- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.36.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Tisamenus performs divination for the Greeks at Plataea, revealing that the sacrifices are favorable for defense but unfavorable if they cross the Asopus to attack.
οὗτος δὴ τότε τοῖσι Ἕλλησι ὁ Τισαμενός, ἀγόντων τῶν Σπαρτιητέων,1 ἐμαντεύετο ἐν τῇ Πλαταιίδι. τοῖσι μέν νυν Ἕλλησι καλὰ ἐγίνετο τὰ ἱρὰ ἀμυνομένοισι,2 διαβᾶσι δὲ τὸν Ἀσωπὸν καὶ μάχης ἄρχουσι οὔ.3
At that very time, this Tisamenus, who had been brought by the Spartans, was officiating as seer for the Greeks in the territory of Plataea. Now, for the Greeks, the sacrifices turned out to be favorable if they were defending themselves, but if they crossed the Asopus and began the battle, they were not.
- 9.36.1ἀγόντων τῶν Σπαρτιητέων
A genitive absolute construction. The verb ἄγω can be interpreted either transitively as 'the Spartans having brought (Tisamenus)' or intransitively as 'the Spartans leading (the army)'. In light of the preceding passage about him becoming a Spartan citizen and seer, it is understood here as 'having been brought by the Spartans.'
- 9.36.1ἀμυνομένοισι
A present participle in the dative agreeing with τοῖσι Ἕλλησι. Together with the subsequent dative participles διαβᾶσι and ἄρχουσι, they function conditionally, meaning 'if they were defending themselves' and 'if they crossed and began battle' respectively.
- 9.36.1οὔ
The negative particle οὔ at the end of the sentence stands in contrast to the earlier clause καλὰ ἐγίνετο τὰ ἱρὰ ('the sacrifices turned out to be favorable'), elliptically expressing that for those who crossed and attacked, the sacrifices were 'not' favorable (i.e., they were unfavorable).