Matthew 19 — 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.)

Marriage, divorce, and eunuchs for the kingdom 19:1–12

vv. 1–2 — the fourth discourse closed; the journey to Judea

And it happened,independent — Matthew's discourse-closing formula opens — the road to Jerusalem begins

when Jesus had finished these words,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd) — ἐτέλεσεν, the five-fold discourse-closing verb (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 26:1)

he departed from Galileeindependent — asyndetic apodosis of the ἐγένετο-frame — Galilee left behind

and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.independent — the Perean route east of the river — coordinate aorist

And great crowds followed him,independent — the summary notice — the crowds still following

and he healed them there.independent — healing frames the controversy that follows

vv. 3–6 — the test-question answered from creation

And Pharisees came to him,independent — the controversy opens

testing him and saying:participial — telic πειράζοντες — the question is a trap

'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?'content — κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν — the lax Hillelite slogan, baiting the Hillel–Shammai divide

But he answered and said:independent — the reply — a counter-question from Scripture

'Have you not readcontent — the scriptural rebuke (cf. 12:3; 21:42) — expecting 'yes'

that the One who created them from the beginning made them male and female?content — Gen 1:27 — ὁ κτίσας read (ὁ ποιήσας the rival reading); behind Moses to creation

and said:content — subjectless εἶπεν — the Creator of v. 4 still speaks

'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mothercontent — Gen 2:24 — the marriage ordinance in the Creator's own mouth

and be joined to his wife,content — κολληθήσεται — glued fast; the second gnomic future

and the two shall become one flesh'?content — ἔσονται εἰς — the Semitic 'become'; the one-flesh union

So they are no longer two but one flesh.content — inferential ὥστε — Jesus draws the conclusion from the two texts

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.'content — the climactic prohibition — the fronted relative (what God yoked) before μὴ χωριζέτω: a divine act no human may undo

vv. 7–9 — Moses' concession and the porneia-ruling

They say to him:independent — historic present, asyndetic — the counter-objection

'Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?'content — Deut 24:1 pressed back — Moses 'commanded,' they claim

He says to them:independent — historic present with recitative ὅτι

'Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives,content — ἐπέτρεψεν — permitted, not commanded; the concession diagnosed

but from the beginning it has not been so.content — ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς echoes v. 4 — origin outranks concession; perfect γέγονεν

And I say to youcontent — λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν — Jesus' own ruling, above the Mosaic concession

that whoever divorces his wife —conditional — conditional relative ὃς ἄν (typed cnd) — leaning forward on μοιχᾶται

not for sexual immorality —phrase modifier — THE exceptive clause — μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ; a strong stream reads παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, and many witnesses append the divorced-woman clause (both from 5:32)

and marries anotherconditional — the second condition — remarriage completes the offense

commits adultery.'content — the one-word apodosis — the gnomic verdict

vv. 10–12 — better not to marry? the eunuch saying

His disciples say to him:independent — historic present — the disciples' demurral

'If such is the case of a man with his wife,conditional — protasis inside speech — αἰτία picks up the Pharisees' πᾶσαν αἰτίαν (v. 3)

it is not advantageous to marry.'content — the apodosis — marriage so bound may not be 'worth it'

But he said to them:independent — the qualified reply

'Not all can receive this saying,content — χωρέω — make room for; the saying is not for everyone

but those to whom it has been given.content — elliptical — divine passive δέδοται: celibacy a gift, not a rule

For there are eunuchscause — γάρ grounds the gift — the first class

who were born so from their mother's womb,relative — born so — congenital

and there are eunuchscause — the second class — the refrain repeats

who were made eunuchs by men,relative — made so — by human hands

and there are eunuchscause — the third, climactic class

who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.relative — the kingdom-eunuch — voluntary renunciation, metaphorical not surgical

Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.'content — the closing maxim — χωρεῖν echoed from v. 11: vocation, not obligation

Let the little children come 19:13–15

Then little children were brought to him,independent — τότε — Matthew's scene-marker; the passive: others bring them

that he might lay his hands on thempurpose — the intent — the blessing-gesture

and pray;purpose — coordinate purpose — blessing and prayer

but the disciples rebuked them.independent — the disciples as gatekeepers — the rebuke about to be reversed

But Jesus said:independent — the reversal

'Let the little children come,content — the permission commanded

and do not hinder them from coming to me,content — μὴ κωλύετε — stop hindering; the paired imperatives

for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'cause — τῶν τοιούτων fronted — 'to such as these' (cf. 18:3–4), not the children only

And having laid his hands on them,participial — preposed aorist participle — the blessing enacted; leans on ἐπορεύθη

he went on from there.independent — the scene closes — the journey resumes

The rich young man and the eye of the needle 19:16–26

vv. 16–20 — the commandments kept, the lack confessed

And behold, one came up to him and said:independent — ἰδού spotlights the new figure — 'one,' unnamed

'Teacher,phrase modifier — vocative of address — the bare Διδάσκαλε read, not the Byzantine 'Good Teacher' (from Mark/Luke)

what good deed shall I do,content — the works-question — salvation framed as a deed to perform

that I may have eternal life?'purpose — ingressive σχῶ — to gain the life of the age

And he said to him:independent — the redirection

'Why do you ask me about what is good?content — Matthew's form of the crux — not the Markan 'Why do you call me good?'

One there is who is good.content — the good deflected to God alone

But if you wish to enter into life,conditional — protasis inside speech — leaning forward on τήρησον

keep the commandments.'content — the apodosis — τήρησον read against the variant τήρει

He says to him:independent — historic present — the probe

'Which ones?'content — verbless — one word, sc. ἐντολάς

And Jesus said:independent — the answer — the second table of the Decalogue

'You shall not murder,content — Exod 20:13 — the catena begins; τό quotes the command as a unit

You shall not commit adultery,content — Exod 20:14 — after vv. 3–9, pointedly

You shall not steal,content — Exod 20:15

You shall not bear false witness,content — Exod 20:16

Honor your father and mother,content — Exod 20:12 — the fifth commandment

and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'content — Lev 19:18 — Matthew's cap on the list (cf. 22:39), already hinting at what is lacking

The young man says to him:independent — historic present — only here is he called νεανίσκος

'All these I have kept;content — the confident claim — ἐφύλαξα without Mark's 'from my youth'

what do I still lack?'content — ὑστερῶ — the restless question exposing the deficit

vv. 21–22 — the one thing, and the sorrowful exit

Jesus said to him:independent — the demand

'If you wish to be perfect,conditional — protasis inside speech — τέλειος, whole-hearted (5:48); leaning on the imperative chain

go,content — the chain of imperatives begins

sell what you possesscontent — the renunciation named

and give to the poor,content — the wealth transferred to the poor

and you will have treasure in heaven;content — the promise — treasure relocated (6:19–21)

and come, follow me.'content — the point of it all — durative ἀκολούθει: discipleship, not mere philanthropy

But when the young man heard this word,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἀπῆλθεν

he went away grieved,independent — the tragic exit — he leaves sadder than he came

for he had many possessions.cause — periphrastic imperfect — the diagnosis: the wealth held him

vv. 23–26 — the camel, the needle, and the possible God

And Jesus said to his disciples:independent — the incident becomes a lesson

'Truly I say to you,content — the solemn ἀμήν-formula

a rich person will enter the kingdom of heaven only with difficulty.content — δυσκόλως — hard, not yet impossible; v. 24 sharpens it

Again I say to you,content — πάλιν — the saying intensified

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needlecontent — the adynaton — κάμηλος original; the 'rope' (κάμιλος) a late conjecture, the 'Needle Gate' a fable

than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.'comparative — the second member of the comparison — 'kingdom of God,' varying Matthew's usual 'of heaven'

And when the disciples heard this,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἐξεπλήσσοντο

they were greatly astonished,independent — imperfect — wealth was supposed to signal divine favor

saying:participial — speech-participle — the frame for the stunned question

'Who then can be saved?'content — the adynaton pressed universal — if not the rich, who?

But Jesus, looking at them,participial — preposed aorist participle — the fixed gaze before the answer; leans on εἶπεν

said to them:independent — the resolution of the pericope

'With men this is impossible,content — ἀδύνατον — the difficulty of v. 23 now named impossibility

but with God all things are possible.'content — verbless — Gen 18:14 / Job 42:2 echo: salvation is God's possibility, not man's

The hundredfold, the twelve thrones, and the last first 19:27–30

Then Peter answered and said to him:independent — Peter as spokesman — the pleonastic 'answered and said'

'Behold, we have left everythingcontent — emphatic ἡμεῖς — we, unlike the young man

and followed you.content — the claim — v. 21's double demand met

What then will there be for us?'content — the blunt question of reward

And Jesus said to them:independent — the twofold promise begins

'Truly I say to you,content — the ἀμήν-formula again

you who have followed me —phrase modifier — casus pendens — the suspended subject, resumed by καὶ ὑμεῖς below; leans on καθήσεσθε

in the regeneration,phrase modifier — παλιγγενεσία — the renewed cosmos; read with καθήσεσθε below

when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,conditional — temporal ὅταν (typed cnd) — Dan 7:13–14; the enthronement of the Son of Man

you also will sit on twelve thrones,content — the apodosis — the Twelve share the throne-session

judging the twelve tribes of Israel.participial — κρίνοντες — judging or ruling; Israel restored under the apostolic college

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name's sakeconditional — casus pendens — πᾶς ὅστις (typed cnd), leaning on λήμψεται; some witnesses add 'or wife'

will receive a hundredfoldcontent — ἑκατονταπλασίονα read (πολλαπλασίονα the Lukan assimilation) — beyond the Twelve, to all who leave

and will inherit eternal life.content — the very ζωὴ αἰώνιος the young man asked for (v. 16) — inherited, not earned

But many who are first will be last,content — the reversal proverb — a check on presumption, framing 20:1–16

and the last first.'content — chiastic, verb elided — repeated verbatim at 20:16 to close the vineyard parable

Analysis. Matthew 19 is dialogue nearly all the way down, and the page shows it: short purple narrative frames flush left — Matthew's δέ- and τότε-transitions and his historic presents (λέγουσιν, λέγει, tagged as they land) — with almost everything else hanging blue (cnt) beneath a verb of saying. The divorce dispute (vv. 3–9) builds the deepest stack: the Pharisees' trap-question under λέγοντες, Jesus' counter-question Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε carrying the two creation texts as a citation chain — Gen 1:27 directly under the verb of reading, Gen 2:24 a step deeper under the subjectless καὶ εἶπεν (the Creator of v. 4 still speaking) — and his own ruling in v. 9, where the ὃς-ἄν protasis leans forward on the one-word verdict μοιχᾶται and the exceptive μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ sits on its own dashed line: the famous Matthean exception, printed in its shorter form against παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας and the appended divorced-woman clause (both assimilations to 5:32). The eunuch saying (vv. 10–12) hangs its threefold εἰσὶν-γάρ catena under δέδοται — celibacy as gift, not rule — closed by the maxim ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω. The children (vv. 13–15) and the rich young man (vv. 16–22) run parallel to Mark 10, but Matthew's redaction is flagged where the layout meets it: the bare Διδάσκαλε and Τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; (not Mark's 'Why do you call me good?'), the Decalogue catena capped by Lev 19:18, and the Εἰ-θέλεις protases leaning forward on their imperatives (τήρησον, then the chain ὕπαγε–πώλησον–δός–ἀκολούθει). The camel-saying (vv. 23–26) steps down from δυσκόλως to ἀδύνατον to the verbless παρὰ δὲ θεῷ πάντα δυνατά (echoing Gen 18:14); κάμηλος is original, the 'rope' (κάμιλος) a late conjecture without manuscript warrant. In the closing promise (vv. 27–30) the suspended subjects — ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκολουθήσαντες and πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν, both casus pendens — lean one deeper than their apodoses (καθήσεσθε, λήμψεται), and the whole is sealed by the chiastic reversal proverb that frames the vineyard parable it introduces (20:1–16).