Matthew 6 — 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.)

Almsgiving in secret — the thesis of hidden righteousness 6:1–4

v. 1 — the governing thesis: piety not for the human audience

But take care not to practice your righteousness before menindependent — the heading of vv. 1–18 — δικαιοσύνην (critical text) against Byz. ἐλεημοσύνην; the comprehensive term unpacked as alms, prayer, fasting

in order to be seen by them;purpose — πρὸς τό + infinitive — θεάομαι, to be made a spectacle (cf. 'theater'); the corrupting aim

otherwise —conditional — elliptical idiom ('but if not indeed') — leans forward on the apodosis

you have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens.independent — μισθός fronted — the keyword of vv. 1–18: heavenly recompense forfeited by self-display

vv. 2–4 — almsgiving: the trumpet, the secret hand, the Father who repays

So whenever you give alms,conditional — temporal ὅταν (typed cnd; no temporal key) — leans forward on the prohibition; οὖν draws the first application

do not sound a trumpet before you,independent — prohibitive aorist — the figurative fanfare of self-advertisement; the address narrows to the singular

as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,comparative — the negative foil — ὑποκριτής, the play-actor performing piety in the watched places

that they may be glorified by men;purpose — the hypocrites' true aim — human δόξα, the counterfeit of God's

truly I say to you,independent — the ἀμήν-formula — Jesus' authoritative verdict, the refrain of all three piety units

they have their reward in full.content — commercial ἀπέχω, 'paid in full, receipt given' — human glory exhausts the wage; nothing remains from God

But when you are giving alms,participial — genitive absolute, temporal — leans forward on γνώτω; the emphatic σοῦ against the hypocrites

do not let your left hand knowindependent — third-person prohibition — the secret-keeping hyperbole: hidden even from oneself

what your right hand is doing,content — indirect question — the giving hand acts unwatched

so that your almsgiving may be in secret;purpose — the disciple's ὅπως balancing the hypocrites' ὅπως of v. 2 — ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, the leitmotif of vv. 1–18

and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.independent — the promise-refrain (vv. 4, 6, 18) — ἀποδώσει answers ἀπέχουσιν; Byz. adds ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, not printed

Prayer in secret, and the Lord's Prayer 6:5–15

vv. 5–6 — the closet against the corner: where to pray

And whenever you pray,conditional — temporal ὅταν (typed cnd) — leans forward; the second act of piety on the same frame

you shall not be like the hypocrites;independent — imperatival future — 'you are not to be'; the stock antitype returns

for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners,cause — ὅτι-causal on the ὑποκριταί — φιλοῦσιν, they are fond of it; the posture is customary, the venue is the point

that they may appear to men;purpose — the aim is visibility, not communion — φαίνω, the verb the fasting unit will replay

truly I say to you,independent — the verdict-formula, second occurrence

they have their reward in full.content — the paid-in-full refrain — being seen was the whole wage

But you, whenever you pray,conditional — temporal ὅταν with the emphatic contrastive σὺ δέ fronted inside it — leans forward on εἴσελθε

go into your inner roomindependent — ταμεῖον — the storeroom, a windowless private chamber: the anti-corner

and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret;independent — the antecedent participle kept with its imperative — the Father himself dwells 'in the hidden place'

and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.independent — the promise-refrain, second occurrence — verbatim with v. 4

vv. 7–8 — the manner: not the pagans' word-count, for the Father already knows

And when praying, do not babble on like the Gentiles;independent — prohibitive aorist — βατταλογέω, the rare onomatopoeic 'heap up empty phrases'; the foil shifts from hypocrites to pagans

for they supposecause — the pagan theory of prayer exposed

that they will be heard for their many words.content — πολυλογία — verbal quantity as leverage on the deity; prayer as coercive technique

So do not be like them;independent — the inference drawn — ὁμοιόω, do not come to resemble them

for your Father knowscause — the ground that makes verbosity pointless — prayer is filial trust, not information

what things you have need ofcontent — headless relative attracted into the genitive (ὧν) — the object of the knowing

before you ask him.phrase modifier — πρὸ τοῦ + infinitive of time on the knowing — the Father's knowledge outruns the request (echoed at v. 32)

vv. 9–13 — the model prayer: address, three σου-petitions, three ἡμῖν-petitions

Pray then in this way:independent — οὕτως — a pattern, not a fixed formula merely; emphatic ὑμεῖς against the Gentiles

Our Father who is in the heavens,content — the address — filial intimacy balanced by heavenly transcendence; verbless vocative line

hallowed be your name;content — first σου-petition — divine-passive third imperative: God cause his own name to be hallowed

your kingdom come;content — second petition — the consummation of the reign Jesus proclaims

your will be done,content — third petition — God's will realized on earth

as in heaven, so also on earth;comparative — verbless comparison — heaven the model of obedience; may govern the third petition or all three

give us today our daily bread;content — the turn to ἡμῖν-petitions — ἐπιούσιος the famous crux ('needful' / 'for the coming day' / 'daily'), left open

and forgive us our debts,content — sins as debts — the Aramaic idiom (ḥôbā) behind ὀφειλήματα

as we also have forgiven our debtors;comparative — the aorist ἀφήκαμεν — forgiveness already rendered (Luke has the present); the ὡς vv. 14–15 will unpack

and do not lead us into temptation,content — the testing petition — not to be brought into trial that would overwhelm

but deliver us from the evil one.content — τοῦ πονηροῦ read personally (Satan) with Matthew's usage; the doxology of the later liturgical text (absent from א B D Z) is not printed

vv. 14–15 — the reciprocity logion: the ὡς of v. 12 spelled out both ways

For if you forgive men their trespasses,conditional — third-class protasis — leans forward; γάρ appends the logion to the fifth petition

your heavenly Father will also forgive you;independent — the positive apodosis — the Father's forgiveness bound to the disciple's

but if you do not forgive men,conditional — the mirrored protasis — some witnesses add τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν; not printed

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.independent — the dark obverse in stark symmetry — withheld forgiveness forfeits the Father's (cf. 18:35)

Fasting in secret 6:16–18

v. 16 — the hypocrites' advertised fast

And whenever you fast,conditional — temporal ὅταν (typed cnd) — leans forward; the third act of piety on the now-familiar frame

do not become gloomy-faced like the hypocrites;independent — σκυθρωπός — the affected dismal countenance; present prohibition: no settled practice of it

for they disfigure their facescause — the wordplay — ἀφανίζουσιν/φανῶσιν: they 'unsee' their faces in order to 'be seen'

that they may appear to men to be fasting;purpose — the third tell-tale ὅπως — the supplementary participle: seen 'as fasting'

truly I say to you,independent — the verdict-formula, third and last occurrence

they have their reward in full.content — the refrain closes the triad — the human notice was the entire wage

vv. 17–18 — the anointed head: the fast no one sees

But you, when you fast,participial — temporal participle with the emphatic contrastive σὺ δέ — leans forward on the imperatives

anoint your headindependent — ordinary grooming — oil the sign of normality and joy, not mourning

and wash your face,independent — the coordinate command — the πρόσωπον the hypocrites disfigured, here simply washed

so that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret;purpose — purpose of both commands, hung on the last — φανῇς inverted from v. 16; κρυφαίῳ, the synonym varying κρυπτῷ

and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.independent — the promise-refrain sealing the triad (vv. 4, 6, 18) — Byz. adds ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, not printed

Treasure, the eye, and two masters 6:19–24

vv. 19–21 — the two treasuries and the heart that follows

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,independent — asyndeton turns from piety to possessions — cognate accusative: 'treasure up treasures'

where moth and rust consumerelative — locative ὅπου on the earth — σής the garment-moth, βρῶσις the 'eating' corrosion; ἀφανίζει echoes v. 16

and where thieves break in and steal;relative — διορύσσω — digging through the mud-brick wall, the manner of ancient burglary

but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,independent — the positive antithesis — the same verb, the secure treasury

where neither moth nor rust consumesrelative — point-for-point reversal of v. 19 — οὔτε ... οὔτε

and where thieves do not break in or steal;relative — all three threats negated — the imperishable investment

for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.cause — the maxim grounding both commands, kept whole (ὅπου ... ἐκεῖ) — the heart inexorably follows the treasure; the singular σου presses it home

vv. 22–23 — the eye as the body's lamp: single or evil

The lamp of the body is the eye.independent — the gnomic heading of the second image — the eye admits light to the whole self

If therefore your eye is sound,conditional — protasis leaning forward — ἁπλοῦς, 'single/sound' but also 'generous': the pun bridges vision and giving

your whole body will be full of light;independent — the bright apodosis — ὅλον, the entire person illumined

but if your eye is evil,conditional — the mirrored protasis — ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, the Semitic idiom for the grudging, stingy eye (cf. 20:15)

your whole body will be full of darkness.independent — the dark apodosis — word-for-word inversion

If then the light in you is darkness,conditional — first-class protasis pressing the paradox — the inner faculty of light itself darkened

how great is the darkness!independent — verbless exclamation — πόσον: the deepest gloom is a corrupted light

v. 24 — the verdict: no slave of two lords

No one can serve two masters;independent — the section's climax — δουλεύω, slave-service: total bondage, not employment

for either he will hate the one and love the other,cause — the first disjunct — μισέω in the Semitic relative sense, 'love less'

or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.cause — the second disjunct — ἀντέχομαι/καταφρονέω: clinging and scorn, each master demanding all

You cannot serve God and mammon.independent — the application, flat and final — μαμωνᾶς, the Aramaic loanword for wealth personified as a rival deity

Do not be anxious — seek first the kingdom 6:25–34

v. 25 — the thesis drawn from the two masters: do not be anxious

Therefore I tell you,independent — διὰ τοῦτο — the inference from v. 24: freedom from mammon means freedom from worry

do not be anxious about your life,content — the governing prohibition — μεριμνάω, the keyword of vv. 25–34; present: no settled habit of worry

what you will eat or what you will drink,content — deliberative indirect questions — the doublet ἢ τί πίητε read with the longer text

nor about your body, what you will put on.content — elliptical — μεριμνᾶτε carried over; food, drink, clothing: the three cares the chapter dismantles

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?independent — οὐχί expects 'yes' — the a fortiori: the giver of the greater will supply the lesser

vv. 26–30 — the birds, the cubit, the lilies: three arguments against worry

Look at the birds of the air,independent — the first look-imperative — ἐμβλέπω, fix the gaze; creation as argument

that they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,content — the observation — the whole agricultural economy absent

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them;content — adversative καί inside the observation — 'your' Father feeds even them

Are you not worth much more than they?independent — the a fortiori question — διαφέρω, to surpass in value; cf. 10:31

And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his span of life?independent — worry's impotence — the participle of means kept in-line; ἡλικία taken of lifespan (a 'cubit' of time) rather than stature

And why are you anxious about clothing?independent — the turn to the third care — τί, the accusing 'why?'

Consider the lilies of the field,independent — the second look-imperative — καταμανθάνω, study closely; the wildflowers of Galilee

how they grow;content — indirect question — effortless growth the object of study

they neither toil nor spin;content — asyndetic expansion of the observation — κοπιάω the field-labor, νήθω the spinning: all human clothing-work covered

yet I tell youindependent — the solemn heightening — the λέγω-formula without ἀμήν

that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.content — the climax of the lily-image — royal magnificence (1 Kgs 10) outdone by a single wildflower

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,conditional — first-class protasis leaning forward — the σήμερον/αὔριον of the grass anticipates v. 34's αὔριον

will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?independent — elliptical apodosis — ἀμφιέννυσιν supplied; ὀλιγόπιστοι, the Matthean rebuke: anxiety is little faith

vv. 31–33 — the renewed prohibition, its double ground, and the counter-command

Therefore do not be anxious,independent — the prohibition renewed as ingressive aorist — do not even begin

saying,participial — the participle voicing worry as self-talk — anxiety speaks in questions

'What shall we eat?'content — the first deliberative — v. 25's three cares now quoted verbatim

or 'What shall we drink?'content — the second

or 'What shall we wear?'content — the third — περιβάλλω, the verb of Solomon's arraying (v. 29)

for the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;cause — first ground — such striving is pagan (ἐπιζητέω, the intensive hunt; cf. the ἐθνικοί of v. 7)

for your heavenly Father knowscause — second ground — and needless: the Father's prior knowledge, echoing v. 8

that you need all of them.content — the need acknowledged, not denied — ἁπάντων, every one of them

But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness,independent — the counter-command — ζητεῖτε against the Gentiles' ἐπιζητοῦσιν; αὐτοῦ read with both nouns, and δικαιοσύνη closes the inclusio with v. 1

and all these things will be added to you.independent — imperative + καί + future = promise — divine passive: God adds the add-ons (προστίθημι, the verb worry could not perform in v. 27)

v. 34 — the closing maxim: today's trouble is enough

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,independent — the keyword's last occurrence — worry confined to a horizon of one day

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.cause — tomorrow personified, doing its own worrying — μεριμνάω construed with the genitive

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.independent — verbless closing gnome — κακία here 'trouble, hardship': each day carries its full quota already

Analysis. Matthew 6 is the Sermon's central panel, and the layout follows the matthew7 convention for continuous discourse: no verb of saying frames the chapter, so the sermon's own imperatives stand flush-left in purple with their grounds and purposes indenting beneath them. What the shape shows is one architecture repeated three times over the acts of piety (vv. 2–4, 5–6, 16–18): an anchor-less ὅταν-protasis leaning forward on its prohibition, the hypocrites' foil in a ὥσπερ/ὡς-line with their tell-tale ὅπως-purpose one step deeper, the ἀμὴν-λέγω verdict with ἀπέχουσιν hanging blue beneath it, and each unit closing on the same flush promise-line — καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι. The Lord's Prayer (vv. 9b–13) prints as a single blue cnt-column, address plus the petitions all hung on προσεύχεσθε — the three σου-petitions, then bread, debts (with its ὡς-line), and the twin testing petition; the reciprocity logion follows as the mirrored ἐάν-pair of vv. 14–15. The possessions section (vv. 19–24) sets the θησαυρίζετε prohibition and command as parallel columns with their ὅπου-relatives, the heart-maxim as their shared γάρ (kept whole, like matthew7's measure-for-measure line), the eye-parable as leaning protasis pairs, and the two-masters verdict flat at 0; the anxiety section (vv. 25–34) is a drumbeat of μὴ μεριμνᾶτε/μεριμνήσητε lines at discourse depth, with the birds and lilies observations hung as cnt under their imperatives of looking (ἐμβλέψατε, καταμάθετε), the anxious self-talk quoted blue under λέγοντες, and the ὀλιγόπιστοι a fortiori leaning forward at v. 30. Cruxes taken or flagged: v. 1 reads δικαιοσύνην (the critical text) against Byzantine ἐλεημοσύνην; the Byzantine ἐν τῷ φανερῷ additions at vv. 4, 6, 18 are not printed, and the v. 13 doxology is omitted with the earliest witnesses (א B D Z) as a liturgical accretion; ἐπιούσιος (v. 11) is glossed 'daily/needful' with the derivation left open; τοῦ πονηροῦ (v. 13) is rendered personally ('the evil one') with Matthew's usage; ἡλικία with πῆχυς (v. 27) is taken of lifespan rather than stature; ὅταν-clauses are typed cnd (no temporal key) as elsewhere; and αὐτοῦ at v. 33 is read with both βασιλείαν and δικαιοσύνην — closing the inclusio with v. 1's δικαιοσύνη that frames the whole chapter.