ablatival genitive

Several verbs of separation, such as ἐλευθεροῦν (especially with a personal subject), may take ἀπό or ἐξ when the local idea is prominent. Many take also the accusative.

The genitive, instead of the accusative (1628), may be used with verbs of depriving: ἀποστερεῖ με τῶν χρημάτων he deprives me of my property I. 17.35, τῶν ἄλλων ἀφαιρούμενοι χρήματα taking away property from others X. M. 1.5.3.

The genitive of the place whence is employed in poetry where a compound verb would be used in prose: βάθρων ἵστασθε rise from the steps S. O. T. 142 (cp. ὑπανίστανται θᾱ́κων they rise from their seats X. S. 4. 31), χθονὸς ἀείρᾱς raising from the ground S. Ant. 417.

The genitive with verbs signifying to want, lack, empty, etc. may be classed with the genitive of separation.

τῶν ἐπιτηδείων οὐκ ἀπορήσομεν we shall not want provisions X. A. 2.2.11, ἐπαίνου οὔποτε σπανίζετε you never lack praise X. Hi. 1.14, ἀνδρῶν τᾱ́νδε πόλιν κενῶσαι to empty this city of its men A. Supp. 660. So with ἐλλείπειν and στέρεσθαι lack, ἐρημοῦν deliver from.

δέω I lack (the personal construction) usually takes the genitive of quantity: πολλοῦ γε δέω nothing of the sort P. Phae. 228a, μῑκροῦ ἔδεον ἐν χερσὶ τῶν ὁπλῑτῶν εἶναι they were nearly at close quarters with the hoplites X. H. 4.6.11, τοσούτου δέω ζηλοῦν I am so far from admiring D. 8.70 (also τοσοῦτον δέω).

δέομαι I want, request may take the genitive, or the accusative (regularly of neuter pronouns and adjectives), of the thing wanted; and the genitive of the person: ἐρωτώμενος ὅτου δέοιτο, Ἀσκῶν, ἔφη, δισχῑλίων δεήσομαι being asked what he needed, he said ‘I shall have need of two thousand skins’ X. A. 3.5.9, τοῦτο ῡ̔μῶν δέομαι I ask this of you P. A. 17c. The genitive of the thing and of the person is unusual: δεόμενοι Κῡ́ρου ἄλλης ἄλλης πρᾱ́ξεως petitioning Cyrus about different matters X. C. 8.3.19.

δεῖ (impersonal) is frequently used with genitives of quantity: πολλοῦ δεῖ οὕτως ἔχειν far from that being the case P. A. 35d, οὐδὲ πολλοῦ δεῖ D. 8.42 (only in D.) and οὐδ᾽ ὀλίγου δεῖ no, far from it D. 19.184. δεῖν may be omitted (but not with πολλοῦ), leaving ὀλίγου and μῑκροῦ in the sense of almost, all but; <*>λίγου πάντες almost all P. R. 552d, ὀλίγου εἷλον τὴν πόλιν they all but. took the city T. 8.35. On δεῖν used absolutely, see 2012 d; on δέων with numerals, 350 c.

δεῖ μοί τινος means I have need of something. In place of the dative (1467) an accusative of the person is rarely allowed in poetry on the analogy of δεῖ with the infinitive (1985): οὐ πόνου πολλοῦ με δεῖ I have need of no great toil E. Hipp. 23 (often in E.). The thing needed is rarely put in the accusative: εἴ τι δέοι τῷ χορῷ if the chorus need anything Ant. 6.12 (here some regard τὶ as nominative). Cp. 1562.

With verbs signifying to surpass, be inferior to, the genitive denotes that with which anything is compared.

τῑμαῖς τούτων ἐπλεονεκτεῖτε you had the advantage over them in honours X. A. 3.1.37, ἡττῶντο τοῦ ὕδατος they were overpowered by the water X. H. 5.2.5, ὑστερεῖν τῶν ἔργων to be too late for operations D. 4.38, ἡμῶν λειφθέντες inferior to us X. A. 7.7.31. So with πρεσβεύειν hold the first place, ἀριστεύειν be best (poet.), μειοῦσθαι fall short of, μειονεκτεῖν be worse off, ἐλαττοῦσθαι be at a disadvantage. νικᾶσθαί τινος is chiefly poetic. ἡττᾶσθαι often takes ὑπό. Akin to this genitive is that with verbs of ruling (1370), which are often derived from a substantive signifying ruler.

Many verbs compounded with πρό, περί, ὑπέρ denoting superiority take the genitive, which may depend on the preposition (1384): τάχει περιεγένου αὐτοῦ you excelled him in speed X. C. 3.1.19, γνώμῃ προέχειν τῶν ἐναντίων to excel the enemy in spirit T. 2.62, τοῖς ὅπλοις αὐτῶν ὑπερφέρομεν we surpass them in our infantry 1. 81. So with περιεῖναι, ὑπερέχειν. προτῑμᾶν, προκρῑ́νειν, and προαιρεῖσθαι prefer, προεστηκέναι be at the head of certainly take the genitive by reason of the preposition. ὑπερβάλλειν and ὑπερβαίνειν surpass take the accusative.

The object compared may be expressed by πρό, ἀντί with the genitive, or by παρά, πρός with the accusative. See under Prepositions. That in which one thing is superior or inferior to another usually stands in the dative (1513, 1515).

With the above verbs the person stands in the accusative or dative. Some of these verbs take the dative or ἐπί and the dative (e.g. ἀλγεῖν, στένειν, ἄχθεσθαι, φθονεῖν) to express the cause of the emotion. See the Lexicon.

The genitive of cause is used in exclamations and is often preceded by an interjection: φεῦ τοῦ ἀνδρός alas for the man! X. C. 3.1.39, τῆς τύχης my ill luck! 2. 2. 3. In tragedy, the genitive of a pronoun or adjective after οἴμοι or ὤμοι refers to the second or third person. For the first person the nominative is used (οἴμοι τάλαινα ah me, miserable! S. Ant. 554).

Allied to the genitive of cause is the genitive of purpose in τοῦ with the infinitive (esp. with μή, 2032 e), and in expressions where ἕνεκα is usually employed, as ἡ πᾶσ᾽ ἀπάτη συνεσκευάσθη τοῦ περὶ Φωκέᾱς ὀλέθρου the whole fraud was contrived for the purpose of ruining the Phocians D. 19.76.

Closely connected with the genitive of cause is the genitive with verbs of disputing: οὐ βασιλεῖ ἀντιποιούμεθα τῆς ἀρχῆς we have no dispute with the king about his empire X. A. 2.1.23, ἠμφισβήτησεν Ἐρεχθεῖ τῆς πόλεως he disputed the possession of the city with Erechtheus I. 12.193, ἆρ᾽ οὖν μὴ ἡμῖν ἐναντιώσεται τῆς ἀπαγωγῆς; well then he will not oppose us about the removal (of the army), will he? X. A. 7.6.5. ἀντιποιεῖσθαι claim may follow 1349 (τῆς πόλεως ἀντεποιοῦντο they laid claim to the city T. 4.122). Verbs of disputing are sometimes referred to 1343 or 1349.

With verbs of hearing from and the like the genitive is probably ablatival rather than partitive (1364): ἐμοῦ ἀκούσεσθε πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν from me you shall hear the whole truth P. A. 17b, τούτων πυνθάνομαι ὅτι οὐκ ἄβατόν ἐστι τὸ ὄρος I learn from these men that the mountain is not impassable X. A. 4.6.17, τοιαῦτά του παρόντος ἔκλυον such a tale I heard from some one who was present S. El. 424, εἰδέναι δέ σου χρῄζω I desire to know of thee S. El. 668.

a. Usually (except with πυνθάνεσθαι) we have παρά (ἀπό rarely), ἐξ or πρός (in poetry and Hdt.) with verbs of hearing from.

b. The genitive with εἶναι in πατρὸς δ᾽ εἴμ᾽ ἀγαθοῖο I am of a good father Φ 109, τοιούτων μέν ἐστε προγόνων of such ancestors are you X. A. 3.2.13 is often regarded as a genitive of source, but is probably possessive.