independentparticipialrelativecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase 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 apostrophe to the judge — and the repayment according to works 2:1–11
vv. 1–3 — you, the judge, condemn yourself
1
Διὸ ἀναπολόγητος εἶ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε πᾶς ὁ κρίνων·independent — the verdict — Διό gathers up 1:18–32 and turns it on the moralist
ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον,relative — ἐν ᾧ — leans forward, like a protasis, on the clause below
σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις,cause — the γάρ ground of ἀναπολόγητος — the sentence rebounds
τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ πράσσεις ὁ κρίνων.cause — the reason beneath — same deeds; ὁ κρίνων repeated with bite
2
οἴδαμεν δὲindependent — the shared premise
ὅτι τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐπὶ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας.content — content — judgment κατὰ ἀλήθειαν, by the facts
3
λογίζῃ δὲ τοῦτο,independent — the question — λογίζῃ, the moralist's bookkeeping
ὦ ἄνθρωπε ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας καὶ ποιῶν αὐτά,phrase modifier — vocative of address — judging and doing in one breath
ὅτι σὺ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ;content — the content of the reckoning — emphatic σύ: you, of all people
vv. 4–5 — kindness despised, wrath on deposit
4
ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς,independent — the alternative diagnosis — contempt for the delay of judgment
ἀγνοῶνparticipial — causal participle — the ignorance beneath the contempt
ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει;content — content — the kindness has an aim: μετάνοια
5
κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴνindependent — the counter-treasury — θησαυρίζεις, a bitter irony
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ θεοῦphrase modifier — when the deposit falls due — ἐν for εἰς: stored against that day
vv. 6–11 — the ladder: to each according to his works
6
ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ·relative — on τοῦ θεοῦ — Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12: the ladder's governing line
7
τοῖς μὲν καθ’ ὑπομονὴν ἔργου ἀγαθοῦ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν ζητοῦσιν ζωὴν αἰώνιον,phrase modifier — rung A — the seekers of glory: life
8
τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας καὶ ἀπειθοῦσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πειθομένοις δὲ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ ὀργὴ καὶ θυμός.phrase modifier — rung B — anacoluthon: ὀργὴ καὶ θυμός slip into the nominative
9
θλῖψις καὶ στενοχωρία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κατεργαζομένου τὸ κακόν,phrase modifier — rung B′ — the chiasm turns: the same wrath, felt
Ἰουδαίου τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνος·phrase modifier — the refrain — priority without immunity
10
δόξα δὲ καὶ τιμὴ καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθόν,phrase modifier — rung A′ — the ladder closes where it opened: glory
Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι·phrase modifier — the refrain repeated — the same order, either way
11
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν προσωπολημψία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ.cause — the ground under the whole ladder — προσωπολημψία excluded
Law with the law and without it 2:12–16
v. 12 — sinned without law, sinned under law
12
ὅσοι γὰρ ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον,relative — headless relative — the subject suspended, leaning like a protasis
ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται,independent — verdict 1 — perishing needs no statute
καὶ ὅσοι ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον,relative — the matching subject, suspended again
διὰ νόμου κριθήσονται·independent — verdict 2 — the law itself the instrument
vv. 13–15 — the parenthesis: doers, not hearers — and Gentile doers exist
13
οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ [τῷ] θεῷ,cause — the principle — hearing earns nothing (copula unexpressed)
ἀλλ’ οἱ ποιηταὶ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται.cause — the counterpart — δικαιωθήσονται future: at the judgment
14
ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῶσιν,conditional — ὅταν — indefinite temporal, conditional in force; φύσει read with ποιῶσιν
οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσιν νόμος·cause — grounds v. 13: such doers exist; concessive participle inside
15
οἵτινες ἐνδείκνυνται τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου γραπτὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν,relative — qualitative ὅστις — Jer 31:33 echoed at one remove
συμμαρτυρούσης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεωςparticipial — genitive absolute — the first witness
καὶ μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων,participial — genitive absolute — the inner courtroom convened
v. 16 — the day the secrets are judged
16
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὅτε κρίνει ὁ θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ.phrase modifier — crux — read with ἐνδείκνυνται (the display completed on the day), not with v. 12 κριθήσονται
The great suspended conditional — the Jew examined 2:17–24
vv. 17–20 — the protasis: credentials piled, never cashed
17
Εἰ δὲ σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ἐπονομάζῃconditional — the great protasis opens — the whole pile leans forward
καὶ ἐπαναπαύῃ νόμῳconditional — claim 2 — the law as cushion
καὶ καυχᾶσαι ἐν θεῷconditional — claim 3 — the covenant boast
18
καὶ γινώσκεις τὸ θέλημαconditional — claim 4 — τὸ θέλημα absolute: God's, of course
καὶ δοκιμάζεις τὰ διαφέρονταconditional — claim 5 — cf. Phil 1:10
κατηχούμενος ἐκ τοῦ νόμου,participial — the source of claims 4–5 — instructed from the law
19
πέποιθάς τεconditional — claim 6 — the confidence itself
σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν,content — accusative + infinitive — the self-portrait begins
φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει,phrase modifier — title 2 — Isa 42:6–7 claimed
20
παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων,phrase modifier — title 3 — the corrector
διδάσκαλον νηπίων,phrase modifier — title 4 — the proselyte's schoolmaster
ἔχοντα τὴν μόρφωσιν τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ·participial — the warrant for the titles — and here the protasis breaks off: anacoluthon
vv. 21–23 — the apodosis that never comes: the counter-questions
21
ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις;independent — οὖν picks up the abandoned protasis — question 1
ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν κλέπτεις;independent — question 2
22
ὁ λέγων μὴ μοιχεύειν μοιχεύεις;independent — question 3
ὁ βδελυσσόμενος τὰ εἴδωλα ἱεροσυλεῖς;independent — question 4 — ἱεροσυλεῖς: profiting from the very idols abhorred
23
ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις·independent — relative in form (ὅς) — taken as the fifth, climactic question; some read a verdict-statement
24
τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ δι’ ὑμᾶς βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν,cause — the proof of the dishonor — Israel's vocation inverted
καθὼς γέγραπται.comparative — Isa 52:5 LXX — Scripture seals the indictment
Circumcision of the heart 2:25–29
vv. 25–27 — circumcision profits — if
25
Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖindependent — the concession — μέν waits for its δέ
ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς·conditional — backward protasis — the profit conditioned on practice
ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς,conditional — the δέ protasis — leans on the verdict below
ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονεν.independent — the verdict — γέγονεν perfect: the state stands
26
ἐὰν οὖν ἡ ἀκροβυστία τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ νόμου φυλάσσῃ,conditional — the mirror protasis — the argument run in reverse
οὐχ ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ εἰς περιτομὴν λογισθήσεται;independent — λογισθήσεται — the ledger recalculated; οὐχ expects 'yes'
27
καὶ κρινεῖ ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστίαindependent — the tables turned — the judged Gentile becomes the judge
τὸν νόμον τελοῦσαparticipial — conditional participle — τελοῦσα: carrying the law through
σὲ τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου.phrase modifier — the object with its apposition — διά concessive: with all that, still a transgressor
vv. 28–29 — the definition: the hidden Jew
28
οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστινindependent — the negative definition — outwardness denied
οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἐν σαρκὶ περιτομή,independent — the negative doubled — ellipsis of the copula
29
ἀλλ’ ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι οὐ γράμματι,independent — the positive antithesis, both limbs verbless — Deut 30:6 behind περιτομὴ καρδίας
οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ.relative — on ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος — the pun: Ἰουδαῖος/Judah, 'praise' (Gen 29:35; 49:8)
Analysis. Romans 2 is one sustained second-person indictment, and the layout shows its four postures. In vv. 1–5 the diatribe apostrophe: flush purple charges and questions to ὦ ἄνθρωπε ὁ κρίνων, each with its hanging grounds — the ἐν ᾧ line leans forward like a protasis on σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις beneath it. In vv. 6–11 the argument stops moving and builds a ladder: four gray rungs (life — wrath — anguish — glory, an A B B′ A′ chiasm) all hang from the single word ἑκάστῳ in ὃς ἀποδώσει, with the Jew-first refrain twice beneath and οὐ γάρ ἐστιν προσωπολημψία as the one red ground under the whole. Verses 12–16 alternate suspended ὅσοι-subjects over their flush verdicts, then descend through the vv. 13–15 parenthesis — doers not hearers, the ὅταν clause, the οἵτινες chain with its two genitive-absolute witnesses — down to ἐν ἡμέρᾳ. Verses 17–24 are the chapter's great anacoluthon: a ten-credential protasis pile (Εἰ δὲ σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ἐπονομάζῃ…) leans forward and never finds an apodosis — the flush ὁ οὖν διδάσκων counter-questions break in instead, sealed by καθὼς γέγραπται (Isa 52:5). Verses 25–29 run the ἐάν conditionals both ways and end in the verbless antithesis of the hidden Jew. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: ἐν ἡμέρᾳ (v. 16) is attached to ἐνδείκνυνται — vv. 13–15 read as a parenthesis whose inner-courtroom display is completed on the day — not across to κριθήσονται (v. 12); φύσει (v. 14) is read with ποιῶσιν ('by nature do the things of the law'), not with ἔχοντα; v. 23 is taken, with the punctuation, as a fifth climactic question rather than a summary verdict; and οὗ (v. 29) reaches back to ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, preserving the Ἰουδαῖος/Judah–'praise' wordplay (Gen 29:35; 49:8).