Possession

A form of the genitive of possession appears in poetry with verbal adjectives and passive participles to denote the personal origin of an action (cp. 1298): κείνης διδακτά taught of her S. El. 344, ἐκδιδαχθεὶς τῶν κατ᾽ οἶκον informed by those in the house S. Tr. 934, πληγεὶς θυγατρός struck by a daughter E. Or. 497. Cp. διόσδοτος given of God; and “beloved of the Lord.”

On the genitive absolute, see 2070.

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.

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).

Possession and Belonging (1297).—ὁ ἔρως κοινὸς πάντων ἀνθρώπων love common to all men P. S. 205a (cp. κοινωνεῖν 1343), ἱερὸς τοῦ αὐτοῦ θεοῦ sacred to the same god P. Ph. 85b, οἱ κίνδῡνοι τῶν ἐφεστηκότων ἴδιοι the dangers belong to the commanders D. 2.28. So with οἰκεῖος and ἐπιχώριος peculiar to. κοινός (usually), οἰκεῖος inclined to, appropriate to, and ἴδιος also take the dative (1499).