Luke 13 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentparticipialrelativecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase 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.)

Repent or perish — the Galileans and the tower of Siloam 13:1–5

vv. 1–3 — the report of Pilate's atrocity and the first refrain

Now at that very time some were presentindependent — imperfect of the situation — a new scene opens on fresh news of an atrocity

reporting to him about the Galileansparticipial — attendant participle — the bystanders bring the news

whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.relative — the atrocity — slaughter amid the very act of offering

And answering he said to them:independent — the ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν idiom — the speech-frame for vv. 2–5

'Do you thinkcontent — the probing question — the sin-suffering calculus put on trial

that these Galileans proved worse sinners than all the other Galileans,content — παρά + accusative — comparative, 'beyond all'

because they have suffered these things?cause — perfect πεπόνθασιν — the assumed inference from suffering back to guilt

No, I tell you;content — emphatic οὐχί — he answers his own question

but unless you repent,conditional — present-subjunctive protasis — ongoing repentance demanded; leans on ἀπολεῖσθε

you will all likewise perish.content — the first refrain — ὁμοίως, 'in the same way': the atrocity a mirror for all

vv. 4–5 — the tower of Siloam and the refrain repeated

Or those eighteen —phrase modifier — casus pendens — fronted and resumed by αὐτοί; leans on δοκεῖτε below

on whom the tower in Siloam fellrelative — accident, not atrocity — the second instance widens the lesson

and killed them —relative — coordinate with ἔπεσεν — the relative clause runs on

do you thinkcontent — the question resumed after the suspension

that they proved worse debtors than all the people living in Jerusalem?content — ὀφειλέται — sin as debt (cf. 11:4); Jerusalem itself now in the comparison

No, I tell you;content — the denial repeated verbatim

but unless you repent,conditional — the protasis repeated — the twin warnings frame both examples

you will all likewise perish.'content — the refrain — ὡσαύτως for ὁμοίως, the lone substitution

The parable of the barren fig tree 13:6–9

vv. 6–7 — three fruitless years: the owner's verdict

And he told this parable:independent — imperfect Ἔλεγεν — the warning becomes a parable of deferred judgment

'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,content — συκῆ fronted — the fig tree, Israel's emblem (Mic 7:1; Jer 8:13)

and he came seeking fruit on itcontent — purpose participle ζητῶν — καρπός, the demanded evidence (3:8–9)

and found none.content — the flat aorist — three words close the inspection

And he said to the vinedresser:content — dialogue inside the parable — the speech-frame for the verdict

'Behold, three years now since I keep coming seeking fruit on this fig treecontent — ἀφ' οὗ, 'since' — iterative present ἔρχομαι: ample probation

and I find none.content — habitual present — the standing result

Cut it down!content — the sentence — the axe of 3:9 ordered

Why should it even use up the soil?'content — καταργεῖ — the tree as ongoing waste of good ground

vv. 8–9 — the vinedresser's plea: one year more

But answering he says to him:content — historic present λέγει — the intercession made vivid

'Sir, let it alone this year also,content — ἄφες — the plea for reprieve; patient mercy under threat of judgment

until I dig around it and put on manure;conditional — temporal ἕως ὅτου (typed cnd; no temporal key) — renewed labor bought with the delay

and if indeed it bears fruit next year —conditional — aposiopesis — the apodosis ('well and good') is suppressed in the Greek; μέν awaits its δέ

but if not,conditional — verbless counter-protasis — εἰ δὲ μήγε, 'otherwise'; leans on ἐκκόψεις

you shall cut it down.'content — future as concessive apodosis — the sentence deferred, not revoked

The bent woman loosed on the sabbath 13:10–17

vv. 10–13 — the eighteen-year bond broken

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.independent — periphrastic imperfect — the sabbath-synagogue backdrop for the conflict

And behold, a woman having a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,independent — verbless ἰδού-presentation — δεκαοκτώ echoes v. 4's eighteen; the 'spirit' sets up v. 16

and she was bent doubleindependent — periphrastic imperfect — συγκύπτω, a NT hapax

and unable to straighten up at all.participial — coordinate periphrastic participle — εἰς τὸ παντελές, 'completely'

And seeing her, Jesusparticipial — preposed circumstantial — unbidden initiative; leans on προσεφώνησεν

called her overindependent — the summons — she asks for nothing

and said to her:independent — the speech-frame

'Woman, you are freed from your infirmity,'content — perfect ἀπολέλυσαι — a standing release declared; the λύω-family keyword enters

And he laid his hands on her,independent — the touch that enacts the word

and immediately she was made straight,independent — παραχρῆμα, Luke's instant — divine passive ἀνωρθώθη

and she kept glorifying God.independent — imperfect — sustained doxology, the response the ruler will resent

vv. 14–17 — the ruler's protest and the Lord's reply

But the synagogue-ruler, reacting,participial — preposed pleonastic participle — leans on ἔλεγεν

indignantparticipial — second preposed participle — his displeasure targets the timing, not the cure

because Jesus had healed on the sabbath,cause — the offense named

said to the crowd:independent — imperfect + recitative ὅτι — he lectures the crowd, attacking Jesus sideways

'There are six dayscontent — Exod 20:9 invoked

in which work ought to be done;relative — his δεῖ — soon answered by the Lord's ἔδει (v. 16)

so come on those and be healed,content — the standing directive — healing rescheduled

and not on the day of the sabbath.'content — elliptical counterpart — the sabbath fenced against mercy

But the Lord answered himindependent — ὁ κύριος — Luke's reverent narrative title at the decisive word

and said:independent — the reply-frame

'Hypocrites!content — plural — the ruler and his sympathizers; the singular ὑποκριτά is the rival reading

does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the mangercontent — οὐ expects yes — λύει, the keyword: you already 'loose' on the sabbath

and, leading it away, water it?content — coordinate with λύει — the customary sabbath kindness to animals

And this woman, being a daughter of Abraham,phrase modifier — fronted subject of λυθῆναι — her covenant standing outweighs an ox; leans on ἔδει below

whom Satan bound — behold — eighteen years,relative — δέω against λύω — the binder named; the a fortiori sharpened

ought she not to be loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath?'content — ἔδει answers the ruler's δεῖ — her loosing a sabbath necessity, not a violation

And as he said these things,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on the twin reactions

all his adversaries were being put to shame,independent — imperfect passive — mounting humiliation (cf. Isa 45:16 LXX)

and all the crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by him.independent — the Lukan double verdict — shame for the opponents, joy for the crowd

The mustard seed and the leaven 13:18–21

vv. 18–19 — the mustard seed: smallest to sheltering tree

So he said:independent — οὖν — the kingdom-parables drawn from the power just displayed (v. 17)

'What is the kingdom of God like,content — the double question — the parable-pair's frame

and to what shall I compare it?content — deliberative future ὁμοιώσω

It is like a grain of mustard,content — the proverbially smallest of seeds

which a man took and threw into his own garden,relative — the hidden beginning — one seed, one garden

and it grew and became a tree,relative — coordinate with ἔβαλεν — the seed itself takes over as subject; hyperbolic δένδρον

and the birds of the air nested in its branches.'relative — Dan 4:12; Ezek 17:23 — the nations sheltered in the world-tree

vv. 20–21 — the leaven: hidden until all is leavened

And again he said:independent — πάλιν — the twin parable signaled

'To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?content — the question repeated, pairing leaven with seed

It is like leaven,content — ζύμη — for once a positive leaven

which a woman took and hid in three measures of flourrelative — a woman pairs the man of v. 19; ἐνέκρυψεν — hidden; three seahs, a vast baking (Gen 18:6)

until it was all leavened.'conditional — temporal ἕως οὗ (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the certain, complete permeation

The narrow door 13:22–30

vv. 22–24 — the question of the few and the command to strive

And he was journeying through towns and villages,independent — travel-notice — the road to Jerusalem (9:51) resumes

teachingparticipial — manner — teaching as he goes

and making his way toward Jerusalem.participial — the goal named — the city of vv. 33–35

And someone said to him:independent — the prompting question

'Lord, are those being saved few?'content — verbless question with interrogative εἰ — speculative arithmetic about others

And he said to them:independent — πρὸς αὐτούς — the answer goes to all, not the asker; the frame for vv. 24–30

'Strive to enter through the narrow door,content — the question redirected — from 'how many' to 'you'; agonistic ἀγωνίζεσθε; Luke's door, not Matthew's gate

for many, I tell you, will seek to entercause — seeking is not striving

and will not be able.cause — the inability once the hour has passed

vv. 25–27 — the door shut: the two Οὐκ οἶδα refrains

Once the master of the house has risenconditional — ἀφ' οὗ ἄν protasis-train — where its apodosis begins is a noted crux; taken here at ἐρεῖ

and shut the door,conditional — the narrow door of v. 24, now shut for good

and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door,conditional — ἔξω — the word that will toll in v. 28; perfect ἑστάναι, fixed standing

saying:participial — speech inside the protasis

'Lord, open to us,'content — the belated plea (cf. Matt 25:11)

then he will answer you:content — the apodosis — καί resumptive after the long protasis

'I do not know you, where you are from.'content — the first refrain — prolepsis, ὑμᾶς drawn forward; relational non-recognition

Then you will begin to say:content — the plea of acquaintance framed

'We ate and drank in your presence,content — proximity pleaded, not discipleship

and you taught in our streets,'content — hearers only — the streets, never the door

But he will say, telling you:content — pleonastic λέγων — the verdict-frame

'I do not know where you are from;content — the refrain repeated, colder

depart from me, all you workers of unrighteousness.'content — Ps 6:9 LXX — ἀδικίας for the psalm's ἀνομίας; acquaintance answered with expulsion

vv. 28–30 — outside the feast: the great reversal

There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth,content — articular — THE weeping; the formula's one Lukan occurrence

when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,conditional — temporal ὅταν (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the patriarchs and prophets within

but yourselves being cast outside.participial — second object of the seeing — emphatic ὑμᾶς δέ; the ἔξω of v. 25 lands

And they will come from east and west and from north and southcontent — Ps 107:3; Isa 49:12 — the four-quarters ingathering of the nations

and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.content — the messianic banquet — outsiders seated where insiders knocked

And behold, some are lastcontent — the reversal-maxim caps the discourse

who will be first,relative — the latecomer nations

and some are firstcontent — the chiasm's second limb

who will be last.'relative — the presumed insiders — the discourse's last word

Herod the fox and the lament over Jerusalem 13:31–35

vv. 31–33 — the warning and the message for the fox

At that very hour some Pharisees came up,independent — friendly warning or ploy to move him on — left open; προσῆλθάν, the later -αν ending

saying to him:participial — the speech-participle

'Get out and go from here,content — the double imperative of flight

for Herod wants to kill you.'cause — Antipas — the Baptist's killer (9:9) now stalking Jesus

And he said to them:independent — the reply-frame for vv. 32–35

'Go and tell that fox:content — their πορεύου returned as πορευθέντες; ἀλώπηξ — sly, destructive, and small

'Behold, I cast out demonscontent — the message within the message — the work continues under threat

and perform cures today and tomorrow,content — 'today and tomorrow' — a short, fixed span not Herod's to shorten

and on the third day I am brought to my goal.'content — τελειοῦμαι — 'finished / perfected'; consummation in death and beyond it, deliberately double

Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the day following,content — the divine δεῖ, not the tetrarch's threat, sets the itinerary

for it cannot be that a prophet perish outside Jerusalem.cause — bitter irony — the prophet-killing city claims her own; the pivot into the lament

vv. 34–35 — the lament: the hen, the forsaken house, the Psalm

Jerusalem, Jerusalem,content — double-vocative apostrophe (near-verbatim in Matt 23:37) — grief, not invective

who kills the prophetsparticipial — present participle — habitual; her standing record in vocative apposition

and stones those sent to her,participial — coordinate — the city addressed slips to the third person (πρὸς αὐτήν)

how often I wanted to gather your childrencontent — ἠθέλησα — the repeated, frustrated maternal longing

as a hen her own brood under her wings,comparative — the gathering-verb implied — wings, the refuge of Ps 91:4

and you were not willing.content — ἠθελήσατε against ἠθέλησα — will against will; the tragedy in two verbs

Behold, your house is left to you.content — Jer 12:7 — temple and city forsaken; the shorter text (without ἔρημος) followed

And I tell you,content — the solemn seal on the verdict

you will certainly not see mecontent — οὐ μή — the strongest negation; his presence withdrawn

until the time comesconditional — temporal ἕως (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the 'until' that keeps hope open

when you say:conditional — the condition of seeing — the city's own acclamation

'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'content — Ps 118:26 (117:26 LXX) — voiced at 19:38 by the disciples; the chapter's deepest nest

Analysis. Luke 13 is a chain of speech-scenes, and the page reads as blue cnt columns hanging from slender narrative frames. In vv. 1–5 the twin refrains stand in visible parallel: οὐχί, λέγω ὑμῖν twice, each with the forward-leaning protasis ἐὰν μὴ μετανοῆτε poised above its apodosis πάντες … ἀπολεῖσθε — ὁμοίως in v. 3, ὡσαύτως in v. 5, the one substitution the eye can catch. The fig-tree parable nests dialogue inside parable (the owner's ἔκκοψον against the vinedresser's ἄφες) and ends on the chapter's syntactic signature: κἂν μὲν ποιήσῃ with its apodosis suppressed (aposiopesis — 'well and good' is not in the Greek), answered by the verbless εἰ δὲ μήγε over ἐκκόψεις. The sabbath healing turns on the λύω/δέω wordplay — each of you λύει his ox, while this daughter of Abraham ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ Σατανᾶς ought to be λυθῆναι — with the fronted ταύτην … οὖσαν leaning across its relative clause onto the ἔδει-apodosis; Ὑποκριταί is printed plural (the singular ὑποκριτά is the noted rival reading). The mustard seed and leaven hang as twin relative chains under κόκκῳ and ζύμῃ. The narrow-door discourse is the deepest water: the ἀφ' οὗ ἂν protasis-train (where its apodosis begins is a known crux — taken here at καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ἐρεῖ) stacks speech within speech down to the belated Κύριε, ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν, and the householder's two Οὐκ οἶδα refrains answer the two pleas before the reversal-maxim closes the column. The Herod scene runs a message inside a reply (the words for 'that fox' hanging under εἴπατε), with τελειοῦμαι left deliberately double ('I am finished / brought to my goal'); the lament's apostrophe Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ἰερουσαλήμ carries its two indicting participles, and the chapter bottoms out five levels deep at the Ps 118:26 (117:26 LXX) citation — ἕως ἥξει ὅτε εἴπητε· Εὐλογημένος — the shorter text of v. 35 (without ἔρημος after ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν) being followed.