- 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-grc2:9.8.1-9.8.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The ephors delayed their response to the Athenian envoys for ten days, during which the Peloponnesians worked feverishly on the Isthmus wall. The author attributes their sudden indifference toward Athens to the wall's near-completion, which made them feel secure without Athenian help.
ὡς δὲ ἄρα ἤκουσαν οἱ ἔφοροι ταῦτα, ἀνεβάλλοντο ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίην ὑποκρίνασθαι,1 τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίῃ ἐς τὴν ἑτέρην· τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ δέκα ἡμέρας ἐποίεον, ἐξ ἡμέρης ἐς ἡμέρην ἀναβαλλόμενοι. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἐτείχεον σπουδὴν ἔχοντες πολλὴν πάντες Πελοποννήσιοι, καί σφι ἦν πρὸς τέλεϊ. οὐδʼ ἔχω εἰπεῖν2 τὸ αἴτιον διότι ἀπικομένου μὲν Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος ἐς Ἀθήνας σπουδὴν μεγάλην ἐποιήσαντο μὴ μηδίσαι Ἀθηναίους, τότε δὲ ὤρην ἐποιήσαντο οὐδεμίαν, ἄλλο γε ἢ ὅτι3 ὁ Ἰσθμός σφι ἐτετείχιστο καὶ ἐδόκεον Ἀθηναίων ἔτι δεῖσθαι οὐδέν· ὅτε δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀπίκετο ἐς τὴν Ἀττικήν, οὔκω ἀπετετείχιστο, ἐργάζοντο δὲ μεγάλως καταρρωδηκότες τοὺς Πέρσας.
When the ephors heard these things, they postponed replying until the next day, and on the next day to the day after; this they did for ten days, postponing from day to day. During this time all the Peloponnesians were fortifying the Isthmus, showing great zeal, and it was near completion for them. And I cannot state the reason why, when Alexander the Macedonian arrived in Athens, they made a great effort to prevent the Athenians from medizing, but then they paid no regard at all, unless it was because the Isthmus had been fortified for them and they thought they no longer had any need of the Athenians; for when Alexander had arrived in Attica, the wall was not yet finished, but they were working hard, being in great dread of the Persian.
- 9.8.1ἀνεβάλλοντο ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίην ὑποκρίνασθαι
The middle verb ἀναβάλλομαι (postpone) taking the infinitive ὑποκρίνασθαι (to reply) as its object, with the prepositional phrase ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίην indicating the point to which it is postponed.
- 9.8.2οὐδʼ ἔχω εἰπεῖν
The verb ἔχω followed by an infinitive is an idiomatic construction expressing ability or possibility ("can" or "am able to").
- 9.8.2ἄλλο γε ἢ ὅτι
An idiomatic phrase meaning "except that" or "other than that," introducing the only plausible reason via the ὅτι clause after stating that the reason is otherwise unknown.