Matthew 4 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentparticipialpurposecausecontentconditionaldashed = 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 temptation — three tests, three 'it is written's 4:1–11

vv. 1–2 — led up to be tested; the forty-day fast

Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit,independent — Matthew's Τότε opens the scene — divine passive: the Spirit of the baptism (3:16) leads to the test

to be tempted by the devil.purpose — purpose infinitive — the testing is God's design, the devil its instrument; πειράζω both 'tempt' and 'prove'

And having fasted forty days and forty nights,participial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἐπείνασεν; the forty of Moses (Exod 34:28) and Israel's years

afterward he was hungry.independent — ingressive aorist — true humanity; the hunger is the hinge to the first test

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

And coming to him,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εἶπεν; the tempter's approach

the tempter said to him:independent — ὁ πειράζων — the articular participle as a title for the devil (cf. 1 Thess 3:5)

'If you are the Son of God,conditional — protasis inside speech — first-class condition pressing the voice of 3:17: 'since you are'

commandcontent — the apodosis — one imperative: sonship urged into self-serving fiat

that these stones become loaves of bread.'content — ἵνα of content, not purpose — the desert stones ironically loaf-shaped

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

said:independent — the reply-frame — Jesus' first words in the Gospel after the baptism

'It is written:content — the first 'it stands written' — the intensive perfect of Scripture's abiding authority, the chapter's refrain

Man shall not live by bread alone,content — Deut 8:3 — the wilderness lesson Israel was taught by its own hunger

but by every word that proceeds through the mouth of God.'content — the true basis of life — the citation's ἀλλά sets God's ῥῆμα against the devil's bread

vv. 5–7 — the pinnacle: Psalm 91 misused, answered from Deuteronomy 6:16

Then the devil takes him along into the holy city,independent — historic present παραλαμβάνει — the scene shifts to Jerusalem, 'the holy city' (cf. 27:53)

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 says to him:independent — historic present — the second assault

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus said to him:independent — ἔφη — the terse reply-frame

'Again it is written:content — Πάλιν — Scripture misused is answered by Scripture rightly read, text set beside text

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'content — Deut 6:16 (Massah) — οὐ + imperatival future; to demand proof of God is to distrust him

vv. 8–10 — the kingdoms for worship: answered from Deuteronomy 6:13

Again the devil takes him along to a very high mountain,independent — historic present — the third, climactic test; the mountain motif Matthew loves (5:1; 28:16)

and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,independent — historic present δείκνυσιν — the world's βασιλεῖαι displayed, counterpoint to the βασιλεία of v. 17

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

'All these I will give you,content — fronted Ταῦτά … πάντα — the all-encompassing bribe; the devil disposes of what he does not own

if you will fall down and worship me.'conditional — backward protasis — anchored on δώσω; the price named at last: προσκυνέω, the reverence owed God alone

Then Jesus says to him:independent — historic present — the dismissal

'Be gone, Satan!content — the adversary named at the moment of his rout; the Byzantine text adds ὀπίσω μου (cf. 16:23)

for it is written:cause — the third and final refrain — the dismissal grounded in Scripture

'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

v. 11 — the devil departs; angels minister

Then the devil leaves him,independent — historic present ἀφίησιν — the defeated tempter withdraws

and behold, angels cameindependent — ἰδού — the angels of the misquoted psalm arrive unbidden

and were ministering to him.independent — durative imperfect — the care refused as a test (v. 6) now freely given; cf. Mark 1:13

Withdrawal to Galilee — the light dawns 4:12–17

vv. 12–13 — the withdrawal and the settling in Capernaum

Now having heardparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἀνεχώρησεν; the report that moves the story

that John had been handed over,content — παρεδόθη — the verb that will be Jesus' own (17:22; 26:2); the forerunner's arrest as omen

he withdrew into Galilee.independent — ἀναχωρέω — Matthew's verb of strategic withdrawal (2:12–14, 22), not flight

And leaving Nazareth,participial — preposed aorist participle — the hometown left behind

coming,participial — second preposed participle — the double step before the verb strikes

he settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,independent — ingressive aorist — Capernaum becomes 'his own city' (9:1); the tribal names load the citation to come

vv. 14–16 — the fulfilment formula: Isaiah 8:23–9:1

so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:purpose — the fulfilment formula without its γέγονεν frame — ἵνα hangs directly on the narrative verb; the geography is prophecy

'Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations —content — Isa 8:23 — verbless address piling up the region's names; the Via Maris; 'Galilee of the nations' anticipates 28:19

the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light,content — Isa 9:1 — καθήμενος: settled, fixed in the dark; the light is the arrival just narrated

and on those sitting in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned upon them.'content — the parallel colon — ἀνέτειλεν, the light rises like the sun; resumptive αὐτοῖς a Semitic pleonasm

v. 17 — Ἀπὸ τότε: the proclamation begins

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say:independent — Ἀπὸ τότε — the structural hinge Matthew reuses at 16:21; the public ministry opens

'Repent,content — present imperative — the ongoing demand; John's message (3:2) taken over word for word

for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'cause — ἤγγικεν — 'drawn near' or 'arrived,' the famous crux left open; 'of the heavens,' Matthew's reverent periphrasis

The call of the first disciples 4:18–22

vv. 18–20 — Simon and Andrew: the nets left

And walking beside the Sea of Galilee,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εἶδεν; the lakeside setting of both calls

he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother,independent — Jesus' seeing initiates the call; Πέτρον proleptic — the name given at 16:18 used already

casting a net into the sea;participial — supplementary participle — caught mid-work; ἀμφίβληστρον, the round casting-net

for they were fishermen.cause — narrator's aside — the γάρ that sets up 'fishers of men'

And he says to them:independent — historic present — the summons

'Come after me,content — the call — discipleship as walking behind the master

and I will make you fishers of men.'content — the promissory future — their trade transposed into mission

And they, immediately leaving the nets,participial — preposed aorist participle — εὐθέως: the livelihood abandoned before the verb strikes

followed him.independent — ἀκολουθέω — the discipleship verb; one word answers the call

vv. 21–22 — James and John: boat and father left

And going on from there,participial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εἶδεν; the pattern repeats (cf. Mark 1:19)

he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,independent — the second pair — again the seeing comes first

in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets,participial — supplementary participle — the father in the boat: the cost of v. 22 staged in advance

and he called them.independent — the call compressed to one verb — no words reported this time

And they, immediately leaving the boat and their father,participial — preposed aorist participle — the cost heightened: not nets only but boat and father

followed him.independent — the same one-word obedience — the two responses end identically

The Galilean ministry — the crowds gather 4:23–25

vv. 23–25 — teaching, preaching, healing; the report and the five regions

And he went about in all Galilee,independent — itinerant imperfect — the programmatic summary, repeated almost verbatim at 9:35

teaching in their synagoguesparticipial — the first facet of the triad — the teaching unfolded in the Sermon (chs. 5–7)

and preaching the gospel of the kingdomparticipial — the second facet — the proclamation of v. 17 made a habit

and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.participial — the third facet — the deeds of chs. 8–9; the doubled πᾶσαν is comprehensive

And the report of him went out into all Syria;independent — ἡ ἀκοή — the fame outruns the ministry, beyond Israel's borders (cf. Mark 1:28)

and they brought to him all who were ill, gripped by various diseases and torments, demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics,independent — the catalogue of the afflicted — σεληνιαζομένους, literally 'moon-struck,' the ancient term for epilepsy

and he healed them.independent — the summary aorist — all brought, all healed

And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan.independent — ἠκολούθησαν — the disciples' verb now of the crowds, in a looser sense; five regions gather the audience for the Sermon (5:1)

Analysis. Matthew 4 is three dialogues and then a narrative column. In the temptation (vv. 1–11) the shape alternates: purple narrative verbs flush left — the divine passive ἀνήχθη with its purpose infinitive πειρασθῆναι hanging beneath it (the Spirit, not the devil, initiates the test), then the historic presents flagged as the drama quickens (παραλαμβάνει twice, λέγει, δείκνυσιν, and ἀφίησιν as the devil exits) — while all speech hangs blue (cnt) beneath its verb of saying, and beneath the speech the chapter's refrain: γέγραπται, the citation hanging as content below it every time. The devil's two protases Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ lean forward, anchor-less, one step deeper than the apodoses they press (the baptismal declaration of 3:17 turned into a lever), while the third condition — ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι — follows its apodosis and so takes its anchor on δώσω. Jesus' three answers are all Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:16; 6:13), the wilderness lessons Israel failed; the devil's one counter-citation (Ps 91:11–12, its 'in all your ways' silently dropped) sits at the layout's deepest point, Scripture misused inside Scripture answered. The second movement (vv. 12–17) pivots on participles — Ἀκούσας with its ὅτι-content (παρεδόθη, the verb that will be Jesus' own), the double καταλιπὼν … ἐλθὼν leaning on κατῴκησεν — and then Matthew's fulfilment formula in a variant shape: there is no Τοῦτο γέγονεν frame, so ἵνα πληρωθῇ hangs directly on the narrative verb κατῴκησεν, with Isa 8:23–9:1 as content beneath λέγοντος (the region named in a verbless address, then the light dawning). Ἀπὸ τότε (v. 17) is the Matthean hinge (cf. 16:21); the proclamation repeats John's message word for word (3:2), and ἤγγικεν — 'drawn near' or 'arrived' — is left open as in Mark 1:15. The call narratives (vv. 18–22) run like Mark's: preposed participles lean on εἶδεν, the supplementary βάλλοντας and καταρτίζοντας catch the brothers mid-work, the γάρ-aside sets up 'fishers of men,' and both responses share one two-line shape — a preposed ἀφέντες naming the cost (nets; then boat and father) with the one-word obedience ἠκολούθησαν flush left. The closing summary (vv. 23–25) hangs the ministry's triad — teaching, preaching, healing — as three coordinate participles beneath the itinerant imperfect περιῆγεν, and ends flush left: the report through all Syria, the catalogue of the afflicted, and crowds from five regions gathering the audience for the Sermon (5:1). Cruxes the layout inherits rather than resolves: at v. 10 the critical text's curt Ὕπαγε, Σατανᾶ stands where the Byzantine text adds ὀπίσω μου; πειρασθῆναι is both 'tempt' (the devil's aim) and 'prove' (God's); and σεληνιαζομένους ('moon-struck,' epileptic) is glossed in its tag.