Bible Lexicons

ὦ and ὤ,

an exclamation, expressing surprise, joy, or pain, O! oh! with nom., ὢ τάλας ἐγώ S. Aj. 981, etc.; ὢ ἔβενος, ὢ χρυσός Theoc. 15.123: also c. gen., ὢ τῆς ἀναισχυντίας Luc. Pisc. 5; with interrog., ὤ, τί λέγεις; Pl. Prt. 309d; in the middle of a sentence, E. Hipp. 362 (lyr.), al.

II with voc., a mode of address, whether at the beginning of a sentence or in a parenthesis, ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ Il. 1.74, etc., esp. in dialogue and Oratt., ἐβουλόμην, ὦ ἄνδρες, τὴν δύναμιν κτλ. Antipho. 5.1; in invocations of the gods, ὦ Ζεῦ τε καὶ Γῆ καὶ πολισσοῦχοι θεοί A. Th. 69, etc.; with imper., ὦ χαῖρε Id. Ag. 22, S. Aj. 91; ὦ πρὸς θεῶν ὕπεικε ib. 371, cf. D. 21.98: sts. following the Verb, E. Tr. 335 (lyr.); in different number from the voc., προσέλθετ', ὦ παῖ, πατρί S. OC 1104, cf. 1112, Sch. Ar. Pl. 66.

2. with nom. instead of voc., ὦ δῐος αἰθήρ, ὦ φίλος, A. Pr. 88, 545; ὦ γενναῖος Pl. Phdr. 227c; ὦ οὗτος Αἴας S. Aj. 89; ὦ οὗτος οὗτος Οἰδίπους Id. OC 1627; also οὗτος, ὦ σέ τοι (sc. καλῶ) Ar. Av. 274.

3. with both together, φίλος ὦ Μενέλαε Il. 4.189; ὦ τλάμων πάτερ S. Aj. 641 (lyr., τλᾶμον codd. rec., edd.).

4. with the latter of two nouns, Ἀγάμεμνον, ὦ Μενέλαε Id. Ph. 794. — In the first sense usu. written ὤ, in the second ὦ: [τὸ ὢ] ἡνίκα θαυμαστικὸν λαμβάνεται βαρύνεται, καὶ χωρεῐ εἰς ἐπιρρηματικὴν σύνταξιν, οἷον ὢ Ἡρακλῆς EM 79.13: Thom.Mag. p.408R. prescribes ὢ with the gen., but ὦ with the voc., e.g. ὦ Ἡράκλεις, where the whole expression, and not merely the ὤ (ὦ,) expresses surprise (but A.D. Adv. 127.24 seems to imply ὦ in both senses); ὤ as an exclam. is found in forms like ὤ μοι, ὤ μοι ἐγώ, ὢ πρὸς τῶν θεῶν D. l. c.: but ὦ πόποι δυσὶ τόνοις χρῆται Hdn.Gr. 1.503, so that ὢ πόποι is improbable, cf. Theognost. Can. 158 (as emended by Lehrs Aristarch. 3p.119); ᾤμοι and ὤμοι are both recognized by EM 822.33, cf. Lex.Mess. p.413; ωιμ' Sapph. Supp. 23.4; in E., when it stands in the middle of a sentence, it shd. be written ὤ, Hipp. 362, al.: sts. doubled, ὢ ὢ κακά A. Ag. 1214; ἰὼ ὢ ὤ S. OC 224 (v.l. ὣ ὣ ὣ); written ὼ ώ in Pap. of S. Ichn. 61; tripled, ὢ ὢ ὤ A. Pers. 985 (lyr., prob.). To those who (like D.T. 640.11, cf. Sch. D.T. p.257H.) took ὦ for the voc. of the Art. ὁ, A.D. Synt. 45.22 - 53 replies at length.