Mark 4 — 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 parable of the sower 4:1–9

vv. 1–2 — the boat-pulpit: teaching in parables by the sea

And again he began to teach beside the sea.independent — πάλιν resumes the seaside teaching (2:13; 3:7); ingressive ἤρξατο, Mark's favorite auxiliary

And a very great crowd gathers to him,independent — historic present συνάγεται — the press builds before our eyes; elative πλεῖστος

so that he got into a boat and sat in the sea,purpose — ὥστε + infinitive — actual result (typed pur; no result key): the boat becomes the pulpit

and all the crowd was beside the sea on the land.independent — plural ἦσαν with collective ὄχλος — construction according to sense; sea and land face each other

And he was teaching them many things in parables,independent — durative imperfect — the chapter's mode announced: ἐν παραβολαῖς

and in his teaching he said to them:independent — the imperfect speech-frame that carries the whole parable which follows

vv. 3–9 — the sower: four soils, one seed

'Listen!content — the fronted summons — hearing, the chapter's leitmotif (vv. 9, 23, 24)

Behold, the sower went out to sow.content — ἰδού + generic articular participle — the parable opens on the anonymous sower

And it happened, as he sowed, some fell along the path,content — soil 1 — LXX καὶ ἐγένετο frame; the story runs coordinate inside the speech, each καί-event a line

and the birds camecontent — the snatchers arrive — Satan in the decoding (v. 15)

and devoured it.content — κατεσθίω — eaten up entirely; singular verb with neuter plural subject

And other seed fell on the rocky ground,content — soil 2 — thin earth over bedrock

where it had not much soil,relative — local ὅπου — the standing condition of the ground

and immediately it sprang up,content — the first parable-εὐθύς — the ironic speed of shallow growth

because it had no depth of soil;cause — διά + articular infinitive — causal, split out where it follows its verb

and when the sun rose,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — one deeper than its apodosis, leaning on ἐκαυματίσθη

it was scorched,content — the sun exposes the rootlessness — the passives leave the agent implicit

and because it had no root it withered away.content — the preposed διά-phrase kept with its verb — ῥίζα, the key the decoding takes up (v. 17)

And other seed fell among the thorns,content — soil 3 — the competing weeds

and the thorns came upcontent — the thorns outgrow the grain

and choked it,content — συμπνίγω — throttled; the same verb returns in the decoding (v. 19)

and it yielded no fruit.content — καρπός fronted — the harvest denied, setting up v. 8

And other seeds fell into the good soil,content — soil 4 — the shift to plural ἄλλα anticipates the manifold yield

and it kept yielding fruit, growing up and increasing,content — imperfect ἐδίδου — continuous bearing, against the aorists of failure

and bore thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.'content — distributive ἓν ... ἓν ... ἓν — the climactic triad, echoed verbatim at v. 20

And he said:independent — the closing frame — the parable sealed with a summons

'Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.'content — conditional relative + imperative, kept whole — the hearing-seal (cf. v. 23)

The purpose of parables and the sower explained 4:10–20

vv. 10–12 — insiders and outsiders: the mystery and the hard ἵνα

And when he was alone,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — forward-leaning on ἠρώτων

those around him with the twelve were asking him about the parables.independent — iterative imperfect — a circle wider than the twelve does the asking

And he said to them:independent — the answer-frame

'To you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given;content — fronted ὑμῖν; perfect δέδοται — the gift stands granted (divine passive)

but to those outside everything comes in parables,content — οἱ ἔξω — the distancing demonstrative; to outsiders the whole comes as riddle

so that seeing they may see and not perceive,purpose — Isa 6:9 — the hard ἵνα: telic (judicial hardening) or merely citing Isaiah's outcome; taken as genuinely telic, the crux named

and hearing they may hear and not understand,purpose — Isa 6:9 — participle + finite verb mirroring the Hebrew infinitive absolute

lest they should turn and it be forgiven them.'purpose — Isa 6:10 — μήποτε, with Mark's Targum-like ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς ('be forgiven them') for Isaiah's 'be healed'

vv. 13–20 — the sower decoded: the word and the four hearings

And he says to them:independent — historic present — the dialogue reopens at the turn to interpretation

'Do you not understand this parable?content — the mild rebuke — insiders too must have it unfolded

Then how will you understand all the parables?content — the sower as master-key to 'all the parables'

The sower sows the word.content — the master-equation: seed = ὁ λόγος, the gospel proclamation

And these are the ones along the path,content — hearing 1 — the hearers identified with their soil

where the word is sown,relative — the sowing localized — gnomic present

and when they hear,conditional — indefinite temporal ὅταν (typed cnd) — forward-leaning on ἔρχεται

immediately Satan comescontent — εὐθύς — the birds of v. 4 decoded as Satan; vivid present

and takes away the word that was sown in them.content — perfect ἐσπαρμένον — the word already standing sown, yet snatched

And these likewise are the ones sown on the rocky ground,content — hearing 2 — ὁμοίως marks the pattern; the hearers themselves are now the 'sown'

who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy,relative — the ὅταν-clause kept inside its relative — joy at speed, without depth

and they have no root in themselvesrelative — coordinate with λαμβάνουσιν inside the relative — ῥίζα, from v. 6

but are short-lived;relative — πρόσκαιρος — creatures of the season

then, when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on σκανδαλίζονται; the trial named for Mark's church

immediately they fall away.relative — εὐθύς again — as fast to stumble as to sprout

And others are the ones sown among the thorns;content — hearing 3

these are the ones who heard the word,content — resumptive οὗτοι — a genuine hearing, soon smothered

and the cares of the age and the deceit of riches and the desires for the other things enter in and choke the word,content — the thorns named in triple — συμπνίγουσιν, the verb of v. 7; one long clause kept whole

and it becomes unfruitful.content — ἄκαρπος — the exact negation of v. 20's καρποφοροῦσιν

And those are the ones sown on the good soil,content — hearing 4 — aorist σπαρέντες, the sowing done

who hear the wordrelative — qualitative ὅστις — hearers of such a kind as to hear truly

and welcome itrelative — παραδέχονται — a fuller welcome than the rocky soil's λαμβάνουσιν

and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.'relative — the triad of v. 8 crowns the decoding — hearing that ends in harvest

The lamp and the measure 4:21–25

vv. 21–23 — the lamp: hidden only to be revealed

And he said to them:independent — a fresh saying-frame in the same discourse

'Does the lamp comecontent — μήτι expects 'no' — and the lamp 'comes,' as the kingdom does

to be put under the basket or under the bed?purpose — the absurd purposes — the μόδιος, a grain-measure, set over the flame

Is it not to be put on the lampstand?purpose — οὐχ expects 'yes' — the lamp's proper end is disclosure

For nothing is hiddencause — the ground of the lamp-saying — concealment in the kingdom is provisional

except to be made manifest,purpose — ἐὰν μὴ ἵνα — exceptive folded onto purpose: hidden only in order to be revealed

nor did anything become secretcause — the parallel ground, now aorist — nothing was ever made secret for secrecy's sake

but that it should come into the open.purpose — ἔλθῃ εἰς φανερόν — disclosure as the secret's destiny

If anyone has ears to hear,conditional — protasis inside quoted speech — one deeper than its apodosis, leaning on ἀκουέτω

let him hear.'content — the refrain of v. 9, now conditional in form

vv. 24–25 — the measure: hearing measured back

And he said to them:independent — the second saying-frame

'Take heedcontent — βλέπετε of hearing — watch what you hear

what you hear.content — indirect question — the content of the vigilance

With the measure you measure it will be measured to you,content — the incorporated relative kept whole; divine passive — God measures back

and more will be added to you.content — the surplus — the return outruns the measure

For whoever has,conditional — conditional relative (typed cnd, like the temporals) — forward-leaning on δοθήσεται

to him will be given;content — divine passive — increase to the receptive

and whoever has not,conditional — the dark counterpart — forward-leaning on ἀρθήσεται

even what he has will be taken away from him.'content — ascensive καί — even the little forfeited; the embedded ὃ ἔχει kept in line

The seed growing secretly 4:26–29

vv. 26–29 — only Mark: the seed grows while the sower sleeps

And he said:independent — the frame for the one parable found only in Mark

'The kingdom of God is like this:content — οὕτως ... ὡς — the kingdom set beside a story, not a thing

as when a man scatters the seed on the groundcomparative — ὡς with a bare subjunctive — colloquially loose comparison syntax, unique to this parable

and sleepscomparative — coordinate subjunctive in the ὡς-chain — the farmer's nights

and rises, night and day,comparative — the ordinary round — his non-involvement is the point

and the seed sproutscomparative — the subject changes — the seed acts while the man does not

and grows long —comparative — μηκύνηται — the stalk's silent lengthening

how, he himself does not know.content — indirect question — emphatic αὐτός: the sower's ignorance of the process

Of itself the earth bears fruit:content — αὐτομάτη fronted, asyndetic — the parable's keyword: growth given, not manufactured

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.phrase modifier — the ordered stages in verbless apposition — πρῶτον ... εἶτα ... εἶτα

But when the grain permits,conditional — indefinite ὅταν (typed cnd) — παραδοῖ, the fruit 'yields itself' ripe, a rare intransitive sense; leans on ἀποστέλλει

immediately he puts in the sickle,content — εὐθύς — the harvest not delayed; Joel 3:13, 'put in the sickle,' echoed

because the harvest has come.'cause — perfect παρέστηκεν — the harvest stands present; the eschatological in-gathering

The mustard seed and the use of parables 4:30–34

vv. 30–32 — the mustard seed: least to greatest

And he said:independent — the last parable-frame of the discourse

'How shall we compare the kingdom of God,content — deliberative subjunctive — the teacher deliberates aloud with his hearers ('we')

or in what parable shall we set it?content — the doubled deliberative — Mark's only interrogative parable-frame

As with a grain of mustard seed,comparative — the answer, verbless — the dative construes with ὁμοιώσωμεν; hung here on θῶμεν, the nearer question

which, when it is sown on the ground,relative — the relative suspended (anacoluthon) — ὃς waits for ἀναβαίνει (v. 32); the ὅταν-clause folded in

being smallest of all the seeds on the earth —participial — concessive participle — elative comparative μικρότερον, 'smallest'

yet when it is sown,conditional — the ὅταν resumed after the anacoluthon (typed cnd) — forward-leaning on ἀναβαίνει

it grows uprelative — the suspended ὃς finds its verb at last

and becomes greater than all the garden plantsrelative — least of seeds, greatest of herbs — the kingdom's reversal

and puts out great branches,relative — κλάδοι μεγάλοι — tree-language lavished on a garden shrub

so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.'purpose — ὥστε + infinitive — result (typed pur; no result key): Dan 4:12 / Ezek 17:23, the nations sheltered

vv. 33–34 — the summary: parable outside, explanation inside

And with many such parables he was speaking the word to them,independent — customary imperfect — the parable as standing method

as they were able to hear;comparative — accommodation — the word measured to capacity (cf. v. 24)

but without a parable he did not speak to them,independent — the rule stated negatively — to οἱ ἔξω, riddle only (v. 11)

and privately to his own disciples he explained everything.independent — ἐπέλυεν — he kept untying the knots; the insider gift of v. 11 enacted

The stilling of the storm — 'Who then is this?' 4:35–41

vv. 35–38 — the crossing and the squall

And on that day, when evening had come, he says to them:independent — historic present + genitive absolute kept in-clause — the teaching day flows straight into the storm night

'Let us cross over to the other side.'content — hortatory subjunctive — toward the Gentile shore

And leaving the crowd,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on παραλαμβάνουσιν

they take him along,independent — historic present — the disciples, for once, carry him

just as he was, in the boat,comparative — ὡς ἦν — no going ashore; the teaching boat of v. 1 becomes the storm boat

and other boats were with him.independent — the stray eyewitness detail — never mentioned again

And a great windstorm arises,independent — historic present γίνεται — the first of the scene's three 'greats': storm, calm, fear

and the waves were breaking into the boat,independent — durative imperfect — wave upon wave

so that the boat was already filling.purpose — ὥστε + infinitive — actual result (typed pur; no result key): ἤδη, on the point of foundering

But he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.independent — emphatic αὐτός — the sleeping Lord against the raging sea (cf. Jonah 1:5; Ps 44:23)

And they wake himindependent — historic present — the panic breaks in

and say to him:independent — historic present — the speech-frame

'Teacher, do you not carecontent — the reproach — impersonal μέλει: 'is it no concern to you?'

that we are perishing?'content — ὅτι-content — the present of imminent doom

vv. 39–41 — the rebuke, the calm, the question

And fully awakened,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἐπετίμησεν

he rebuked the windindependent — ἐπιτιμάω — the exorcism-verb of 1:25 turned on the storm

and said to the sea:independent — the sea addressed as a person

'Be silent!content — the hush-word

Be muzzled!'content — perfect imperative — 'be and stay muzzled'; the muzzle-word of 1:25: the storm silenced as the demon was

And the wind ceased,independent — instant obedience — κοπάζω, the wind 'grew weary'

and there was a great calm.independent — γαλήνη μεγάλη answers λαῖλαψ μεγάλη — the second 'great'

And he said to them:independent — the rebuke turns from sea to disciples

'Why are you cowardly?content — δειλοί — not reverent fear but faithless cowardice

Do you not yet have faith?'content — οὔπω — 'not yet,' after all they have seen; fear and faith in antithesis

And they feared a great fear,independent — cognate accusative — the third 'great': numinous awe, beyond the storm-fear

and said to one another:independent — imperfect — the question keeps circling among them

'Who then is this,content — the unanswered Christological question — ἄρα draws the inference the reader must complete

that even the wind and the sea obey him?'content — consecutive ὅτι — only God commands the sea (Ps 107:29; Job 38:11)

Analysis. Mark 4 turns the flush-left drumbeat of the opening chapters into a chapter of speech: the frames stand at depth 0 — the boat-pulpit of vv. 1–2, the imperfect ἔλεγεν repeated at vv. 9, 11, 21, 24, 26, 30, the historic presents λέγει (vv. 13, 35) flagged as they land — and nearly everything else hangs blue (cnt) beneath a verb of saying. The layout's chief convention, settled here for the parables, is that narrative inside speech keeps Mark's parataxis: the four soils of vv. 3–8 and their decoding in vv. 14–20 run as coordinate cnt lines at the speech's own depth, each καί-event its own line, so the sower reads as a column-within-a-column rather than a false chain; dependents inside the story then indent from there (the ὅπου-relatives, the διά-infinitives of vv. 5–6 — split out when they follow their verb, kept in line when they precede it). Temporal ὅτε/ὅταν clauses are typed cnd, tagged, and lean forward anchor-less one step above their apodoses (vv. 6, 10, 15, 29, 32), as do the conditional relatives ὃς γὰρ ἔχει / ὃς οὐκ ἔχει of v. 25 and the εἴ τις protasis of v. 23. The cruxes are taken openly: the ἵνα of v. 12 is laid out as a true purpose clause (typed pur) with the μήποτε clause ('lest they turn and it be forgiven them,' Isa 6:9–10 after the Targum) hanging one deeper — telic hardening rather than a softened 'with the result that,' though the tag names the dispute; παραδοῖ in v. 29 is glossed 'permits / yields itself ripe' with the Joel 3:13 sickle noted; and the mustard seed's real anacoluthon is shown, not smoothed — the ὃς of v. 31 stands suspended (dashed) through its folded-in ὅταν and the concessive μικρότερον ὄν, until the doubled ὅταν σπαρῇ of v. 32 leans forward and ἀναβαίνει at last gives the relative its verb. The storm scene of vv. 35–41 then reverts to Mark 1's grammar — preposed participles leaning on their mainline verbs (ἀφέντες, διεγερθείς), historic presents (παραλαμβάνουσιν, γίνεται, ἐγείρουσιν, λέγουσιν), speech one clause per line — and its tags track the triple μεγάλη (storm, calm, fear) and the return of the muzzle-word: πεφίμωσο, the perfect imperative of the φιμώθητι spoken to the demon at 1:25, so that the sea is silenced as an unclean spirit was, and the disciples' unanswered Τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν closes the chapter over Ps 107:29.