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 scroll and the search for one worthy 5:1–5
vv. 1–3 — the sealed scroll, the herald’s challenge, the silent cosmos
1
Καὶ εἶδον ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βιβλίονindependent — the throne-vision continues — John’s eye moves to the Enthroned’s right hand
γεγραμμένον ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν,participial — recto and verso both full — nothing of the purpose left unwritten (Ezek 2:9–10)
κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά.participial — perfectly sealed — humanly unopenable
2
καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸνindependent — the second εἶδον — a herald strong enough for a cosmic summons
κηρύσσοντα ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ·participial — the herald’s cry — κηρύσσοντα carries the quoted challenge
Τίς ἄξιοςcontent — the verbless challenge — worthiness, not mere strength, is asked for
ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ λῦσαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ;content — epexegetic infinitives — what the worthiness is for
3
καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆςindependent — the threefold cosmos searched — heaven, earth, underworld — and found empty
ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό.content — complementary infinitives on ἐδύνατο — not even to look
vv. 4–5 — the seer weeps; the elder announces the Lion
4
καὶ ἔκλαιον πολὺindependent — imperfect ἔκλαιον — the grief goes on; the stalled purpose of God measured in tears
ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄξιος εὑρέθηcause — the ground of the weeping — the herald’s Τίς has gone unanswered
ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό.content — v. 3’s refrain repeated — epexegetic on ἄξιος
5
καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγει μοι·independent — historical present λέγει — the consolation breaks in on the weeping
Μὴ κλαῖε·content — the prohibition — μή with present imperative: stop your weeping
ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα,content — the announcement — aorist ἐνίκησεν, the victory already won (Gen 49:9)
ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ,phrase modifier — apposition to ὁ λέων — the messianic shoot of Isa 11:1, 10
ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ.purpose — infinitive of result on ἐνίκησεν — the conquest is what qualifies him to open
The Lamb standing as slain takes the scroll 5:6–7
6
καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίονindependent — the great reversal — the announced Lion is seen as a Lamb, at the very center
ἑστηκὸς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον,participial — slain yet standing — the marks of slaughter on one who is upright and alive
ἔχων κέρατα ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑπτά,participial — solecism — nominative ἔχων for the neuter ἀρνίον; full power, full sight
οἵ εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦrelative — the identification formula — masculine οἵ construed ad sensum with the eyes (cf. 1:20; 4:5)
ἀπεσταλμένοι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν.participial — masculine ἀπεσταλμένοι again for neuter πνεύματα — the Spirit on world-wide mission (Zech 4:10)
7
καὶ ἦλθενindependent — the decisive approach to the throne
καὶ εἴληφεν ἐκ τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου.independent — dramatic perfect εἴληφεν after the aorist ἦλθεν — he has taken it, and holds it still
The new song of the redeemed 5:8–10
v. 8 — the prostration, with harps and bowls
8
καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβεν τὸ βιβλίον,conditional — temporal (ὅτε) — leans on ἔπεσαν below; the taking triggers the worship
τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου,independent — the prostration of ch. 4 — now offered before the Lamb
ἔχοντες ἕκαστος κιθάραν καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων,participial — harps for the song, bowls for the incense — ἕκαστος distributive
αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων.relative — the identification formula — feminine αἵ with φιάλας; the saints’ prayers rise as incense (8:3–4)
vv. 9–10 — the new song: Ἄξιος εἶ
9
καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴνindependent — present ᾄδουσιν — the liturgy heard live; the ‘new song’ of the Psalter (Ps 96:1; 98:1)
λέγοντες·participial — the speech-margin that carries the hymn
Ἄξιος εἶcontent — the hymn opens — the direct answer to v. 2’s Τίς ἄξιος
λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ,content — epexegetic infinitives — the worthiness spelled out
ὅτι ἐσφάγηςcause — the ground (ὅτι) — worthiness rooted in the slaughter
καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σουcause — the ground continued — redemption as purchase; the object unexpressed (the earliest text omits ἡμᾶς)
ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους,phrase modifier — the fourfold sweep — the ἐκ-phrase stands in for the purchased
10
καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς,cause — the ground’s third limb — Exod 19:6; αὐτούς keeps the redeemed in the third person
καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.cause — the ground opens into promise — future βασιλεύσουσιν; the song ends on the earth
The myriads’ acclamation 5:11–12
11
Καὶ εἶδον,independent — the vision formula again — the circle of worship widens
καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,independent — seeing turns to hearing — the angels ring the inner court
καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων,independent — parenthetical count — Dan 7:10; a throng beyond numbering
12
λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ·participial — on αὐτῶν (= the angels of v. 11) — nominative λέγοντες after the genitive, the Apocalypse’s solecism
Ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένονcontent — third-person acclamation — the slain Lamb named as such
λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν.content — the sevenfold ascription — one article τήν binds all seven into a single worth
The universal doxology 5:13–14
13
καὶ πᾶν κτίσμαindependent — casus pendens — the fronted object of ἤκουσα, suspended while the sweep unfolds
ὃ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης,relative — verbless relative — v. 3’s three realms, now four with the sea
καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα,phrase modifier — the sweep totalized (Exod 20:11; Ps 146:6)
ἤκουσα λέγοντας·independent — the main verb resumes — plural λέγοντας ad sensum after the singular πᾶν κτίσμα
Τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.content — the fourfold ascription to God and the Lamb jointly, forever — the chapter’s theological climax
14
καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα ἔλεγον·independent — imperfect ἔλεγον — the Amen kept sounding
Ἀμήν.content — the ratification — the cosmic doxology sealed with the liturgical Amen
καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσαν καὶ προσεκύνησαν.independent — the close — prostrate, wordless worship; the liturgy of chs. 4–5 comes to rest
Analysis. Revelation 5 is narrative parataxis, and the layout shows it: a spine of flush-left purple καί-clauses — εἶδον, εἶδον, οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο, ἔκλαιον, λέγει, εἶδον, ἦλθεν καὶ εἴληφεν, ἔπεσαν, ᾄδουσιν, εἶδον, ἤκουσα, ἔλεγον, ἔπεσαν — with everything else hanging shallowly from it. Quoted speech is the blue that interrupts the purple: the herald’s Τίς ἄξιος, the elder’s consolation, and the three ascending hymns (Ἄξιος εἶ from the inner court, Ἄξιόν ἐστιν from the myriads, the verbless Τῷ καθημένῳ… καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ doxology from every creature), each carried as content under its verb of saying; the new song’s red ὅτι-column (slain, purchased, made a kingdom, and they shall reign) is the chapter’s deepest chain, grounding worthiness in the slaughter. Interpretive choices the layout takes a side on: the ἀνοῖξαι of v. 5 is read as a result infinitive on ἐνίκησεν (the conquest qualifies him to open); v. 6’s masculine οἵ is attached ad sensum to the eyes, and the nominatives ἔχων (v. 6) and λέγοντες (v. 12, after a genitive) are flagged as the Apocalypse’s solecisms rather than normalized; v. 9’s purchase is left without an expressed object (the earliest text lacks ἡμᾶς), the ἐκ-phrase standing in for the purchased; v. 10’s third-person αὐτούς and future βασιλεύσουσιν are kept inside the song as the ground opening into promise; and v. 13’s πᾶν κτίσμα is set as a casus pendens resumed by ἤκουσα λέγοντας.