Topic · from the English index · as printed

Hearing from

verbs of, construction with

THE PARTITIVE GENITIVE

ἀκούειν, ἀκροᾶσθαι, πυνθἁνεσθαι, meaning to hear from, learn from, take the genitive of the actual source (1411).

GENITIVE OF SOURCE

With verbs of hearing from and the like the genitive is probably ablatival rather than partitive (1364): ἐμοῦ ἀκούσεσθε πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν from me you shall hear the whole truth P. A. 17b, τούτων πυνθάνομαι ὅτι οὐκ ἄβατόν ἐστι τὸ ὄρος I learn from these men that the mountain is not impassable X. A. 4.6.17, τοιαῦτά του παρόντος ἔκλυον such a tale I heard from some one who was present S. El. 424, εἰδέναι δέ σου χρῄζω I desire to know of thee S. El. 668.

a. Usually (except with πυνθάνεσθαι) we have παρά (ἀπό rarely), ἐξ or πρός (in poetry and Hdt.) with verbs of hearing from.

b. The genitive with εἶναι in πατρὸς δ᾽ εἴμ᾽ ἀγαθοῖο I am of a good father Φ 109, τοιούτων μέν ἐστε προγόνων of such ancestors are you X. A. 3.2.13 is often regarded as a genitive of source, but is probably possessive.

hearing of

THE PARTITIVE GENITIVE

ἀκούειν, κλύειν, πυνθάνεσθαίτινος may mean to hear about, hear of: εἰ δέ κε τεθνηῶτος ἀκούσῃς but if you hear that he is dead α 289, κλύων σοῦ hearing about thee S. O. C. 307, ὡς ἐπύθοντο τῆς Πύλου κατειλημμένης when they heard of the capture of Pylos T. 4.6. For the participle (not in indirect discourse) see 2112 a. περί is often used with the genitive without the participle.