dative of interest

After verbs of motion the dative (usually personal) is used, especially in poetry: χεῖρας ἐμοὶ ὀρέγοντας reaching out their hands to me μ 257, ψῡχᾱ̀ς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν hurled their souls on to Hades (a person) A 3; rarely, in prose, after verbs not compounded with a preposition: σχόντες (scil. τᾱ̀ς ναῦς) Π̔ηγίῳ putting in at Rhegium T. 7.1. Cp. 1485.

Dative of the Possessor.—The person for whom a thing exists is put in the dative with εἶναι, γίγνεσθαι, ὑπάρχειν, φῦναι (poet.), etc., when he is regarded as interested in its possession.

ἄλλοις μὲν χρήματά ἐστι, ἡμῖν δὲ ξύμμαχοι ἀγαθοί others have riches, we have good allies T. 1.86, τῷ δικαίῳ παρὰ θεῶν δῶρα γίγνεται gifts are bestowed upon the just man by the gods P. R. 613e, ὑπάρχει ἡμῖν οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων we have no supply of provisions X. A. 2.2.11, πᾶσι θνᾱτοῖς ἔφῡ μόρος death is the natural lot of all men S. El. 860.

So with verbs of thinking and perceiving: τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄρχοντα βλέποντα νόμον ἀνθρώποις ἐνόμισεν Cyrus considered that a good ruler was a living law to man X. C. 8.1.22, θαρροῦσι μάλιστα πολέμιοι, ὅταν τοῖς ἐναντίοις πρᾱ́γματα πυνθάνωνται the enemy are most courageous when they learn that the forces opposed to them are in trouble X. Hipp. 5.8.

In the phrase ὄνομά (ἐστί) τινι the name is put in the same case as ὄνομα. Thus, ἔδοξα ἀκοῦσαι ὄνομα αὐτῷ εἶναι Ἀγάθωνα I thought I heard his name was Agathon P. Pr. 315e. ὄνομά μοί ἐστι and ὄνομα (ἐπωνυμίᾱν) ἔχω are treated as the passives of ὀνομάζω. Cp. 1322 a.

Here belong the phrases (1) τί (ἐστιν) ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί; what have I to do with thee?; cp. τί τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τῇ βασάνῳ; what have the law and torture in common? D. 29.36. (2) τί ταῦτ᾽ ἐμοί; what have I to do with this? D. 54.17. (3) τί ἐμοὶ πλέον; what gain have I? X. C. 5.5.34.

The dative of the possessor denotes that something is at the disposal of a person or has fallen to his share temporarily. The genitive of possession lays stress on the person who owns something. The dative answers the question what is it that he has?, the genitive answers the question who is it that has something? The uses of the two cases are often parallel, but not interchangeable. Thus, in Κῦρος, οὗ σὺ ἔσει τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε Cyrus, to whom you will henceforth belong X. C. 5.1.6, ᾧ would be inappropriate. With a noun in the genitive the dative of the possessor is used (τῶν ἑκατέροις ξυμμάχων T. 2.1); with a noun in the dative, the genitive of the possessor (τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ξυμμάχοις 1. 18).

Dative of Advantage or Disadvantage (dativus commodi et incommodi).—The person or thing for whose advantage or disadvantage, anything is or is done, is put in the dative. The dative often has to be translated as if the possessive genitive were used; but the meaning is different.

ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῖς οἱ βάρβαροι ἐκ τῆς χώρᾱς ἀπῆλθον after the barbarians had departed (for them, to their advantage) from their country T. 1.89, ἄλλο στράτευμα αὐτῷ συνελέγετο another army was being raised for him X. A. 1.1.9, ἄλλῳ ὁ τοιοῦτος πλουτεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ such a man is rich for another, and not for himself P. Menex. 246e, στεφανοῦσθαι τῷ θεῷ to be crowned in honour of the god X. H. 4.3.21, Φιλιστίδης ἔπρᾱττε Φιλίππῳ Philistides was working in the interest of Philip D. 9.59, τὰ χρήματ᾽ αἴτι᾽ ἀνθρωποῖς κακῶν money is a cause of misery to mankind E. Fr. 632, οἱ Θρᾷκες οἱ τῷ Δημοσθένει ὑστερήσαντες the Thracians who came too late (for, i.e.) to help Demosthenes T. 7.29, ἥδε ἡ ἡμέρᾱ τοῖς Ἕλλησι μεγάλων κακῶν ἄρξει this day will be to the Greeks the beginning of great sorrows 2. 12, ᾱ̓́ν τίς σοι τῶν οἰκετῶν ἀποδρᾷ if any of your slaves runs away X. M. 2.10.1.

a. For the middle denoting to do something for oneself, see 1719.

b. In the last example in 1481, as elsewhere, the dative of a personal pronoun is used where a possessive pronoun would explicitly denote the owner.

A dative, dependent on the sentence, may appear to depend on a substantive: σοὶ δὲ δώσω ἄνδρα τῇ θυγατρί to you I will give a husband for your daughter X. C. 8.4.24. Common in Hdt.

With verbs of depriving, warding off, and the like, the dative of the person may be used: τὸ συστρατεύειν ἀφελεῖν σφίσιν ἐδεήθησαν they asked him to relieve them (lit. take away for them) from serving in the war X. C. 7.1.44, Δαναοῖσιν λοιγὸν ἄμῡνον ward off ruin from (for) the Danai A 456. So ἀλέξειν τινί τι (poet.). Cp. 1392, 1628.

With verbs of receiving and buying, the person who gives or sells may stand in the dative. In δέχεσθαί τί τινι (chiefly poetic) the dative denotes the interest of the recipient in the donor: Θέμιστι δέκτο δέπας she took the cup from (for, i.e. to please) Themis O 87. So with πόσου πρίωμαί σοι τὰ χοιρίδια; at what price am I to buy the pigs of you? Ar. Ach. 812.

With verbs of motion the dative of the person to whom is properly a dative of advantage or disadvantage: ἦλθε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἡ ἀγγελίᾱ the message came to (for) the Athenians T. 1.61. Cp. 1475.

Dative of Feeling (Ethical Dative).—The personal pro nouns of the first and second person are often used to denote the interest of the speaker, or to secure the interest of the person spoken to, in an action or statement.

μέμνησθέ μοι μὴ θορυβεῖν pray remember not to make a disturbance P. A. 27b, ἀμουσότεροι γενήσονται ῡ̔μῖν οἱ νέοι your young men will grow less cultivated P. R. 546d, τοιοῦτο ῡ̔μῖν ἐστι ἡ τυραννίς such a thing, you know, is despotism Hdt. 5.92 η, Ἀρταφέρνης ῡ̔μῖν Ὑστάσπεός ἐστι παῖς Artaphernes, you know, is Hystaspes' son 5. 30. The dative of feeling may denote surprise: ὦ μῆτερ, ὡς καλός μοι ὁ πάππος oh mother, how handsome grandpa is X. C. 1.3.2. With the dative of feeling cp. “knock me here” Shakesp. T. of Sh. 1. 2. 8, “study me how to please the eye” L. L. L. i. 1. 80. τοὶ surely, often used to introduce general statements or maxims, is a petrified dative of feeling (= σοί).

a. This dative in the third person is very rare (αὐτῇ in P. R. 343a).

b. This construction reproduces the familiar style of conversation and may often be translated by I beg you, please, you see, let me tell you, etc. Sometimes the idea cannot be given in translation. This dative is a form of 1481.

ἐμοὶ βουλομένῳ ἐστί, etc.—Instead of a sentence with a finite verb, a participle usually denoting inclination or aversion is added to the dative of the person interested, which depends on a form of εἶναι, γ<*>γνεσθαι, etc.

τῷ πλήθει τῶν Πλαταιῶν οὐ βουλομένῳ ἦν τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀφίστασθαι the Plataean democracy did not wish to revolt from the Athenians (= τὸ πλῆθος οὐκ ἐβούλετο ἀφίστασθαι) T. 2.3 (lit. it was not for them when wishing), ᾱ̓̀ν βουλομένοις ἀκούειν ᾖ τουτοισῑ́, μνησθήσομαι if these men (the jury) desire to hear it, I shall take the matter up later (= ᾱ̓̀ν οὗτοι ἀκούειν βούλωνται) D. 18.11, ἐπανέλθωμεν, εἴ σοι ἡδομένῳ ἐστίν let us go back if it is your pleasure to do so P. Ph. 78b, εἰ μὴ ἀσμένοις ῡ̔μῖν ἀφῖγμαι if I have come against your will T. 4.85, Νῑκίᾳ προσδεχομένῳ ἦν τὰ παρὰ τῶν Ἐγεσταίων Nicias was prepared for the news from the Egestaeans 6. 46, ἦν δὲ οὐ τῷ Ᾱ̓γησιλᾱ́ῳ ἀχθομένῳ this was not displeasing to Agesilaus X. H. 5.3.13. Cp. quibus bellum volentibus erat.

Dative of the Agent.—With passive verbs (usually in the perfect and pluperfect) and regularly with verbal adjectives in -τός and -τέος, the person in whose interest an action is done, is put in the dative. The notion of agency does not belong to the dative, but it is a natural inference that the person interested is the agent.

ἐμοὶ καὶ τούτοις πέπρᾱκται has been done by (for) me and these men D. 19.205, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύαστο when they had got their preparations ready T. 1.46, τοσαῦτά μοι εἰρήσθω let so much have been said by me L. 24.4, ἐψηφίσθαι τῇ βουλῇ let it have been decreed by the senate C.I.A. /lref>

a. With verbal adjectives in -τός and -τέος (2149): τοῖς οἴκοι ζηλωτός envied by those at home X. A. 1.7.4, ἡμῖν γ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίᾱς ἀγωνιστέον we at least must struggle to defend our freedom D. 9.70. For the accus. with -τέον, see 2152 a.

The usual restriction of the dative to tenses of completed action seems to be due to the fact that the agent is represented as placed in the position of viewing an already completed action in the light of its relation to himself (interest, advantage, possession).

The dative of the agent is rarely employed with other tenses than perfect and pluperfect: λέγεται ἡμῖν is said by us P. L. 715b, τοῖς Κερκῡραίοις οὐχ ἑωρῶντο the ships were not seen by (were invisible to) the Corcyraeans T. 1.51; present, T. 4.64, 109; aorist T. 2.7.

The person by whom (not for whom) an action is explicitly said to be done, is put in the genitive with ὑπό (1698. 1. b).

The dative of the personal agent is used (1) when the subject is impersonal, the verb being transitive or intransitive, (2) when the subject is persal and the person is treated as a thing in order to express scorn (twice only in the orators: D. 19.247, 57. 10).

ὑπό with the genitive of the personal agent is used (1) when the subject is a person, a city, a country, or is otherwise quasi-personal, (2) when the verb is intransitive even if the subject is a thing, as τῶν τειχῶν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων πεπτωκότων the walls having been destroyed by the barbarians Aes. 2.172, (3) in a few cases with an impersonal subject, usually for the sake of emphasis, as ὡς ἑταίρᾱ ἦν . . . ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων οἰκείων καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν γειτόνων μεμαρτύρηται that she was an hetaera has been testified by the rest of his relatives and by his neighbours Is. 3.13.

a. νῑκᾶσθαι, ἡττᾶσθαι to be conquered may be followed by the dative of a person, by ὑπό τινος, or by the genitive (1402).

When the agent is a thing, not a person, the dative is commonly used whether the subject is personal or impersonal. If the subject is personal, ὑπό may be used; in which case the inanimate agent is personified (see 1698. 1. N. 1). ὑπό is rarely used when the subject is impersonal. ὑπό is never used with the impersonal perfect passive of an intransitive verb.