Luke 4 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended

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The temptation in the wilderness 4:1–13

vv. 1–2 — led in the Spirit; the forty-day fast

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordanindependent — πλήρης πνεύματος — the Spirit of the baptism (3:22) fills him before the contest

and was being led by the Spirit in the wildernessindependent — durative imperfect — a continuous leading; ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ read (not εἰς τὴν ἔρημον), gentler than Mark's ἐκβάλλει

forty days, being tempted by the devil.participial — present participle — the testing runs through all forty days, not only at their end; Israel's years compressed

And he ate nothing in those days,independent — the total fast — emphatic double negative οὐκ … οὐδέν

and when they were ended,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning; συντελέω returns at v. 13 of the tempter

he was hungry.independent — ingressive aorist — the hunger, the hook for the first test

vv. 3–4 — stone to bread: answered from Deuteronomy 8:3

And the devil said to him:independent — the first assault — the speech-frame

'If you are the Son of God,conditional — protasis inside speech — first-class condition pressing the voice of 3:22: 'since you are'

tell this stonecontent — the apodosis — Luke's singular stone where Matthew has stones

that it become bread.'content — ἵνα of content, not purpose — sonship urged into self-serving fiat

And Jesus answered him:independent — the reply-frame — Jesus' answers in this contest are Scripture only

'It is written:content — the intensive perfect of Scripture's standing authority, with recitative ὅτι

Man shall not live by bread alone.'content — Deut 8:3 — the wilderness lesson; Luke's shorter text, without the Matthean 'but by every word of God'

vv. 5–8 — the kingdoms in a moment: answered from Deuteronomy 6:13

And leading him up,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἔδειξεν; Luke omits Matthew's 'high mountain,' the elevation left vague

he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time;independent — στιγμῇ χρόνου (NT hapax) — an instantaneous vision; οἰκουμένη, the Roman imperial word

and the devil said to him:independent — the speech-frame for the naked offer

'To you I will give all this authority and their glory,content — fronted emphatic Σοί — the bribe placed first; world-rule offered apart from the cross

for it has been delivered to me,cause — the devil's boast — the perfect παραδέδοται with its agent unnamed, the claim left unadjudicated

and I give it to whomever I wish;cause — coordinate ground — the indefinite relative ᾧ ἐάν, the habitual disposal he claims

you, then, if you will worship before me —conditional — protasis inside speech, leaning forward — the price named: προσκυνέω, the homage owed God alone; ἐνώπιον a Lukan favorite

it will all be yours.'content — the apodosis-promise — the whole transaction inverts the first commandment

And answering,participial — preposed pleonastic speech-participle — the Semitic 'answered and said' idiom

Jesus said to him:independent — the reply-frame; the Byzantine 'get behind me, Satan' is a harmonization to Matt 4:10, omitted

'It is written:content — the refrain — Scripture against the usurper's bid

You shall worship the Lord your God,content — Deut 6:13 — Κύριον emphatically fronted; the devil's own verb προσκυνέω turned against him

and him only shall you serve.'content — μόνῳ — the exclusivity that ends the negotiation; imperatival futures (LXX idiom)

vv. 9–12 — the pinnacle at Jerusalem, Luke's climax: Psalm 91 misused, answered from Deuteronomy 6:16

And he led him to Jerusalemindependent — Luke's order climaxes here — Ἰερουσαλήμ, the Semitic form, the city of destiny where the Gospel will end

and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,independent — πτερύγιον — the 'little wing,' the temple's highest point; the stage for the spectacle

and said to him:independent — the third assault — the speech-frame

'If you are the Son of God,conditional — the protasis repeated verbatim from v. 3 — the same lever, leaning forward on βάλε

throw yourself down from here;content — the apodosis-dare — a self-endangering display to extort God's rescue

for it is written:cause — the devil parrots Jesus' own formula — γάρ grounds the dare in misread Scripture; recitative ὅτι

'He will command his angels concerning you,content — Ps 91:11 — with 'in all your ways' silently dropped: protection for the pilgrim, not the leaper

to guard you,'purpose — genitive articular infinitive of purpose — Luke's plus over Matthew's citation

and, 'On their hands they will bear you up,content — Ps 91:12 — the second colon of the catena, a second recitative ὅτι

lest you strike your foot against a stone.'purpose — μήποτε — negative purpose inside the citation; the layout's deepest point, Scripture inside Scripture

And answering,participial — the pleonastic speech-participle again — leans on εἶπεν

Jesus said to him:independent — the reply-frame with recitative ὅτι

'It is said:content — Εἴρηται — Luke's variation on γέγραπται, the same intensive perfect of standing authority

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'content — Deut 6:16 (Massah) — ἐκπειράζω, the intensive of the devil's own πειράζω (v. 2); to demand proof is to distrust

v. 13 — the devil departs, until a καιρός

And having finished every temptation,participial — preposed aorist participle — συντελέω echoes v. 2: the days completed, now the testing

the devil departed from him until an opportune time.independent — ἄχρι καιροῦ — ominously open-ended: the contest resumes when Satan enters Judas (22:3, 53)

Return in the Spirit's power — the rejection at Nazareth 4:14–30

vv. 14–15 — the Galilean ministry opens: fame and synagogue teaching

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.independent — the Spirit-tested one now ministers ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος — the frame for all that follows

And a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.independent — the fame-motif — echoed at v. 37 (cf. Mark 1:28)

And he himself was teaching in their synagogues,independent — customary imperfect with Luke's emphatic αὐτός — the habitual synagogue teaching

being glorified by all.participial — the universal acclaim — the deliberate foil for Nazareth's rage (v. 28)

vv. 16–21 — the scroll of Isaiah: today fulfilled

And he came to Nazareth,independent — the programmatic scene opens — Ναζαρά, the older spelling

where he had been brought up,relative — relative adverb οὗ with periphrastic pluperfect — the hometown named as such

and went, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day,independent — κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός — Jesus' habitual Sabbath observance noted

and stood up to read.independent — one stood to read Scripture — the purpose infinitive compressed

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him,independent — the scroll handed over — Isaiah, the Gospel's programmatic prophet

and unrolling the scroll,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on εὗρεν

he found the placeindependent — εὗρεν — the passage presented as deliberately chosen

where it stood written:relative — periphrastic pluperfect — the frame from which the whole manifesto hangs

'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,content — Isa 61:1 — verbless head of the manifesto; the Spirit of vv. 1, 14 declared from Scripture

because he has anointed mecause — οὗ εἵνεκεν — the anointing grounds the Spirit's presence; χρίω, the verb behind Χριστός

to proclaim good news to the poor;purpose — the anointing's purpose — πτωχοί, Luke's first-named recipients of the kingdom

he has sent mecontent — asyndetic parallel colon — the perfect ἀπέσταλκεν, an abiding commission (echoed at v. 43)

to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,purpose — ἄφεσις — the jubilee keyword, release and (in Luke) forgiveness; the Byzantine 'heal the brokenhearted' is not printed

to send the oppressed away in liberty,purpose — Isa 58:6 — a clause spliced into the 61:1 catena; ἄφεσις repeated, framing the mission

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'purpose — Isa 61:2a — the jubilee of Lev 25; the reading stops before the 'day of vengeance'; δεκτόν returns at v. 24

And rolling up the scroll,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἐκάθισεν

giving it back to the attendant,participial — second preposed participle — the ὑπηρέτης, the synagogue ḥazzān

he sat down;independent — the seated posture of authoritative teaching — the hush before 'today'

and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.independent — periphrastic imperfect — ἀτενίζω, the Lukan gaze-verb; the tableau

And he began to say to them:independent — Lukan ἤρξατο with recitative ὅτι — the sermon reduced to its thunderbolt

'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'content — fronted Σήμερον — the great Lukan 'today' (2:11; 19:9; 23:43); intensive perfect πεπλήρωται, an accomplished and standing fulfillment

vv. 22–27 — marvel turns to offense: the proverb and the two precedents

And all bore witness to himindependent — iterative imperfect — the favorable murmur

and marveled at the words of grace coming from his mouth,independent — λόγοι τῆς χάριτος — attributive genitive of quality: gracious, winsome speech

and they said:independent — the third imperfect — admiration already shading toward skepticism

'Is this not Joseph's son?'content — οὐχί expects 'yes' — the familiarity that breeds the coming offense

And he said to them:independent — Jesus pre-empts them — the speech-frame

'Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb:content — πάντως — the demand foretold before it is voiced

Physician, heal yourself.content — the proverb — quotation inside quotation; benefit your own before others

What we have heard done at Capernaum, do here also in your hometown.content — the anticipated demand, still in their mouth — fronted ὅσα; Capernaum's signs claimed by right of πατρίς

And he said:independent — a fresh speech-frame — the answer to the unspoken demand

'Truly I say to you,content — the solemn amen-formula — Jesus' characteristic seal of authority

that no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.content — δεκτός deliberately echoes the 'acceptable year' (v. 19) — the town owed the jubilee rejects its herald

But in truth I tell you,content — the second asseveration — the frame for the two precedents

there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah,content — 1 Kgs 17 — the first precedent; the widow, Luke's archetypal poor

when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — divine passive; the schematic 3½ years (Jas 5:17; Rev 11)

when a great famine came over all the land,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd) — the drought's consequence, nested inside the ὅτε clause

and to none of them was Elijah sent,content — the pointed negative — divine passive ἐπέμφθη: God directed the sending

but only to Zarephath in the region of Sidon, to a widow woman.phrase modifier — exceptive εἰ μή, elliptical — grace crosses the boundary to a Gentile of Sidon (1 Kgs 17:9)

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet,content — 2 Kgs 5 — the parallel Elisha precedent, same shape as v. 25

and none of them was cleansed,content — the pointed negative repeated — καθαρίζω, the cultic word for leprosy

but only Naaman the Syrian.'phrase modifier — the second exceptive εἰ μή — again the foreigner, not the insiders, receives grace

vv. 28–30 — the cliff, and the passing through

And all in the synagogue were filled with wrathindependent — ingressive aorist — the acclaim of v. 22 turns to fury at grace beyond Israel

hearing these things,participial — causal-temporal participle — the precedents themselves are the offense

and rising up,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἐξέβαλον; the congregation becomes a mob

they drove him out of the town,independent — ἐκβάλλω — the expulsion; outside the city, as at the end (cf. Heb 13:12)

and led him to the brow of the hillindependent — ὀφρύς (NT hapax) — the 'eyebrow' of the hill, the cliff's edge

on which their town was built,relative — pluperfect ᾠκοδόμητο — the topographical aside

so as to throw him down headlong;purpose — ὥστε + infinitive — intended result (typed pur): κατακρημνίζω (NT hapax), the attempted lynching foreshadowing the cross

But he, passing through their midst,participial — preposed participle with emphatic αὐτός — the unexplained, sovereign escape

went on his way.independent — one imperfect verb — he simply walks on; his hour is not yet (cf. John 8:59)

Authority in Capernaum — the unclean spirit 4:31–37

vv. 31–32 — Sabbath teaching with authority

And he went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.independent — κατῆλθεν — geographically exact: Capernaum lies below the Nazareth hills; the town whose signs Nazareth envied (v. 23)

And he was teaching them on the Sabbath;independent — periphrastic imperfect — the customary teaching (cf. Mark 1:21)

and they were astonished at his teaching,independent — iterative imperfect — the ongoing amazement

because his word was with authority.cause — ἐξουσία — the keyword; Luke names the λόγος where Mark contrasts the scribes

vv. 33–37 — the unclean demon expelled

And in the synagogue there was a man having the spirit of an unclean demon,independent — the unclean inside the holy assembly — Luke's double genitive 'spirit of an unclean demon'

and he cried out with a loud voice:independent — the shriek — the spirit speaks through the man

'Ha! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth?content — Ἔα, the cry of alarm + the verbless idiom (cf. 1 Kgs 17:18) — the plural ἡμῖν: the demonic order speaks

Have you come to destroy us?content — question or dread assertion — the demons read the arrival rightly

I know who you are — the Holy One of God.'content — prolepsis (σε drawn forward) — ὁ ἅγιος, the antithesis of the ἀκάθαρτον, confessed before the crowd sees

And Jesus rebuked him, saying:independent — ἐπιτιμάω — the rebuke-verb of exorcism, reused on the fever (v. 39) and the demons (v. 41)

'Be muzzled,content — the blunt muzzle-word — the silencing of demonic testimony begins

and come out of him.'content — the expulsion command — no formula, no invocation, bare authority

And the demon, throwing him down in the midst,participial — preposed aorist participle — the last violent convulsion before the verb strikes

came out of him,independent — the command obeyed verbatim

having harmed him in nothing.participial — the physician's note, only Luke — the man left unhurt

And amazement came upon all,independent — θάμβος — awe as an arriving force, the Lukan ἐγένετο idiom

and they spoke to one another, saying:independent — iterative imperfect + pleonastic λέγοντες — the buzzing debate

'What is this word?content — verbless question — the λόγος of v. 32 now confirmed by deed

For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,cause — ἐξουσία καὶ δύναμις — authority joined to effective power, Luke's pair from v. 14

and they come out!'cause — the coordinate verdict — obedience, gnomic present

And a report about him kept going out into every place of the surrounding region.independent — durative imperfect — ἦχος, the echoing report; the fame-motif of v. 14 closes the scene

Simon's house — the evening healings 4:38–41

vv. 38–39 — the fever rebuked

And rising from the synagogue,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εἰσῆλθεν; the sabbath day continues

he entered Simon's house.independent — Simon appears before his call (5:1–11) — Luke's narrative order

Now Simon's mother-in-law was gripped by a high fever,independent — periphrastic imperfect — συνέχω and πυρετὸς μέγας, the physician's clinical precision

and they asked him about her.independent — the household's intercession

And standing over her,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐπετίμησεν

he rebuked the fever,independent — the exorcism-verb of v. 35 turned on a disease — the fever treated as a hostile power

and it left her;independent — the fever as agent — it releases her like the demon

and immediately rising,participial — preposed aorist participle — παραχρῆμα, the Lukan 'instantly' sealing the cure; leans on διηκόνει

she began to serve them.independent — inceptive imperfect — full restoration proved in service

vv. 40–41 — sunset: the sick brought, the demons silenced

Now as the sun was setting,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning; the sabbath ends, the sick may be carried

all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him;independent — ἅπαντες ὅσοι — the internal relative kept in one line; the whole town's afflicted

and he, laying his hands on each one of them,participial — preposed participle of means — ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ, the distributive touch, only Luke; leans on ἐθεράπευεν

healed them.independent — iterative imperfect — one after another through the evening

And demons also kept coming out of many,independent — iterative imperfect — the evening's second column of works

crying out and saying:participial — the double speech-participle with recitative ὅτι

'You are the Son of God.'content — the demons echo the baptismal address (3:22) and the tempter's lever (vv. 3, 9)

And rebuking them,participial — preposed present participle — ἐπιτιμάω a third time; leans on εἴα

he would not allow them to speak,independent — customary imperfect — the repeated refusal of demonic testimony

because they knew that he was the Christ.cause — the messianic secret stated — τὸν χριστόν names what 'Son of God' meant on their lips

At daybreak — sent to the other towns 4:42–44

And when day came,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning; Mark's 'very early, still night' softened to daybreak

going out,participial — second preposed participle — the withdrawal from the acclaiming town

he went to a desolate place;independent — ἔρημος again — back to the wilderness of vv. 1–2

and the crowds kept seeking him,independent — durative imperfect — ἐπιζητέω, the intensive pursuit (in Mark it is Simon who hunts)

and came up to him,independent — the search concluded

and tried to detain himindependent — conative imperfect — they kept trying to hold him back

from going away from them.purpose — genitive articular infinitive of hindrance (typed pur) — Capernaum would keep him as Nazareth claimed him

But he said to them:independent — the refusal — speech-frame with recitative ὅτι

'To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God,content — the Lukan divine δεῖ — εὐαγγελίσασθαι, the Isaiah verb of v. 18; the kingdom named as the gospel's content

for this is why I was sent.'cause — divine passive ἀπεστάλην — the ἀπέσταλκέν με of the scroll (v. 18) claimed in his own voice

And he kept preaching in the synagogues of Judea.independent — periphrastic imperfect — τῆς Ἰουδαίας, the harder reading kept (Byzantine smooths to 'Galilee'); Judea broadly the whole Jewish land

Analysis. Luke 4 alternates dialogue and narrative column. In the temptation (vv. 1–13) the shape is Matthew's with Luke's order — bread, kingdoms, and only then the temple pinnacle, the Lukan climax at Jerusalem: the two Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ protases lean forward, anchor-less, one step deeper than the apodoses they press (the baptismal voice of 3:22 turned into a lever), and the devil's own condition σὺ οὖν ἐὰν προσκυνήσῃς leans the same way on its promised ἔσται σοῦ πᾶσα. Jesus' three answers are all Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13; 6:16), hanging blue as content beneath Γέγραπται — and, in Luke's variation, beneath Εἴρηται — while the devil's one counter-citation (Ps 91:11–12, its 'in all your ways' silently dropped) sits at the layout's deepest point beneath his parroted γέγραπται γάρ. Luke's shorter v. 4 stands without the Matthean continuation 'but by every word of God.' At Nazareth (vv. 16–30), THE programmatic scene, the Isa 61:1–2 manifesto (with a clause of Isa 58:6) hangs as a catena beneath ἦν γεγραμμένον — the verbless Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ at its head, the mission infinitives fanned beneath ἔχρισεν and ἀπέσταλκεν — and stops before Isaiah's day of vengeance; Σήμερον πεπλήρωται hangs alone under λέγειν; the ἰατρέ proverb and the anticipated Capernaum demand are quotation inside quotation, under παραβολήν and ἐρεῖτε within Jesus' own speech; the Elijah/Elisha precedents run as a catena under ἐπ' ἀληθείας δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, their exceptive εἰ μή lines dashed and verbless — and δεκτός (v. 24) answers the δεκτόν of the jubilee year (v. 19), the wordplay the tags flag. Capernaum (vv. 31–37, the Mark 1 parallel) and the healings (vv. 38–41) revert to the flat narrative column, Luke's preposed participles and genitive absolutes (Ἀναστάς, Δύνοντος τοῦ ἡλίου, Γενομένης ἡμέρας) leaning forward anchor-less on the verbs below, the demon's and demons' confessions hanging under their verbs of crying, and ἐπιτιμάω mastering demon and fever alike. Cruxes the layout inherits rather than resolves: ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ (not εἰς τὴν ἔρημον) at v. 1; the Byzantine harmonizations at vv. 5, 8, and 18 excluded; ὅτι ἐμοὶ παραδέδοται, the devil's boast, glossed but not adjudicated; and at v. 44 τῆς Ἰουδαίας, the harder reading, kept where the Byzantine text smooths to 'Galilee.'