Romans 4 — 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.)

Reckoned, not earned — Abraham and David 4:1–8

vv. 1–3 — the test case: what did Abraham find?

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?independent — the diatribe hinge (cf. 3:5) turned on the patriarch himself

For if Abraham was justified by works,conditional — protasis — leans on the apodosis below; the hypothesis to be overturned

he has a ground for boasting —independent — apodosis — the boast conceded for argument's sake

but not before God.independent — the crushing rider — elliptical; boasting dies πρὸς θεόν (3:27)

For what does the Scripture say?independent — the appeal to Scripture — the diatribe's arbiter

'And Abraham believed God,content — Gen 15:6 — the chapter's anchor text

and it was credited to him as righteousness.'content — Gen 15:6 — λογίζομαι, the ledger word that rules the chapter

vv. 4–5 — wage versus gift

Now to the one who works, the wage is not credited as a gift but as a debt;independent — the wage principle — pay is owed, not given

but to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,independent — the counter-case — God justifies the ἀσεβής: the scandal of grace

vv. 6–8 — David's second witness

just as David also speaks of the blessing of the mancomparative — the second witness summoned — καθάπερ aligns David with Abraham

to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:relative — on ἀνθρώπου — crediting χωρὶς ἔργων, the point of contact

'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,content — Ps 32:1 (LXX 31:1) — forgiveness as blessedness

and whose sins are covered;content — Ps 32:1 — the covering: atonement imagery

blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.'content — Ps 32:2 — οὐ μὴ λογίσηται: the negative side of the crediting

Before circumcision — the seal of faith-righteousness 4:9–12

vv. 9–10 — when was it credited?

Is this blessing then upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised?independent — the scope question — verbless

For we say:independent — the premise re-entered

'Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.'content — Gen 15:6 reprised — now to be dated

How then was it credited?independent — the timing question

While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised?independent — the alternatives — Gen 15 versus Gen 17

Not while circumcised, but uncircumcised.independent — the answer — the crediting antedates the rite by years

vv. 11–12 — the seal, and the double fatherhood

And he received the sign of circumcisionindependent — circumcision reclassified — a σημεῖον, not a ground

— a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had while uncircumcised —phrase modifier — apposition — σφραγίς: the rite ratifies a righteousness already held

so that he might be the father of all who believe while uncircumcised,purpose — εἰς τὸ εἶναι — God's design in the timing: the first fatherhood

so that righteousness might be credited to them also,purpose — the chain's next link — the Gentiles receive Abraham's crediting

and the father of the circumcised — those who are not of circumcision only but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while uncircumcised.phrase modifier — coordinate with πατέρα (v. 11) — the second fatherhood; the two articles read as one group: circumcised who also walk

The promise through faith, not law 4:13–17

vv. 13–15 — the promise not through law

For the promise to Abraham and to his seed did not come through the lawindependent — verbless thesis — οὐ διὰ νόμου

— namely, that he should be heir of the world —content — epexegetic articular infinitive — the promise's content, cosmic in scope

but through the righteousness of faith.independent — the true channel — elliptical counterpart of διὰ νόμου

For if those of the law are heirs,conditional — protasis — verbless; leans on the apodosis below

faith has been emptiedindependent — apodosis — κεκένωται, perfect: hollowed out for good

and the promise has been nullified;independent — apodosis doubled — κατήργηται (the verb of 3:3)

for the law produces wrath;cause — why law voids promise — it works ὀργή, not inheritance

but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.independent — the axiom — locative οὗ with elliptical apodosis: no law, no counted breach

vv. 16–17 — therefore of faith, that it be by grace

Therefore it is of faith,independent — verbless hinge — διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ πίστεως

so that it might be according to grace,purpose — elliptical ἵνα — faith and grace stand or fall together (cf. v. 4)

in order that the promise might be secure for all the seed —purpose — εἰς τὸ εἶναι — only grace makes the promise βεβαία

not for that of the law only but also for that of the faith of Abraham,phrase modifier — the seed defined — both families of v. 11–12 included

who is the father of us all,relative — the chapter's thesis compressed into a relative clause

as it is written:comparative — the warrant for 'father of us all'

'I have made you the father of many nations' —content — Gen 17:5 — τέθεικα, the perfect of a standing appointment

in the presence of the God in whom he believed,relative — attracted relative (= κατέναντι θεοῦ ᾧ ἐπίστευσεν) — resumes ὅς ἐστιν πατήρ after the citation

who gives life to the dead and calls the things that are not as though they were.participial — the God so trusted — resurrection and creation out of nothing, the ground of vv. 19–21

Hope against hope 4:18–22

Against hope, in hope he believed,independent — relative connective ὅς — functionally a fresh start; παρ' ἐλπίδα, ἐπ' ἐλπίδι: the paradox

so that he became the father of many nations,purpose — εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι — purpose shading into result; Gen 17:5 fulfilled

according to what had been said:phrase modifier — read with ἐπίστευσεν — his believing conformed to the spoken word

'So shall your offspring be.'content — Gen 15:5 — the stars of heaven

And, not weakening in faith, he considered his own body already deadindependent — κατενόησεν without οὐ — faith looks the facts full in the face

— being about a hundred years old —participial — why 'dead' — a centenarian's body

and the deadness of Sarah's womb;phrase modifier — the second object of κατενόησεν — a double νέκρωσις

yet with regard to the promise of God he did not waver in unbeliefindependent — οὐ διεκρίθη — no divided verdict on the promise

but was strengthened in faith,independent — the divine passive — God strengthens; ἀπιστίᾳ answered by πίστει

giving glory to Godparticipial — the shape of the strengthening — doxology

and being fully convincedparticipial — πληροφορηθείς — coordinate with δούς: full conviction

that what he has promised, he is able also to do.content — the conviction — ὃ ἐπήγγελται fronted: power equal to promise

Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.independent — διὸ καί — Gen 15:6 drawn as conclusion: faith of this kind is what God counts

Written for us also 4:23–25

But it was not written for his sake alone —independent — the hermeneutical turn — Scripture aims beyond Abraham

that 'it was credited to him' —content — Gen 15:6 one last time — the quoted words themselves the subject

but also for our sake,phrase modifier — the counterpart of δι' αὐτόν — elliptical

to whom it is about to be credited,relative — on ἡμᾶς — μέλλει: the crediting stands ready for us

— to those who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,phrase modifier — apposition on οἷς — our faith mirrors Abraham's: the God who raises the dead (v. 17)

who was delivered up for our trespassesrelative — the first limb — παρεδόθη, the divine passive; Isa 53:12 echo

and was raised for our justification.relative — the matching limb — the second διά prospective: raised with our acquittal in view

Analysis. Romans 4 is a midrash on one verse, and the layout makes that visible: Genesis 15:6 enters as a blue content line under λέγει at v. 3 and then keeps returning — quoted again under λέγομεν at v. 9, drawn as the conclusion at v. 22 (διὸ καὶ ἐλογίσθη, now a purple main clause because Paul speaks it as his own verdict), and cited one last time under ἐγράφη at v. 23. Around it the chapter alternates flush-left textures and hanging chains: the diatribe questions of vv. 1–3 and 9–10 sit at margin (several verbless, dashed), the wage/gift antithesis of vv. 4–5 stands as two parallel main clauses, David's beatitude (Ps 32:1–2) hangs as a three-line column under one word (λέγει, v. 6), and the two great purpose chains descend stepwise — the εἰς τὸ εἶναι … εἰς τὸ λογισθῆναι chain of the double fatherhood (vv. 11–12) and the ἵνα … εἰς τό chain of vv. 16–17, which runs six levels deep to the God who gives life to the dead. Interpretive choices the layout takes a side on: in v. 12 the two articles (τοῖς οὐκ ἐκ περιτομῆς μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς στοιχοῦσιν) are read as one group — circumcised Jews who also walk in Abraham's uncircumcised faith — not two; κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσεν (v. 17) is taken as an attracted relative (= κατέναντι θεοῦ ᾧ ἐπίστευσεν) resuming ὅς ἐστιν πατὴρ πάντων ἡμῶν, so it hangs on ἐστιν rather than on the quotation; κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον (v. 18) is read with ἐπίστευσεν (his believing conformed to the spoken word) rather than with γενέσθαι; v. 19 follows the text without οὐ — Abraham squarely considered his dead body and Sarah's dead womb, and believed anyway; and in v. 25 the second διά is taken prospectively (raised with our justification in view) against a flattening 'because of' in both limbs.