dative proper

It is either (1) used with single words (verbs, adjectives, and sometimes with adverbs and substantives) or (2) it serves to define an entire sentence; herein unlike the genitive and accusative, which usually modify single members <*> a sentence. The connection between dative and verb is less intimate than that between genitive or accusative and verb.

The dative proper is largely personal, and denotes the person who is interested in or affected by the action; and includes 1461-1473 as well as 1474 ff. The dative proper is not often used with things; when so used there is usually personification or semi-personification.

(I) To benefit, help, injure, please, displease, be friendly or hostile, blame, be angry, threaten, envy.

βοηθεῖν τοῖσιν ἠδικημένοις to help the wronged E. I. A. 79, οὐκ ἂν ἠνώχλει νῦν ἡμῖν he would not now be troubling us D. 3.5, <*>ντὶ τοῦ συνεργεῖν ἑαυτοῖς τὰ συμφέροντα ἐπηρεάζουσιν ἀλλήλοις instead of coöperating for their mutual interests, they revile one another X. M. 3.5.16, εἰ τοῖς πλέοτιν ἀρέσκοντές ἐσμεν, τοῖσδ᾽ ἂν μόνοις οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἀπαρέσκοιμεν if we are pleasing to the majority, it would not be right if we should displease them alone T. 1.38, εὐνοεῖν τοῖς κακόνοις to be friendly to the ill-intentioned X. C. 8.2.1, ἐμοὶ ὀργίζονται they are angry at me P. A. 23c, τῷ Θηρᾱμένει ἠπείλουν they threatened Theramenes T. 8.92, οὐ φθονῶν τοῖς πλουτοῦσιν not cherishing envy against the rich X. A. 1.9.19.

Some verbs of benefiting and injuring take the accusative (ὠφελεῖν, βλάπτειν, 1591 a); μῑσεῖν τινα hate some one. λῡσιτελεῖν, συμφέρειν be of advantage take the dative.

(II) To meet, approach, yield.

ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπήντησαν αὐτοῖς οἱ στρατηγοί but when the generals met them X. A. 2.3.17, περιτυγχάνει Φιλοκράτει he meets Philocrates X. H. 4.8.24, ποίοις οὐ χρὴ θηρίοις πελάζειν what wild beasts one must not approach X. C. 1.4.7, σὺ δ᾽ εἶκ᾽ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ θεοῖσι μὴ μάχου yield to necessity and war not with heaven E. fr. 716. On the genitive with verbs of approaching, see 1353.

(III) To obey, serve, pardon, trust, advise, command, etc.

τοῖς νόμοις πείθου obey the laws I. 1.16, τῷ ῡ̔μετέρῳ ξυμφόρῳ ὑπακούειν to be subservient to your interests T. 5.98, ᾱ̓̀ν μηδεμιᾷ δουλεύῃς τῶν ἡδονῶν if you are the slave of no pleasure I. 2.29, ἐπίστευον αὐτῷ αἱ πόλεις the cities trusted him X. A. 1.9.8, στρατηγῷ στρατιώταις παραινοῦντι a general advising his men P. Ion 540 d, τῷ Μῡσῷ ἐσήμηνε φεύγειν he ordered the Mysian to flee X. A. 5.2.30, τῷ Κλεάρχῳ ἐβόᾱ ἄγειν he shouted to Clearchus to lead X. A. 1.8.12.

κελεύειν command (strictly impel) may be followed in Attic by the accusative and (usually) the infinitive; in Hom. by the dative either alone or with the infinitive. Many verbs of commanding (παραγγέλλειν, διακελεύεσθαι) take in Attic the accusative, not the dative, when used with the infinitive (1996 N.). ὑπακούειν (and ἀκούειν = obey) may take the genitive (1366).

(IV) To be like or unlike, compare, befit.

ἐοικέναι τοῖς τοιούτοις to be like such men P. R. 349d, τί οὖν πρέπει ἀνδρὶ πένητι; what then befits a poor man? P. A. 36d.

The dative of the person and the genitive of the thing are used with the impersonals δεῖ (1400), μέτεστι, μέλει, μεταμέλει, προσήκει. Thus, μισθοφόρων ἀνδρὶ τυράννῳ δεῖ a tyrant needs mercenaries X. Hi. 8.10, ὡς οὐ μετὸν αὐτοῖς Ἐπιδάμνου inasmuch as they had nothing to do with Epidamnus T. 1.28, οὐχ ὧν ἐβιᾱ́σατο μετέμελεν αὐτῷ he did not repent of his acts of violence And. 4.17, τούτῳ τῆς Βοιωτίᾱς προσήκει οὐδέν he has nothing to do with Boeotia X. A. 3.1.31. ἔξεστί μοι it is in my power does not take the genitive. For the accusative instead of the dative, see 1400. Cp. 1344.

a. For δοκεῖ μοι it seems to me (mihi videtur), δοκῶ μοι (mihi videor) may be used. b. For other cases of the dative as direct complement see 1476, 1481.

An intransitive verb taking the dative can form a personal passive, the dative becoming the nominative subject of the passive. Cp. 1745.

Passive.—The accusative of the active becomes the subject of the passive, the dative remains: ἐκείνῳ αὕτη ἡ χώρᾱ ἐδόθη this land was given to him X. H. 3.1.6.

τῑμωρεῖν (poet. τῑμωρεῖσθαί) τινι means to avenge some one (take vengeance for some one), as τῑμωρήσειν σοι τοῦ παιδὸς ὑπισχνοῦμαι I promise to avenge you because of (on the murderer of) your son X. C. 4.6.8, εἰ τῑμωρήσεις Πατρόκλῳ τὸν φόνον if you avenge the murder of Patroclus P. A. 28c. τιμωρεῖσθαί (rarely τῑμωρεῖν) τινα means to avenge oneself upon some one (punish some one).

For the dative of purpose (to what end?), common in Latin with a second dative (dono dare), Greek uses a predicate noun: ἐκείνῳ ἡ χώρᾱ δῶρον ἐδόθη the country was given to him as a gift X. H. 3.1.6. The usage in Attic inscriptions (ἧλοι ταῖς θύραις nails for the doors C.I.A. /lref>, add. 834 b, 1, 38) is somewhat similar to the Latin usage. Cp. 1502.

a. The infinitive was originally, at least in part, a dative of an abstract substantive, and served to mark purpose: τίς τ᾽ ἄρ σφωε θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι; who then of the gods brought the twain together (for) to contend in strife? A 8. Cp. “what went ye out for to see?” St. Matth. 11. 8.

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.

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.