genitive (articular)

GENITIVE OF THE ARTICULAR INFINITIVE

a. The genitive of the articular infinitive is used to limit the meaning of substantives, adjectives, and verbs.

b. Adnominal (1290): τοῦ πιεῖν ἐπιθῡμίᾳ from desire to drink T. 7.84, πρὸς τὴν πόλιν προσβαλόντες ἐς ἐλπίδα ἦλθον τοῦ ἑλεῖν they attacked the city and entertained hopes of taking it 2.56.

c. Partitive (1306): τοῦ θαρσεῖν τὸ πλεῖστον εἰληφότες having gained the greatest amount of courage T. 4.34. After comparatives (1431): τί οὖν ἐστιν . . . τοῦ τοῖς φίλοις ἀρήγειν κάλλῑον; what then is nobler than to help one's friends? X. C. 1.5.13.

d. After verbs: ἐπέσχομεν τοῦ δακρῡ́ειν we desisted from weeping P. Ph. 117e (cp. 1392).

e. Purpose (cp. 1408), often a negative purpose: τοῦ μὴ τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν in order not to do what was just D. 18.107, ἐτειχίσθη Ἀταλάντη . . . τοῦ μὴ λῃστᾱ̀ς . . . κακουργεῖν τὴν Εὔβοιαν Atalante was fortified to prevent pirates from ravaging Euboea T. 2.32. More common is the use with ὑπέρ (2032 g) or ἕνεκα.

f. Genitive Absolute (2070): ἐπ᾽ ἐκείνοις δὲ ὄντος αἰεὶ τοῦ ἐπιχειρεῖν καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν εἶναι δεῖ τὸ προαμῡ́νασθαι since the power of attack is always in their hands, so in our hands should lie the power of repelling it in advance T. 3.12.

g. After prepositions, e.g. ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ Κᾱρίᾱν ἰέναι . . . ἐπὶ Φρυγίᾱς ἐπορεύετο instead of going against Caria, he marched toward Phrygia X. H. 3.4.12, ἄνευ τοῦ σωφρονεῖν without exercising self-control X. M. 4.3.1. To express purpose the genitive with ὑπέρ is very common: ὑπὲρ τοῦ τούτων γενέσθαι κῡ́ριος . . . πάντα πρᾱγματεύεται he devotes his every effort that he may become master of these D. 8.45, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ τὸ κελευόμενον ποιῆσαι in order not to do what was commanded 18. 204. Furthermore, after ἀπό, πρό, διά, μετά, περί, ὑπό, ἕνεκα, χάριν, χωρίς, πλήν, μέχρι; and after adverbs. In Hdt. τοῦ may be omitted after ἀντί.