Matthew 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 naming of the Twelve 10:1–4

v. 1 — the authority delegated

And summoning his twelve disciples,participial — preposed participle — forward-leaning on ἔδωκεν; 'the twelve' appear as a fixed band, evoking the twelve tribes (19:28)

he gave them authority over unclean spirits,independent — the bestowal that grounds the whole chapter — Jesus' own authority (chs. 8–9) delegated; objective genitive

so as to cast them outpurpose — ὥστε + infinitive — the result the authority realizes (typed pur)

and to heal every disease and every sickness.purpose — coordinate infinitive — the νόσος/μαλακία pair of 4:23; 9:35: the whole range of ailment

vv. 2–4 — the roster, in pairs: Peter first, Judas last

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:independent — the list-heading — ἀπόστολος, Matthew's only use of the title; singular ἐστιν with neuter plural subject

first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother;phrase modifier — πρῶτος — Peter's primacy, not mere sequence; the first pair of brothers (4:18)

and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;phrase modifier — the second pair — the call-narrative quartet of 4:18–22 heads the list

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;phrase modifier — ὁ τελώνης — only this Gospel gives the evangelist his shaming badge (9:9)

James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;phrase modifier — the fifth pair-line's fourth quartet member — Θαδδαῖος where the Byzantine text adds 'Lebbaeus'

Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed him.phrase modifier — Καναναῖος — Aramaic qanʾān, 'zealot,' not 'of Cana'; the list closes under Judas's fixed epithet ὁ παραδούς

The Mission Discourse — charge, persecutions, fear, the sword, and reward 10:5–42

v. 5a — the sending: the frame on which the whole discourse hangs

These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, saying:independent — the discourse's single narrative frame — ἀποστέλλω answering ἀπόστολοι (v. 2); thirty-eight verses hang on λέγων

vv. 5b–6 — the field: not Gentiles or Samaritans, but Israel's lost sheep

'Do not go off into the way of the Gentiles,content — prohibitive aorist subjunctive — the mission's scope restricted first (cf. 15:24; reversed at 28:19)

and do not enter a town of the Samaritans;content — the second exclusion — Samaria likewise waits (cf. Acts 1:8; 8:5)

but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.content — the positive counterpart — μᾶλλον; the shepherdless flock of 9:36 (Jer 50:6; Ezek 34); perfect ἀπολωλότα, a settled lostness

vv. 7–8 — the message and the works: freely received, freely give

And as you go, proclaim, saying:content — temporal participle folded into the command — preaching as going-and-heralding; recitative ὅτι

'The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'content — the identical message of the Baptist (3:2) and of Jesus (4:17) — resultative perfect: come near and pressing

Heal the sick,content — four asyndetic imperatives — Jesus' own works of chs. 8–9 handed to the Twelve

raise the dead,content — present in the earliest text though dropped by part of the Byzantine tradition — among the kingdom-signs of 11:5

cleanse lepers,content — cf. 8:2–4 — ritual and bodily purity restored together

cast out demons.content — the ἐξουσία of v. 1 exercised — the fourth iterative present imperative

Freely you received,content — asyndetic maxim — the indicative ground of the imperative that follows; adverbial accusative δωρεάν

freely give.content — the gift uncommercialized — grace passed on as it came

vv. 9–10 — travel light: the worker is worthy of his food

Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor copper for your belts,content — κτάομαι — 'do not procure': no stocking up; the descending series gold–silver–copper means no money at all

no bag for the road, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff;content — elliptical — κτήσησθε carries over; even the staff Mark allows (Mark 6:8) is here declined

for the worker is worthy of his food.cause — verbless proverb grounding the whole provision-rule (cf. Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18) — God pays his laborers through worthy hosts

vv. 11–15 — houses worthy and unworthy: peace, dust, and Sodom

And into whatever town or village you enter,conditional — indefinite relative protasis, temporal in force — forward-leaning on ἐξετάσατε

find out who in it is worthy,content — ἐξετάζω, careful inquiry — the indirect question kept in the clause; ἄξιος begins its run (vv. 11–13, 37–38)

and there remaincontent — crasis κἀκεῖ — one host, no upgrading: shopping for hospitality would dishonor the message

until you depart.conditional — temporal — backward ἕως ἄν on μείνατε: the stay bounded only by the departure

And as you enter the house,participial — temporal participle — forward-leaning on ἀσπάσασθε

greet it;content — the greeting is the shalom-blessing the next verse treats as almost tangible

and if the house is worthy,conditional — third-class condition, the μέν half — forward-leaning on ἐλθάτω

let your peace come upon it;content — third-person imperative — the peace a real bestowal that settles on the house

but if it is not worthy,conditional — the answering δέ half — forward-leaning on ἐπιστραφήτω

let your peace return to you.content — the refused blessing recoils to its bearers — no word of God falls void

And whoever will not receive you or listen to your words —conditional — indefinite relative as protasis (typed cnd), casus pendens — forward-leaning on ἐκτινάξατε

as you leave that house or town,participial — temporal participle — likewise forward-leaning on the command

shake off the dust from your feet.content — the prophetic gesture of disassociation — as Jews on leaving Gentile soil (cf. Acts 13:51): the town has excluded itself

Truly I say to you,content — the solemn amen-formula sealing the charge

it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.content — the a fortiori of judgment — the greater the light refused (Gen 19), the heavier the reckoning

vv. 16–18 — sheep among wolves: councils, floggings, rulers

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves;content — emphatic ἐγώ — the sender owns the danger; the flock of v. 6 is itself now sent among predators

therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.content — the paradoxical pair — serpent-prudence without malice, dove-innocence without naivety

But beware of men;content — the wolves named — προσέχω ἀπό, 'be on guard against'

for they will hand you over to councils,cause — παραδίδωμι — the verb of Jesus' own passion; first ground of the warning

and in their synagogues they will flog you;cause — synagogue discipline — the forty lashes less one (cf. 2 Cor 11:24); 'their' synagogues, the parting of the ways audible

and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.cause — καὶ … δέ, 'and even' — the arena widens to Gentile power; the dock becomes a witness-stand (εἰς μαρτύριον)

vv. 19–20 — the promise: it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks

But when they hand you over,conditional — temporal ὅταν protasis (typed cnd) — forward-leaning on μὴ μεριμνήσητε

do not be anxious how or what you should speak;content — μεριμνάω — the care-verb of 6:25–34; the deliberative indirect question kept in the clause

for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;cause — divine passive — God supplies the defense at the moment it is needed, not before

for it is not you who speak,cause — the ground of the gift — emphatic ὑμεῖς dethroned as speaker

but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.cause — verbless counterpart — 'the Spirit of your Father': divine speech in the human witness

vv. 21–23 — betrayal, hatred, endurance — and the Son of Man

And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child,content — the tribulation-motif of Mic 7:6 — betrayal penetrates the closest bonds; παραδίδωμι a third time

and children will rise up against parentscontent — ἐπανίστημι — insurrection inside the household

and put them to death.content — the family sword of v. 34 at its sharpest

And you will be hated by all on account of my name;content — periphrastic future — a continuing state of being hated; the ground is allegiance to the Name

but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.content — resumptive οὗτος — perseverance the mark of the genuine; divine passive σωθήσεται

And when they persecute you in this town,conditional — temporal ὅταν protasis (typed cnd) — forward-leaning on φεύγετε

flee to the other;content — strategic flight, not apostasy — move on and keep preaching

for truly I say to you,cause — the amen-formula as ground — you can afford to flee: the field will not run out

you will by no means finish the towns of Israelcontent — emphatic οὐ μή — the chapter's chief crux begins

before the Son of Man comes.conditional — temporal — the 'coming' variously taken as resurrection vindication, A.D. 70, or the Parousia; the layout leaves the referent standing

vv. 24–25 — disciple and master: the Beelzebul slur shared

A disciple is not above the teacher,content — gnomic proverb — expect the master's treatment

nor a slave above his master.content — elliptical parallel — ἔστιν carries over

It is enough for the disciplecontent — verbless impersonal — sufficiency, not parity

that he become like his teacher,content — epexegetic ἵνα — the content of 'enough,' not purpose

and the slave like his master.content — elliptical coordinate — γένηται carried over

If they called the master of the house Beelzebul,conditional — first-class condition — the slander (12:24) assumed as fact; forward-leaning on the a fortiori

how much more the members of his household!content — verbless apodosis — πόσῳ μᾶλλον: the household inherits the head's reproach (cf. v. 36 οἰκιακοί)

vv. 26–31 — fear not, three times: revelation, Gehenna, sparrows

So do not fear them;content — the first 'fear not' — inferential οὖν from vv. 24–25

for nothing is concealedcause — periphrastic perfect — the present covering is temporary

that will not be revealed,relative — the double negative of certainty — disclosure is coming

and nothing hiddencause — elliptical parallel — οὐδὲν ἐστιν carried over

that will not be made known.relative — truth, gospel, and vindication all destined for the light

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light;content — the corollary — the fronted relative kept in the clause; private teaching destined for the public square

and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.content — from whisper to rooftop — the herald's verb κηρύσσω again (v. 7)

And do not fear those who kill the body,content — the second 'fear not' — φοβέομαι ἀπό, a Semitism; the persecutors' utmost reach is the σῶμα

but cannot kill the soul;participial — attributive participle on the killers — their incapacity over the ψυχή

rather fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.content — the right fear — ὁ δυνάμενος read as God (so most; some say Satan): the One holding time and eternity

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?content — the third 'fear not' grounded in providence — οὐχί expects yes; genitive of price: the cheapest of birds

Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.content — ἄνευ τοῦ πατρός — no sparrow drops outside the Father's knowing will

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.content — fronted emphatic ὑμῶν — periphrastic perfect: counted and on record

So do not fear;content — the refrain repeated — the third prohibition of fear

you are worth more than many sparrows.cause — asyndetic ground — genitive of comparison; the a fortiori of the Father's care

vv. 32–33 — confession and denial before the Father

Everyone therefore who will confess me before men,conditional — casus pendens with indefinite ὅστις (typed cnd) — forward-leaning on ὁμολογήσω; ὁμολογέω ἐν, a Semitism of allegiance

I also will confess him before my Father who is in heaven;content — the reciprocity — κἀγώ: Jesus owns the confessor in the heavenly court

but whoever will deny me before men,conditional — the dark counterpart protasis — ἀρνέομαι, allegiance repudiated

I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.content — the sentence mirrored word for word — discipleship's public test is decisive above

vv. 34–36 — not peace but a sword: Micah's divided house

Do not thinkcontent — prohibitive aorist — a false inference forestalled (cf. 5:17)

that I came to bring peace upon the earth;content — the content of the mistaken thought — the 'I came' of mission-purpose

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.content — the jarring correction — the μάχαιρα is the division his claim provokes (Luke 12:51 'division'), not violence commanded

For I came to divide a man against his father,cause — the sword unfolded — διχάζω; Mic 7:6 behind the whole triad

and a daughter against her mother,phrase modifier — the second pair — διχάσαι carried over

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;phrase modifier — the third pair — the line of faith cuts through three generations of one house

and a man's enemies will be those of his own household.cause — verbless close of the Micah echo — οἰκιακοί again (v. 25): the front door as the dividing line

vv. 37–39 — worthy of me: cross-bearing, losing and finding life

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,content — the claim only God could rightly make — ὑπὲρ ἐμέ measures the deepest natural love against him

and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;content — the parallel downward — parents, then children; ἄξιος now measured against Jesus himself (contrast vv. 11–13)

and whoever does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.content — Matthew's first cross-saying — before any passion prediction: the condemned man's beam shouldered behind Jesus; the subject relative kept in the clause

Whoever finds his life will lose it,content — the paradox — ψυχή in its double sense: the self preserved is the self forfeited

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.content — ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ — the loss that gains; the cross-logic of v. 38 stated as principle

vv. 40–42 — receiving the messengers: the chain of agency and reward

Whoever receives you receives me,content — the shaliach principle — the agent bears the sender's person

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.content — the chain runs to the Father — sender, sent, and host bound in one welcome

Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward,content — εἰς ὄνομα — 'because he is one': the host shares the calling and so the μισθός

and whoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.content — the second rank — the pattern repeated verbatim, prophet then righteous man

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, in the name of a disciple —conditional — indefinite relative protasis (typed cnd) — the scale drops to the least: a cup of cold water for the μικροί (cf. 18:6); forward-leaning across the interposed formula

truly I say to you,content — the amen-formula interposed between protasis and apodosis — the discourse's final oath

he will by no means lose his reward.content — the apodosis of the ὃς ἄν protasis above — emphatic οὐ μή: the least kindness to the least disciple is eternally secure

Analysis. Matthew 10 is a frame and a single speech. The frame is brief: the delegating ἔδωκεν of v. 1 with its two ὥστε-infinitives, the roster-heading Τῶν δὲ δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τὰ ὀνόματά ἐστιν ταῦτα with the verbless pair-lines of the Twelve hanging as a list beneath ταῦτα (Peter marked πρῶτος, Judas closing the roll under his fixed epithet ὁ παραδούς), and then the sending sentence of v. 5a, whose λέγων carries everything else: from v. 5b to v. 42 the whole Mission Discourse is one coordinate catena of blue cnt lines at a constant depth one, so the page shows what Matthew built — the second of his five great discourses as one unbroken charge. Against that column the discourse's own grammar indents: fronted protases (ἐάν, ὅταν, and the ὅς-ἄν / ὅστις casus-pendens sentences of vv. 14, 32–33, 42) lean forward anchor-less one step above their apodoses; preposed participles do the same (vv. 12, 14); the γάρ-grounds hang cau beneath the commands they motivate (vv. 10, 17–18, 19, 23, 26, 35–36), twice chaining deeper — the Spirit-ground of v. 20 beneath the divine passive δοθήσεται of v. 19, and at v. 23 the amen-formula grounding φεύγετε with the Son-of-Man clause beneath its λέγω; the three amen-sayings (vv. 15, 23, 42) each open their content one step under λέγω, the last interposed between protasis and apodosis. Cruxes are taken openly: the ὥστε-infinitives of v. 1 are typed pur and tagged as result; v. 23's coming of the Son of Man is left with its rival referents named (resurrection vindication, A.D. 70, the Parousia), not decided; at v. 28 τὸν δυνάμενον is read as God, the minority view (Satan) conceded in the tag; and the μάχαιρα of v. 34 is glossed as the division the Messiah's claim provokes — the Micah triad of v. 35 hanging as coordinate lines under διχάσαι — not violence enjoined. The ἄξιος thread is kept visible in the tags: the worthy worker (v. 10), the worthy house (vv. 11–13), and at vv. 37–38 worthiness re-measured against Jesus himself.