Gen 10; elders of Num 11)

and sent them two by two ahead of him into every town and placeindependent — coordinate aorist — ἀνὰ δύο, pairs for support and valid testimony (Deut 19:15); πρὸ προσώπου, forerunners

where he himself was about to come.relative — the mission as advance work — ἤμελλεν: the towns already on his own itinerary

And he was saying to them:independent — iterative imperfect speech-frame — the whole charge of vv. 2b–16 hangs here

'The harvest is plentiful,content — verbless μέν-clause — the eschatological ingathering, vast

but the workers are few;content — the δέ-foil — the laborers too few for the field

therefore beg the Lord of the harvestcontent — the first command is prayer — the harvest belongs to its Lord, not to the workers

to send out workers into his harvest.purpose — ὅπως-clause — ἐκβάλῃ, 'thrust out': the Lord drives workers into the field

vv. 3–9 — the charge: lambs among wolves, peace to houses, the kingdom to towns

Go;content — the asyndetic marching order

behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.content — performative present — sent defenseless, their safety resting on the Sender

Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals;content — the triple prohibition — stripped of provision, cast wholly on hospitality

and greet no one along the road.content — no roadside greetings (cf. 2 Kgs 4:29) — the errand's urgency, not rudeness

And into whatever house you enter,conditional — conditional-relative protasis — leans on λέγετε

first say:content — the standing instruction for every house

'Peace to this house.'content — the šālôm-bestowal — a verbless gift, not a wish

And if a son of peace is there,conditional — third-class protasis — 'son of peace,' the Semitic idiom; leans on ἐπαναπαήσεται

your peace will rest upon him;content — the peace almost a substance — it settles where character fits the gift

but if not,conditional — elliptical counter-protasis — 'otherwise'; leans on ἀνακάμψει

it will return to you.content — the boomerang — the gift comes back unspent

And stay in that same house,content — settled hospitality commanded — no house-hopping

eating and drinking what they provide,participial — attendant circumstance — table fellowship as the mission's provision

for the worker is worthy of his wage.cause — the verbless proverb (cited 1 Tim 5:18) — support is wage, not charity

Do not move from house to house.content — the prohibition restated — no upgrading for better fare

And into whatever town you enterconditional — indefinite-relative protasis — the rule extended from house to town; leans on ἐσθίετε

and they receive you,conditional — coordinate protasis — δέχομαι, the verb of welcome, negated in v. 10

eat what is set before you,content — food scruples suspended in the mission (cf. 1 Cor 10:27)

and heal the sick in it,content — the kingdom's power displayed

and say to them:content — the kingdom's nearness announced

'The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.'content — perfect ἤγγικεν — drawn near, or arrived at the threshold; the crux left open (cf. v. 11)

vv. 10–12 — the rejecting town: the dust, and the Sodom-verdict

But into whatever town you enterconditional — the negative counterpart of v. 8 — leans on εἴπατε

and they do not receive you,conditional — coordinate protasis — the welcome refused

going out into its streets,participial — preposed participle — the public exit to the squares; leans on εἴπατε

say:content — the commanded verdict-speech

'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you;content — the prophetic sign-act (cf. Acts 13:51) — even the clinging dust disowned; dative of disadvantage ὑμῖν

nevertheless know this:content — πλήν — the disavowal does not cancel the announcement

that the kingdom of God has drawn near.'content — the same ἤγγικεν as v. 9 — now testimony against the town

I tell you:content — the solemn pronouncement-formula

that it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.content — Sodom (Gen 19) outdone — light rejected weighs more at the judgment than ignorance

vv. 13–16 — the woes: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum; the šaliach chain

Woe to you, Chorazin!content — prophetic woe-cry, verbless — the miracle-towns of Galilee arraigned (Matt 11:21 near-verbatim)

Woe to you, Bethsaida!content — the second woe — the towns personified and addressed

for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,conditional — second-class (contrary-to-fact) protasis carrying the causal ὅτι — leans on μετενόησαν

they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.cause — the apodosis grounding the woes — pagan Tyre and Sidon (Isa 23; Ezek 26–28) would have shamed them; sackcloth and ashes, Jonah 3:6

Nevertheless it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.content — the verdict drawn — the pagan cities fare better ἐν τῇ κρίσει

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?content — μή-question expecting no — the Isa 14:13 taunt over Babylon's king turned on Jesus' own ministry base

You will be brought down to Hades.content — Isa 14:15 — the descent decreed; exaltation answered by Hades

The one who hears you hears me,content — the šaliach principle — hearing the envoy is hearing the Sender

and the one who rejects you rejects me;content — rejection likewise transitive — ἀθετέω, to set aside

and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.content — the chain reaches the Father — τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με; the charge closes on the mission's ultimate stake

The return — Satan fallen, names written in heaven 10:17–20

And the seventy-two returned with joy,independent — the mission succeeds — ὑποστρέφω, a Lukan favorite; ἑβδομήκοντα [δύο] again split (see v. 1)

saying:participial — speech-participle — the frame for their report

'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'content — ascensive καί — even the demons; ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου, the locus of delegated authority

And he said to them:independent — the reply-frame — vv. 18b–20 hang here

'I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven.content — imperfect ἐθεώρουν — the vision unfolding: the exorcisms read cosmically as Satan's lightning-fall (cf. Isa 14:12; John 12:31)

Behold, I have given you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,content — perfect δέδωκα — standing authority; serpents and scorpions of Ps 91:13; Deut 8:15, the enemy's whole δύναμις

and nothing will ever harm you.content — οὐ μή — the strongest Greek denial, piled on οὐδέν

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,content — πλήν — the joy reordered; proleptic ἐν τούτῳ

that the spirits submit to you,content — the wrong ground — delegated power over spirits

but rejoicecontent — the counter-command — the same verb, the right object

that your names have been written in heaven.'content — perfect ἐγγέγραπται — enrolled in the book of life (Exod 32:32; Dan 12:1), a settled fact

The exultation — Father and Son, and the blessed eyes 10:21–24

vv. 21–22 — the thanksgiving, and the mutual knowledge of Father and Son

In that very hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spiritindependent — ἠγαλλιάσατο — Jesus' one recorded outburst of Spirit-wrought exultation; ingressive aorist

and said:independent — the speech-frame for the thanksgiving (Matt 11:25–27 near-verbatim)

'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,content — the LXX thanksgiving-formula — πάτερ addressed as κύριος of heaven and earth

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understandingcontent — the ground of praise — hidden from the self-reliantly clever

and revealed them to infants;content — the sovereign reversal — revealed to νήπιοι, the untaught

yes, Father,content — the assent resumed — nominative-for-vocative ὁ πατήρ; verbless

for such was your good pleasure before you.'cause — εὐδοκία — the Father's good pleasure as the final ground; Semitic ἔμπροσθέν σου

'All things have been handed over to me by my Father,content — the 'Johannine thunderbolt' in the Synoptics — παρεδόθη, the total transfer

and no one knows who the Son is except the Father,content — the exclusive knowledge — the absolute ὁ υἱός known only to the Father

and who the Father is except the Soncontent — the reciprocal — οὐδεὶς γινώσκει carried over, elliptical

and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him.'relative — revelation runs only through the Son's βούληται — sovereign will as the door

vv. 23–24 — privately: the beatitude on the eyes

And turning to the disciples privately,participial — preposed participle — κατ’ ἰδίαν, the beatitude is private; leans on εἶπεν

he said:independent — the frame for the beatitude

'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!content — verbless beatitude — blessed for what they witness, not for what they do

For I tell you:cause — the γάρ-ground of the beatitude — the solemn formula

that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not see it,content — the longing of the whole prior age (cf. 1 Pet 1:10–12) — desire and denial in one breath

and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.'content — the parallel pair — the coordinate infinitive under ἠθέλησαν, with its own finite denial interlaced

The lawyer's question and the parable of the Good Samaritan 10:25–37

vv. 25–28 — the test, and the Law's own answer

And behold, a certain lawyer stood upindependent — the new scene — a νομικός, expert in Torah, rises

to test him,participial — purpose participle — ἐκπειράζω, the hostile probe

saying:participial — coordinate speech-participle

'Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'content — the classic question — τί ποιήσας: what one deed inherits the life of the age to come? (cf. 18:18)

And he said to him:independent — the rabbinic counter-question — the frame

'What is written in the Law?content — the expert thrown back on his own text — the Law itself holds the answer

How do you read it?'content — πῶς ἀναγινώσκεις — 'how do you recite?': the Shema he says daily

And answering he said:independent — Semitic 'answered and said'

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,content — Deut 6:5 — the Shema's total claim, Luke's fourfold heart–soul–strength–mind; imperatival future

and your neighbor as yourself.'content — Lev 19:18 joined on — Ἀγαπήσεις carried over, elliptical; the double command spoken as one

And he said to him:independent — the verdict-frame

'You have answered rightly;content — the answer approved — recitation is not the issue

do thiscontent — present imperative — keep doing it (Lev 18:5)

and you will live.'content — the promise — the ζωή the lawyer asked after (v. 25)

vv. 29–35 — 'and who is my neighbor?': the parable

But he, wishing to justify himself,participial — the motive named — δικαιῶσαι ἑαυτόν: narrow the term, limit the command; leans on εἶπεν

said to Jesus:independent — the follow-up frame

'And who is my neighbor?'content — the limiting question — who qualifies as the object of my love?

Jesus, taking up the question,participial — ὑπολαβών — taking it up to reply; leans on εἶπεν

said:independent — the parable-frame — the whole story of vv. 30b–36 hangs on this εἶπεν

'A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jerichocontent — descriptive imperfect — the Jericho road: seventeen miles, 3,300 feet down, bandit country; the victim left deliberately anonymous

and fell among robbers,content — περιπίπτω + dative — the chance calamity

who, having both stripped him and laid blows on him, went off,relative — the triple violence compressed — stripped of clothes and every mark of identity

leaving him half-dead.participial — ἡμιθανής, NT hapax — between life and death, beyond self-help; neither nationality nor consciousness can now decide who owes him

Now by coincidence a certain priest was going down that road,content — κατὰ συγκυρίαν, NT hapax — 'by coincidence'; a priest, descending perhaps from temple service

and seeing him,participial — the seeing that precedes avoidance — leans on ἀντιπαρῆλθεν

he passed by on the opposite side;content — the parable's verb of failure — deliberate crossing-over (corpse-defilement, Lev 21:1–4, is the excuse the parable declines to give)

and likewise a Levite also, coming to the place and seeing him,participial — the Levite repeats the sequence — arrived, came, saw; leans on ἀντιπαρῆλθεν

passed by on the opposite side.content — the same verb verbatim — the cultic order fails twice

But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came upon him,content — Σαμαρίτης δέ — the shock-word fronted: the despised half-foreigner (9:52–53; John 4:9); ὁδεύων, NT hapax

and seeing him,participial — the same ἰδών as priest and Levite — leans on ἐσπλαγχνίσθη

he was moved with compassion,content — the hinge of the parable — visceral mercy, the verb of Jesus' own compassion (7:13)

and going to him,participial — compassion closes the distance the others kept — leans on κατέδησεν

he bound up his wounds,content — first aid — καταδέω and τραῦμα, both NT hapaxes

pouring on oil and wine;participial — means participle — the standard wound-dressing: oil to soothe, wine to cleanse

and setting him on his own animal,participial — τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος — his own mount: the Samaritan walks so the victim may ride; leans on ἤγαγεν

he brought him to an inncontent — πανδοχεῖον, NT hapax — the public lodging

and cared for him.content — ἐπιμελέομαι — personal nursing through the night

And on the next day, drawing them out,participial — the next morning — the coins drawn out; leans on ἔδωκεν

he gave two denarii to the innkeepercontent — two denarii — two days' wages, several days' lodging; πανδοχεύς, NT hapax

and said:content — speech within the parable — the Samaritan's own words

'Care for him,content — the innkeeper commissioned with the Samaritan's own verb (v. 34)

and whatever more you spend,conditional — indefinite-relative protasis — προσδαπανάω, NT hapax; leans on ἀποδώσω

I will repay you when I return.'content — the open-ended guarantee — emphatic ἐγώ: mercy that does not cap its cost

vv. 36–37 — the question inverted: 'go and do likewise'

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?'content — Jesus' inversion — not 'who is my neighbor?' but who became (γεγονέναι) neighbor: defined by the doer, not the object

And he said:independent — the lawyer's answer-frame

'The one who showed mercy to him.'content — the answer without the word 'Samaritan' — ποιεῖν ἔλεος μετά, the LXX idiom for ḥesed; verbless

And Jesus said to him:independent — the closing frame

'Go,content — the dismissal — out of definition, into practice

and you do likewise.'content — emphatic σύ, present imperative — mercy as habitual practice; the test turned back on the tester

Martha and Mary — the one necessary thing 10:38–42

vv. 38–39 — the two sisters: the host and the listener

Now as they traveled,phrase modifier — Lukan temporal idiom (ἐν τῷ + infinitive) — the journey to Jerusalem continues; leans on εἰσῆλθεν

he entered a certain village;independent — the village unnamed (Bethany, John 11:1)

and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him.independent — Martha the host — ὑποδέχομαι, she receives him into her house

And she had a sister called Mary,independent — dative of possession — 'to this woman was a sister'

who also, sitting down at the Lord's feet, kept listening to his word.relative — the disciple's posture — at the feet (Acts 22:3); imperfect ἤκουεν, sustained listening

vv. 40–42 — the complaint, and the pronouncement on the good portion

But Martha was distracted with much serving;independent — περισπάω — literally dragged about by much διακονία; the πολλήν that v. 41 will echo

and coming up,participial — ἐφίστημι — bursting in on the scene; leans on εἶπεν

she said:independent — the complaint-frame

'Lord, do you not carecontent — the reproach reaches the Lord himself — οὐ expects 'yes, you do'

that my sister has left me to serve alone?content — the grievance — μόνην fronted: abandoned to serve single-handed

Tell her, then,content — the demand — the Lord conscripted as referee

to help me.'content — ἵνα of commanded content — συναντιλαμβάνομαι, 'take hold together with': lend a hand

But answering,participial — preposed participle — leans on εἶπεν

the Lord said to her:independent — ὁ κύριος again — the narrative title at the pronouncement

'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,content — the doubled vocative, tender not harsh — anxious (μεριμνᾷς) and agitated (θορυβάζῃ; rival reading τυρβάζῃ) περὶ πολλά

but one thing is necessary;content — the crux: the shorter ἑνὸς δέ ἐστιν χρεία is printed; the well-attested longer reading ὀλίγων δέ ἐστιν χρεία ἢ ἑνός ('few things are necessary — or one') stands beside it, and some witnesses omit

for Mary has chosen the good portion,cause — the γάρ-ground — μερίς: the table-portion become one's lot; her choice defines the one thing

which will not be taken from her.'relative — qualitative ἥτις, future passive — the lasting portion: no one will remove it

Analysis. Luke 10 alternates frame and speech four times, and the layout shows each speech as a blue cnt catena hanging from a single verb of saying. First the mission: after the appointing sentence of v. 1 — with its famously split ἑβδομήκοντα [δύο], seventy in some weighty witnesses and seventy-two in others (the nations of Gen 10, or the elders of Num 11), bracketed here and at v. 17 — the imperfect ἔλεγεν of v. 2 carries the whole charge of vv. 2b–16 at a constant depth one: harvest-prayer, lambs among wolves, the triple prohibition, then the casuistry of reception, whose ἐάν- and conditional-relative protases (vv. 5, 6, 8, 10) lean forward anchor-less one step above their apodoses, while commanded speech nests one deeper under its own λέγετε/εἴπατε (the peace-greeting, the kingdom-announcement, the dust-wiping). The woes on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (vv. 13–15, near-verbatim with Matt 11:21–23) stand in the same catena, the contrary-to-fact protasis of v. 13 leaning on its μετενόησαν and the Isaiah-14 taunt kept as question and verdict; v. 16 closes the charge with the šaliach chain. The return (vv. 17–20) reorders joy — not the spirits' submission but names ἐγγέγραπται in heaven — and the thanksgiving of vv. 21–22 hangs its hiding-and-revealing ὅτι-pair under Ἐξομολογοῦμαί, the 'Johannine thunderbolt' of v. 22 following as coordinate speech. Then the Good Samaritan: the whole parable (vv. 30b–36) is one coordinate catena under the εἶπεν of v. 30, its mainline verbs flush at depth one — κατέβαινεν, περιέπεσεν, ἀντιπαρῆλθεν twice, then the Samaritan's cascade of care — with the preposed participles of seeing and approach leaning forward anchor-less, so the page shows the pivot: the same ἰδών that twice precedes avoidance precedes ἐσπλαγχνίσθη. Jesus' closing Τίς τούτων question inverts the lawyer's (who became neighbor, not who qualifies as one), and the answer comes without the word 'Samaritan.' Cruxes taken openly: ἤγγικεν (vv. 9, 11) is glossed 'has drawn near' and left between approach and arrival; at v. 41 θορυβάζῃ is flagged against its rival τυρβάζῃ; and at v. 42 the printed ἑνὸς δέ ἐστιν χρεία is flagged against the well-attested longer reading ὀλίγων δέ ἐστιν χρεία ἢ ἑνός ('few things are necessary — or one'), the layout letting Mary's γάρ-grounded good portion define the one necessary thing without condemning Martha's διακονία.