dative of relation

Dative of Reference.—The dative of a noun or pronoun often denotes the person in whose opinion a statement holds good.

γάμους τοὺς πρώτους ἐγάμει Πέρσῃσι ὁ Δᾱρεῖος Darius contracted marriages most distinguished in the eyes of the Persians Hdt. 3.88, πᾶσι νῑκᾶν τοῖς κριταῖς to be victorious in the judgment of all the judges Ar. Av. 445, πολλοῖσιν οἰκτρός pitiful in the eyes of many S. Tr. 1071. παρά is often used, as in παρὰ Δᾱρείῳ κριτῇ in the opinion of Darius Hdt. 3.160.

The dative participle, without a noun or pronoun, is frequently used in the singular or plural to denote indefinitely the person judging or observing. This construction is most common with participles of verbs of coming or going and with participles of verbs of considering.

ἡ Θρᾴκη ἐστὶν ἐπὶ δεξιὰ εἰς τὸν Πόντον εἰσπλέοντι Thrace is on the right as you sail into the Pontus X. A. 6.4.1, ἔλεγον ὅτι ἡ ὁδὸς διαβάντι τὸν ποταμὸν ἐπὶ Λῡδίᾱν φέροι they said that, when you had crossed the river, the road led to Lydia 3. 5. 15, οὐκ οὖν ἄτοπον διαλογιζομένοις τᾱ̀ς δωρεᾱ̀ς νῡνὶ πλείους εἶναι; is it not strange, when we reflect, that gifts are more frequent now? Aes. 3.179, τὸ μὲν ἔξωθεν ἁπτομένῳ σῶμα οὐκ ἄγᾱν θερμὸν ἦν if you touched the surface the body was not very hot T. 2.49, πρὸς ὠφέλειαν σκοπουμένῳ ὁ ἐπαινέτης τοῦ δικαίου ἀληθεύει if you look at the matter from the point of view of advantage, the panegyrist of justice speaks the truth P. R. 589c. So (ὡς) συνελόντι εἰπεῖν (X. A. 3.1.38) to speak briefly (lit. for one having brought the matter into small compass), συνελόντι D. 4.7.

a. The participle of verbs of coming or going is commonly used in statements of geographical situation.

b. The present participle is more common than the aorist in the case of all verbs belonging under 1497.

Dative of the Participle expressing Time.—In expressions of time a participle is often used with the dative of the person interested in the action of the subject, and especially to express the time that has passed since an action has occurred (cp. “and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren” St. Luke i. 36).

ἀποροῦντι δ᾽ αὐτῷ ἔρχεται Προμηθεύς Prometheus comes to him in his perplexity P. Pr. 321c, Ξενοφῶντι πορευομένῳ οἱ ἱππεῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι πρεσβῡ́ταις while Xenophon was on the march, his horsemen fell in with some old men X. A. 6.3.10. The idiom is often transferred from persons to things: ἡμέραι μάλιστα ἦσαν τῇ Μυτιλήνῃ ἑᾱλωκυίᾳ ἑπτά, ὅτ᾽ ἐς τὸ Ἔμβατον κατέπλευσαν about seven days had passed since the capture of Mytilene, when they sailed into Embatum T. 3.29. This construction is frequent in Hom. and Hdt. The participle is rarely omitted (T. 1.13.).

a. A temporal clause may take the place of the participle: τῇ στρατιᾷ, ἀφ᾽ οὗ ἐξέπλευσεν εἰς Σικελίᾱν, ἤδη ἐστὶ δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα ἔτη it is already fifty-two years since the expedition sailed to Sicily Is. 6.14.