Semantic roles (AGDT table)
INSTRUMENTAL DATIVE PROPER
Instrument or Means.—ἔβαλλέ με λίθοις
he hit me with stones 3.8, ῑ̔́ησι τῇ ἀξῑ́νῃ he hurls his ax at him (hurls with his ax) A. 1.5.12, ταῖς μαχαίραις κόπτοντες hacking them with their swords 4. 6. 26, οὐδὲν ἤνυε τούτοις
he accomplished nothing by this 21.104, ἐζημίωσαν χρήμασιν they punished him by a fine 2.65, ῡ̔́οντος πολλῷ (ὕδατι) during a heavy rain H. 1.1.16 (934). So with δέχεσθαι: τῶν πόλεων οὐ δεχομένων αὐτοὺς ἀγορᾷ οὐδὲ ἄστει, ὕδατι δὲ καὶ ὅρμῳ as the cities did not admit them to a market nor even into the town, but (only) to water and anchorage 6.44. Often with passives: ᾠκοδομημένον πλίνθοις
built of bricks A. 2.4.12.
a. The instrumental dative is often akin to the comitative dative: ἀλώμενος νηί τε καὶ ἑτάροισι
wandering with his ship and companions λ 161, νηυσὶν οἰχήσονται
they shall go with their ships Ω 731, θῡμῷ καὶ ῥώμῃ τὸ πλέον ἐναυμάχουν ἢ ἐπιστήμῃ
they fought with passionate violence and brute force rather than by a system of tactics 1.49.
b. Persons may be regarded as instruments: φυλαττόμενοι φύλαξι
defending themselves by pickets A. 6.4.27. Often in poetry ( Ant. 164).
c. Verbs of raining or snowing take the dative or accusative (1570 a).
Under Means fall:
a. The dative of price (cp. 1372): μέρει τῶν ἀδικημάτων τὸν κίνδῡνον ἐξεπρίαντο
they freed themselves from the danger at the price of a part of their unjust gains 27.6.
b. Rarely, the dative with verbs of filling (cp. 1369): δάκρυσι πᾶν τὸ στράτευμα πλησθέν
the entire army being filled with tears 7.75.
c. The dative of material and constituent parts: κατεσκευάσατο ἅρματα τροχοῖς ἰσχῡροῖς
he made chariots with strong wheels C. 6.1.29.
χρῆσθαι use (strictly employ oneself with, get something done with; cp. uti), and sometimes νομίζειν, take the dative. Thus, οὔτε τούτοις (τοῖς νομίμοις) χρῆται οὔθ᾽ οἷς ἡ ἄλλη Ἑλλὰς νομίζει
neither acts according to these institutions nor observes those accepted by the rest of Greece 1.77. A predicate noun may be added to the dative: τούτοις χρῶνται δορυφόροις
they make use of them as a body-guard Hi. 5.3. The use to which an object is put may be expressed by a neuter pronoun in the accus. (1573); τί χρησόμεθα τούτῳ; what use shall we make of it? 3.6.
The instrumental dative occurs after substantives: μῑ́μησις σχήμασι
imitation by means of gestures R. 397b.
The instrumental dative of means is often, especially in poetry, reinforced by the prepositions ἐν, σύν, ὑπό: ἐν λόγοις πείθειν
to persuade by words Ph. 1393, οἱ θεοὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐσήμηναν
the gods have shown by the victims A. 6.1.31; σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς
heavy with old age O. T. 17; πόλις χερσὶν ὑφ᾽ ἡμετέρῃσιν ἁλοῦσα a city captured by our hands B 374.
In the index: Instrument of action · Means · Dative case · Persons · Raining · Snowing · Constituent parts · Filling · Material · Price · Predicate · Substantives