Respect for suppliants · lines 101–105
The god gives the same answer, and Aristodicus starts clearing the birds out of the temple · Tales from Herodotus · GCSE Greek · OCR J292/02
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativePrepositionConjunctionAdverb
Greek
English
101ὁ μὲν ταῦτα ἐπηρώτα· ὁ δὲ θεὸς αὖθις τὸν αὐτὸν
102χρησμὸν ἔφαινε, κελεύων ἐκδιδόναι Πακτύην τοῖς Πέρσαις.
That was his question; and the god again gave the same answer, telling them to hand Pactyes over to the Persians.
103πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Ἀριστόδικος ἐκ προνοίας ἐποίει τάδε·
In response, Aristodicus did something he had planned in advance:
104περιιὼν τὸν νεὼν κύκλῳ ἐξῄρει τοὺς στρουθούς, καὶ
105ἄλλα ὅσα ἦν νενοσσευμένα ὀρνίθων γένη ἐν τῷ νεῷ.
he went all the way round the temple, taking out the sparrows and all the other kinds of birds that had made their nests in it.
Style notes this section · 11Word order · 1Repetition and structure · 3Word choice · 4Imagery and tone · 2Grammar · 1
101
ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δὲ θεόςContrast (μέν ... δέ)
he ... but the god
Man's question and god's answer are balanced in one sentence, so the reader sees how briefly the god deals with Aristodicus.
101–102
αὖθις τὸν αὐτὸν χρησμόνEmphasis
again the same response
Herodotus stresses that nothing has changed, which proves that the first envoys did not misreport the god.
102
κελεύων ἐκδιδόναι Πακτύην τοῖς ΠέρσαιςRepetition
telling them to hand Pactyes over to the Persians
The god repeats the exact words of his first answer (lines 85–86), so the reader sees that he is completely unmoved.
103
ἐκ προνοίαςEmphasis
deliberately
What follows is planned in advance, which makes Aristodicus' action all the more shocking.
103
ἐποίει τάδεForeshadowing
he did the following
τάδε points forward to something unexplained, so the reader waits to discover his plan.
104
περιιὼν τὸν νεὼν κύκλῳVivid detail
going round the temple in a circle
He makes a full circuit of the building, so the reader pictures him searching every corner.
104
ἐξῄρειImperfect tense
he was taking out
The imperfect shows him still at work, nest after nest, which sets up the god's interruption in line 106.
104
τοὺς στρουθούςVivid detail
the sparrows
Sparrows are small and harmless, so the reader feels sympathy for the birds he is turning out.
104–105
τοὺς στρουθούς, καὶ ἄλλα ὅσα ... γένηPairing
the sparrows, and all the other kinds
The sparrows are paired with every other kind of bird, which shows how thorough he is.
104–105
στρουθούς ... νενοσσευμένα ... ἐν τῷ νεῷSymbolism
sparrows ... nested ... in the temple
The birds sheltering in the temple stand for Pactyes sheltering at Cyme, so the reader understands the point Aristodicus is making without being told.
105
ἐν τῷ νεῷEmphatic position
in the temple
The sacred place where the birds had made their home ends the sentence, which stresses that Aristodicus is violating a sanctuary.
Questions to think about · 3
- What point is Aristodicus trying to make by removing the birds? Why might he choose to act it out rather than argue it?
- How does Herodotus show that this was planned, and not done on impulse?
- Before you read on, predict how the god will respond.
Vocabulary in this section · 33 wordsVocabulary tester
ὁ, ἡ, τό the; (with μέν) he
μέν on the one hand
οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο this; (pl.) these things
ἐπερωτάω ask, enquire
δέ and, but
θεός, -οῦ, ὁ god
αὖθις again
αὐτός, -ή, -ό self, same
χρησμός, -οῦ, ὁ oracle, oracular response
φαίνω reveal, show
κελεύω order
ἐκδίδωμι hand over, surrender
Πακτύης, -ου, ὁ Pactyes
Πέρσης, -ου, ὁ a Persian
πρός (+ acc.) in answer to, considering
Ἀριστόδικος, -ου, ὁ Aristodicus
ἐκ (+ gen.) out of, from
πρόνοια, -ας, ἡ forethought, intention
ποιέω do, make
ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε this; (pl.) the following
περίειμι go round
νεώς, νεώ, ὁ temple
κύκλος, -ου, ὁ circle
ἐξαιρέω take out, remove
στρουθός, -οῦ, ὁ sparrow
καί and
ἄλλος, -η, -ο other, another
ὅσος, -η, -ον as many as
εἰμί be
νεοσσεύω (Attic νεοττεύω) hatch, nest
ὄρνις, ὄρνιθος, ὁ bird
γένος, -ους, τό race, kind, sort
ἐν (+ dat.) in, on, at