σφεῖσ (root σfε, cf. sui), gen. σφέων, σφείων, σφῶν (αὐτῶν), dat. σφίσι(ν), σφ(ίν), acc. σφέας, σφάς, σφ(έ): personal and reflexive pron. of 3d pers., them(selves). σφέ and σφί are always enclitic, σφῶν and σφείων never. σφί is probably never reflexive. Rarely of things, Od. 9.70, Od. 10.355.
σφάζω, aor. ἔσφαξα, σφάξε, pass. pres. part. σφαζόμενοι, perf. part. ἐσφαγμένα: cut the throat, slaughter, always of animals, esp. victims for sacrifice, Il. 1.459, Od. 3.449, 454, Od. 1.92. The blood was caught in a vessel made for the purpose. (See cut under ἀμνίον.)
σφεῖσ, A. FORMS: nom. σφεῖσHdt.7.168, Th.5.46,65, X.An. 7.5.9, HG5.2.8, 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. σφῶνIG12.39.67, 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.HG1.7.5, 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, SIG56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG22.1126.25 (Delph. Amphict., iv B.C.), Schwyzer 92.5 (Argos, iii B.C.), Anon. in PSI9.1091.21:— 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' αὐτοῖσHes.Fr.49 (cited by A.D.Pron.98.11). 4. Acc., Ep. and Ion. σφέᾰσ (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' ἔολπαOd.8.315, cf. 480, 13.213,276; but also as a disyll., Il.12.43, Od.12.225, al.; σφᾰσ enclit. in Il.5.567, Parm.1.12, Theoc.21.16, not enclit. in Opp.C.1.471, H.2.231; Att. σφᾶσIG12.101.3, Th.1.24, E.Med.1378, Or.1127, etc.; enclit. σφας [ᾱ, cf. S.Ant.128 (anap.)] S.OT1470,1508, OC486; also σφεIl.19.265, Simon.99, Pi.P.5.86, A.Th.630 (lyr.), 788 (lyr.), 864 (anap.), S.OT1505, OC605, 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, EM702.41; 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. ψιναυτοῖσRiv.Ist.Arch.2.19: Arc. dat. σφεισIG5(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 ἈθήνηIl.18.311; τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπονOd.3.134; μετὰ δέ σφισι πότνια Ἥβη νέκταρ ἐῳνοχόειIl.4.2; οὔ σφι θαλάσσια ἔργα μεμήλει 2.614; ἐγώ σφισιν ἔδειξα κράσεις ἠπίων ἀκεσμάτωνA.Pr.481, cf. 443,457, S.OT1470, al., E.Med.1378; this use is not found in Prose, exc. in dialects, SIG56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG22.1126.25 (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 οὗB. 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 οὗB. 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 ἡμερέωνHdt.7.168, cf. Th.5.46,65, X.An.7.5.9, HG5.2.8, 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 αὐτούσOd.12.225; σφῶν δ' αὐτῶν κήδε' ἑκάστηIl.19.302, cf. 12.155; σφᾶς δ' αὐτάσHes.Th.34; Κερκυραῖοι σφῶν αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι ἐφόνευονTh.3.81, cf. 1.139, al.; it sts. = ἀλλήλουσ (-ων), ἀλλήλοις κοτέοντες ἐπὶ σφέας ὁρμήσωσιHes.Sc.403; ποθεινοτέρως σφῶν αὐτῶν ἔχεινX.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 σφιν, σφε; σφιν is so used in h.Pan.19, h.Hom.30.9, A.Pers.759, S.OC1490 (in Od.15.524 σφιν refers to all the suitors, and in Hes.Sc.113 to Ares and Cycnus); σφι in Lyc.1242; σφε =
(of a masc. noun) in S.OC40: f.l. for σφεα in Hdt.3.52,53, and for σφεασId.1.71, al. III. once as 2 pers. pl. reflex., ἠνώγει δέ μ' ἰόντα ..πυθέσθαι ἠὲ ..ἦ ..φύξιν βουλεύοιτε μετὰ σφίσινIl.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, σφωί̈τερος, ἑόσ), ἧμιν ἐνὶ σφίσιA.R.2.1278; σφᾶσ = ἡμᾶσ, Men.Prot.p.119 D.; censured by Luc.Sol.8,9.
σφάζω, Od.4.320, Hdt.2.39, E.Tr.134 (lyr.); in Com. (Cratin. 361) and Prose, from Pl. (Grg.468c) downwards, σφάττω, cf. Σφαττόμενοσ title of play by Diph., IG22.2363.34, and σ[φά]ττετ[αι] SIG 1024.36 (Myconus, iii/ii B.C.); Boeot. σφάδδωAn.Ox.4.325: fut.σφάξωE.Heracl.493: aor.ἔσφαξαIl.2.422: pf.ἔσφᾰκα, known from plpf.ἐσφάκεινD.C.73.6, (ἀπο-) 78.7:— Pass., fut.σφᾰγήσομαιE.Andr. 315, Heracl.583, (ἀπο-) X.HG3.1.27: aor.ἐσφάγην [ᾰ] Trag. (A.Eu. 305, etc.) and late Prose, Plu.Publ.4, etc.; less freq. ἐσφάχθην, Pi.P. 11.23, Hdt.5.5, E.IT177 (lyr., nowhere else in Trag.): pf.ἔσφαγμαιOd.10.532, D.23.68:—
slay, slaughter
, properly
by cutting the throat
(v. σφαγή 11), in Hom. always of cattle, μῆλ' ἁδινὰ σφάζουσι καὶ εἰλίποδας ἕλικας βοῦσOd.1.92, cf. 9.46, 23.305, Il.9.467. II. esp.
slaughter
victims for sacrifice, 1.459, etc.; ἔσφαζ' ἐπ' ὤμων μόσχον
cut
its
throat
, as it hung from the servant's shoulders, E.El.813; ς. παρθένου δέρηνId.Or.1199:— Pass., Od.10.532; ἀρνίον ἐσφαγμένονApoc. 5.6. 2. generally,
slay, kill
, of human victims, as Iphigeneia, Menoeceus, Pi.P.11.23, E.Ph.913, cf. A.Ag.1433, Ch.904; ς. τινὰ ἐς τὸν κρητῆρα so that the blood ran into the bowl, Hdt.3.11:— Pass., σφάζεται ἐς τὸν τάφονId.5.5; πρὸς βωμῷ σφαγείσA.Eu. 305. 3. of any slaughter by knife or sword, Hdt.5.25, 7.107; ς. ἑαυτόνTh.2.92; ς. καὶ ἐκδέρεινPl.Euthd.301c; τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφόνPMag.Osl.1.5, cf. 1 Ep.Jo.3.12. 4. of animals,
tear by the throat
, ς. ὥσπερ οἱ λύκοι τὰ πρόβαταArist.HA612b2. 5. of any killing, BGU388 ii 21 (ii A.D.), OGI697 (Egypt), Sammelb.7436.7 (vi A.D.), Gloss.6. metaph.,