Bible Lexicons

ἦ

ἦ, Adv., never in the form ἦε (ἠέ):

I TO CONFIRM

1. an assertion, in truth, of a surety, ἦ ὀλίγον οἷ παῖδα ἐοικότα γείνατο Τυδεύς Il. 5.800, etc.; ironically, 1.229, al.; with concessive force, it is true that..: hence, although.., ἦ καὶ γένει ὕστερος ἦεν 3.215: freq. strengthd. by the addition of one or two other Particles, as ἦ ἄρα Od. 24.193; ἦ ἄρα δή Il. 13.446; ἦ ῥα 4.82; ἦ ῥά νυ 6.215; ἦ γάρ 1.78; ἦ γάρ τοι Od. 16.199; ἦ δή Il. 2.272; ἦ δή που 21.583; ἦ δῆτα S. OT 429; ἦ θην Il. 20.452; ἦ κάρτα S. El. 1279; ἦ μάλα Il. 3.204; ἦ μάλα δή 5.422; ἦ μήν and ἦ μέν (v. infr.); ἦ νυ Il. 22.11; ἦ τάχα Od. 18.73; ἦ τε 13.211: and to express doubt, ἦ που, v. ἦ που and ποῦ: esp. ἦ μήν used in oaths and asseverations, Il. 2.291, 7.393, A. Pr. 73, 168, etc.; also ἦ μάν Il. 2.370, 13.354, Sapph. Supp. 23.5; ἦ μέν Od. 10.65 (later εἶ μήν, v. εἷ): c. inf. in orat. obliq., after Verbs of swearing, etc., σὺ δὲ σύνθεο, καί μοι ὄμοσσον, ἦ μέν μοι πρόφρων ἔπεσιν καὶ χερσὶν ἀρήξειν Il. 1.77; ἦ μέν also in Ion. historical Prose, Hdt. 4.154, 5.93, al.; ἐγγυᾶσθαι, ἦ μὴν παραμενεῖν Pl. Phd. 115d; ἐγγυητὰς καταστῆσαι ἦ μὴν ἐκτείσειν Lexap. D. 24.39: with other Particles, ἦ μὲν δή Il. 2.798, Od. 18.257, al.; ἦ δὴ μάν Il. 17.538.

2. in the combinations ἐπεὶ ἦ, ὅτι ἢ and τί ἢ; A.D. Conj. 255.5, Synt. 307.19 (cf. Hdn.Gr. 1.520), recognizes an 'expletive' ἠ (παραπληρωματικὸς σύνδεσμος) perispom. after ἐπεί, barytone after ὅτι or τί. It is prob. the same as the affirmative ἦ (cf. A.D. Conj. l.c.), and occurs in the same combinations, ἐπεὶ ἦ πολύ.. Il. 1.169, al.; ἐπεὶ ἦ μάλα ib. 156, Od. 10.465; ἐπεὶ ἦ καί.. Il. 20.437, Od. 16.442. Trypho took τίη as one word, and this can be supported by τί ἢ δὲ σύ.. Il. 6.55, but A.D. (Conj. l.c.) infers from the accent of ὅτι ἢ that τί ἢ was two words. The Attic accentuation is said by Eust. 45 init., 118.39, 907.14 to be τιή, ὁτιή (qq. v.).

3. this ἦ (or ἢ) is prob. to be recognized in ὥς τε γὰρ ἦ Il. 2.289, ὥς τέ τευ ἦ Od. 3.348, 19.109, where codd. have ἢ (in Od. 3.348 ἠδέ (cj. Bekker) shd. perh. be read for ἠέ).

II in Questions not involving alternatives:

1 Direct questions, epexegetic of a preceding question, suggesting the answer to it, τίπτ' εἰλήλουθας; ἦ ἵνα ὕβριν ἴδῃ Ἀγαμέμνονος; why hast thou come? is it that thou mayst see.. ? Il. 1.203, cf. 5.466, 7.26, Od. 4.710, 13.418, 17.376, B. 17.5; τί δῆτα χρῄζεις; ἦ με γῆς ἔξω βαλεῖν; S. OT 622, cf. E. Or. 1425 (ἤ codd.); τίς σοι διηγεῖτο; ἦ αὐτὸς Σωκράτης; Pl. Smp. 173a (perispom., cod. B): on the accent, Hdn. Gr. 2.112. not epexegetic of a preceding question, ἦ σύ γ' Ὀδυσσεύς ἐσσι πολύτροπος; art thou the wily Odysseus? Od. 10.330, cf. Il. 11.666, 15.504; ἦ οὐκ ὀτρύνοντος ἀκούετε.. Ἕκτορος; do you not hear..? ib. 506, cf. Od. 16.424; ἦ τὸ πλοῖον ἀφῖκται; Pl. Cri. 43c; ἦ οὐ δοκεῖ καὶ σοὶ οὕτω; don't you think so too? Id. Grg. 479b (perispom., cod. T); ἦ βούλει συλλογισώμεθα αὐτά; shall we work them (the consequences) out? ib. 479c (perispom., cod. T); ἦ τορῶς λέγω; A. Ag. 269; ἦ κἀν δόμοισι τυγχάνει τανῦν παρών; S. OT 757: freq. with other Particles, ἦ ἄρ..; Od. 20.166, Il. 19.56; mostly ἦ ῥα..; 5.421, 762, Od. 4.632; also in Trag. (in lyr.), A. Pers. 633, S. Aj. 172, 955: esp. to mark the first of several questions, Pi. I. 7(6).3 sqq.; ἦ ἄρα δή..; Il. 13.446; ἦ ῥά νυ..; 4.93; ἦ νυ..; 15.128; ἦ ταῦτα δή..; S. Ph. 565, El. 385; ἦ ταῦτα δῆτα..; Id. OT 429; ἦ γάρ..; A. Pr. 745, 757, S. OT 1000: in Att. Prose, ἦ γάρ; standing alone, is it not so? Pl. Tht. 160e, Grg. 449d, 468d; ἦ καί..; A. Ag. 1207, 1362: — ἦ usu. begins the sentence, except that the vocative may precede, as in Il. 5.421, 762, Od. 4.632, S. OC 863, 1102, or ἀλλά, as in A. Ag. 276, Ch. 774: — by Crasis ἦ combines with ἄρα in Att. and the κοινή to ἆρα (q. v.), in all other dialects (cf. A.D. Conj. 223.24) to ἦρα (q. v.), but ἆρα is found in Pi. P. 4.78 (ἄρα codd.), al., Archil. 86, 89.

2. Indirect questions, οἴχετο πευσόμενος μετὰ σὸν κλέος ἤ που ἔτ' εἴης Od. 13.415 (v.l. εἰ, which alone has Ms. authority in Il. 1.83, Od. 19.325); ὄφρα καὶ Ἕκτωρ εἴσεται ἢ καὶ ἐμὸν δόρυ μαίνεται ἐν παλάμῃσιν Il. 8.111 (v.l. εἰ) ; ἀλλ' ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ.. ἢ καὶ Λαέρτῃ αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἄγγελος ἔλθω; Od. 16.138 (v.l. εἰ) ; ἀμφίστασθαι ἦ κα πεφυτεύκωντι πάντα κὰτ τὰν συνθήκαν they shall investigate whether.. Tab.Heracl. 1.125; μαντεύσασθαί οἱ.. ἦ λώϊόν οἵ κα εἴη Isyll. 34; διαφαφίξασθαι ἦ δοκεῖ αὐτὸν στεφανῶσαι IG 12(3).170.12 (Astypalaea): accented ἤ in codd. Hom., but it shd. perh. be perispom.