σφεῖς

A. FORMS: nom. σφεῖς Hdt. 7.168, Th. 5.46,65, X. An. 7.5.9, HG 5.2.8, Pl. R. 487c:—the uncontr, form σφέες is never found, cf. A.D. Pron. 93.1, though recognized by Greg.Cor.p.479 S.:—the obl. cases only are used by Hom.

2. Gen. σφέων, in Hom. a monosyll., and sts. enclitic, Il. 18.311, Od. 3.134; poet. σφείων only in Il., and always in phrase ὦσαν ἀπὸ σφείων, 4.535, 5.626, 13.148; σφέων also in Hdt. 2.4, 4.35, al.; Att. σφῶν IG 12.39.67, al., Th. 1.120, al., Antipho 6.23, etc., also in Hom. in the phrase σφῶν αὐτῶν, Il. 12.155, 19.302.

3. Dat. σφίσι(ν) or σφισι(ν) 4.2, 17.453, 22.288,474, A. Pr. 481, Hdt. 1.4, al., Th. 1.19, al., X. HG 1.7.5, etc.; more freq. in the forms σφι , σφιν, Il. 2.612,614, al., A. Pr. 254, al., Hdt. 1.31, al. (not in Att. Prose); in Trag. never σφι; sts. elided σφ’, Il. 3.300, 8.4, etc.; σφιν also in Dor. Prose, SIG 56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG 22.1126.25 (Delph. Amphict., iv B.C.), Schwyzer 92.5 (Argos, iii B.C.), Anon. in PSI 9.1091.21:—σφίσι(ν) is not enclitic acc. to A.D. Pron. 98.12, sts. enclitic acc. to Hdn.Gr.2.42 (who says elsewh. (2.57) that pronouns beginning with σφ‐ are always enclitic); σφι(ν) is enclitic, exc. at the beginning of a phrase, as σφὶν δ’ αὐτοῖς Hes. Fr. 49 (cited by A.D. Pron. 98.11).

4. Acc., Ep. and Ion. σφέας (enclit. σφεας) Hom. (v. infr.), Archil. 27.2, Hdt. 1.4,5, al.; freq. to be pronounced as one long syllable, as in οὐ μέν σφεας ἔτ’ ἔολπα Od. 8.315, cf. 480, 13.213,276; but also as a disyll., Il. 12.43, Od. 12.225, al.; σφας enclit. in Il. 5.567, Parm. 1.12, Theoc. 21.16, not enclit. in Opp. C. 1.471, H. 2.231; Att. σφᾶς IG 12.101.3, Th. 1.24, E. Med. 1378, Or. 1127, etc.; enclit. σφας [α, cf. S. Ant. 128 (anap.)] S. OT 1470,1508, OC 486; also σφε Il. 19.265, Simon. 99, Pi. P. 5.86, A. Th. 630 (lyr.), 788 (lyr.), 864 (anap.), S. OT 1505, OC 605, 1669, E. Med. 394, etc.; never in Com. (for Ar. Eq. 1020 is a burlesque oracle), nor in Att. Prose; once in Hdt. (7.170, sed leg. σφέας): neut. σφεα (v. infr. 111).

II. Rare dialectic forms:—Lacon. dat. φιν, EM 702.41; used also by Emp. 22.3, Call. Dian. 125,213, Fr. 183, Nic. Th. 725: Aeol. dat. and acc. ἄσφι, ἄσφε, Sapph. 43, Alc. 73: Syrac. dat. and acc. ψιν , ψε, Sophr. 93,94, Theoc. 4.3; ψε and ψεαυτόνς also Cretan, Rendic.Pont. Accad.Rom. di Arch. 7.106, Riv.Fil. 58(1930).473; Cret. dat. ψιναυτοῖς Riv.Ist.Arch. 2.19: Arc. dat. σφεις IG 5(2).6.10, 18 (Tegea).-- For the dual v. σφωέ: like other pl. forms σφε can be used with reference to two persons, Il. 11.111, Od. 8.271, 21.192, 206; so σφεας, Il. 11.128.

III. Gender:—in Hom. this Pron. has no neut.; in Od. 9.70, 10.355, it refers to things, denoted by feminine nouns: but in Ion. Prose occurs the neut. pl. σφεα, Hdt. 1.46,89, 2.119, 3.53 (σφε codd.), 7.50, Abyd. 9; σφε is acc. pl. neut. in Theoc. 15.80.

B. MEANINGS:

I. they, them, pl. of οὗ B.I, ἐκ γάρ σφεων φρένας εἵλετο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη Il. 18.311; τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπον Od. 3.134; μετὰ δέ σφισι πότνια Ἥβη νέκταρ ἐῳνοχόει Il. 4.2; οὔ σφι θαλάσσια ἔργα μεμήλει 2.614; ἐγώ σφισιν ἔδειξα κράσεις ἠπίων ἀκεσμάτων A. Pr. 481, cf. 443,457, S. OT 1470, al., E. Med. 1378; this use is not found in Prose, exc. in dialects, SIG 56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG 22.1126.25 (Delph. Amphict., iv B.C.), Hdt. 1.3, 2.15, al.

b. παρὰ δέ σφιν ἑκάστῳ δίζυγες ἵπποι ἑστᾶσι beside each of them, Il. 5.195.

2. reflexively, as pl. of οὗ B. 11.1, ὦσαν ἀπὸ σφείων 4.535, al.; αἵ ἑ μετὰ σφίσιν εἶχον 22.474, cf. Th. 2.76; later with the same restriction as for οὗ B. 11.1, e.g. φράζοντες ὡς οὔ σφι περιοπτέη ἐστὶ ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἀπολλυμένη· ἢν γὰρ σφαλῇ, σφεῖς γε οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ δουλεύσουσι τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερέων Hdt. 7.168, cf. Th. 5.46,65, X. An. 7.5.9, HG 5.2.8, Pl. R. 487c.

3. oblique cases in combination with αὐτῶν, αὐτούς, etc., forming a reflex. Pron. used without the foreg. restriction, ἐντὸς δὲ πυκάζοιεν σφέας αὐτούς Od. 12.225; σφῶν δ’ αὐτῶν κήδε’ ἑκάστη Il. 19.302, cf. 12.155; σφᾶς δ’ αὐτάς Hes. Th. 34; Κερκυραῖοι σφῶν αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι ἐφόνευον Th. 3.81, cf. 1.139, al.; it sts. = ἀλλήλους (‐ων), ἀλλήλοις κοτέοντες ἐπὶ σφέας ὁρμήσωσι Hes. Sc. 403; ποθεινοτέρως σφῶν αὐτῶν ἔχειν X. Lac. 1.5; σφᾶς(σφὰς cod. L) αὐτοὺς . . ἐπέφραδον informed one another, A.R. 2.959; but σφᾶς ἑωυτάς is prob. f.l. in Hp. Epid. 2.1.3: cf. Thom.Mag.p.329 R.

II. as sg., = him, her, in the dat. and acc. forms σφἱν), σφε; σφιν is so used in h.Pan. 19, h.Hom. 30.9, A. Pers. 759, S. OC 1490 (in Od. 15.524 σφιν refers to all the suitors, and in Hes. Sc. 113 to Ares and Cycnus); σφι in Lyc. 1242; σφε = him, her, in Pi. I. 6(5).74, A. Pr. 9, Th. 469, al., S. OT 761, Ant. 44, Ph. 200 (anap.), al., E. Alc. 107 (lyr.), 149,200, Med. 33, al.; = it (of a masc. noun) in S. OC 40: f.l. for σφεα in Hdt. 3.52,53, and for σφεας Id. 1.71, al.

III. once as 2 pers. pl. reflex., ἠνώγει δέ μ’ ἰόντα . . πυθέσθαι ἠὲ . . ἦ . . φύξιν βουλεύοιτε μετὰ σφίσιν Il. 10.398 (reported from φύξιν βουλεύουσι μετὰ σφίσιν ib.311); σφέας for ὑμᾶς in Hdt. 3.71 (but with v.l. σφεα).

IV. later as 1 pers. pl. (cf. σφέτερος, σφωΐτερος, ἑός), ἧμιν ἐνὶ σφίσι A.R. 2.1278; σφᾶς = ἡμᾶς, Men.Prot. p. 119 D.; censured by Luc. Sol. 8,9.