ἐπεί,
conjunction, both temporal and causal; also
ἐπειδή,
ἐπείτε. OF TIME (ἐπειδή is more frequently in this sense in Prose),
after that, since, when, from [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
I) with Ind,
I.1) of a definite occurrence in past time, mostly with
aorist, ἐπεί π᾽ εὔξαντο
after they had prayed, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
after [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: rarely with
imperfect, ἐπειδὴ εἱστιώμεθ᾽ [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
pluperfect, ἐπειδὴ ἐξηπάτησθε.
after you had been deceived, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; but generally the
aorist is found, the
pluperfect being used only for special emphasis: with
imperfect to express an action not yet complete, ἐπεὶ ὑπηντίαζεν ἡ φάλαγξ καὶ ἡ σάλπιγξ ἐφθέγξατο
after the phalanx began to advance and the trumpet had sounded, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.2) with implied reference to some later time, ἐ. or ἐπειδή, ={ἐξ οὗ},
from the time when, since, mostly with
aorist, πολλὰ πλάγχθη, ἐ. ἔπερσε [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπείτε παρέλαβον τὸν θρόνον, τοῦτο ἐφρόντιζον
ever since I came to the throne, I had this in mind, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
present (used in
perfect sense) and
perfect, ἐ. δὲ φροῦδός ἐστι στρατός
since the army is gone, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπείτε ὑπὸ τῷ Πέρσῃ εἰσί, πεπόνθασι τοιόνδε
ever since they have been,
now that they are, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
II) with Subj, ἄν being always added in
Attic dialect Prose, and ἄν or κε generally in Poetry: ἐπεί with ἄν becomes ἐπήν (so in Comedy texts, [
Refs 5th c.BC+],
Ionic dialect ἐπεάν [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.1) referring to future time with
future apodosis, τέκνα ἄξομεν. ἐπὴν πτολίεθρον ἕλωμεν
when we shall have taken the city, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ταῦτ᾽, ἐπειδὰν περὶ τοῦ γένους εἴπω, τότ᾽ ἐρῶ I will speak of this,
when I have spoken, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; χρὴ δέ, ὅταν μὲν τιθῆσθε τοὺς νόμους. σκοπεῖν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ θῆσθε, φυλάττειν whenever you are enacting your laws. and
after you have enacted them, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.2) of repeated action, with a
present apodosis,
whenever, when once, δαμνᾷ, ἐ. κε λίπῃ ὀστέα θυμός [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπειδὰν ἡ ἐκφορὰ ᾖ. ἄγουσι
whenever the burial takes place they bring, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπειδὰν κρύψωσι γῇ. λέγει
when they have covered them with earth, [
Refs]κε in Poets, ἐ. ἂρ βλέφαρ᾽ ἀμφικαλύψῃ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.3) like [
Refs 4th c.BC+] within ten days
from the passing of the resolution, [
Refs]
III) with Opt. (without ἄν):
III.1) referring to future time, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἔλθοι, ὁρᾶν οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἓν δύνασθαι (i.e. οὐκ οἴει);
after he had come into the light, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
III.2) more frequently of repeated action, with a past apodosis, ἐ. ζεύξειεν, δησάσκετο [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
III.3) in indirect speech after past tenses, representing a
subjunctive in
direct speech, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπεὶ διαβαίης, ἀπιέναι ἔφησθα (the direct form being ἐπὴν διαβῶ) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; after
optative in a final clause, ἐπορεύοντο, ὅπως ἐπειδὴ γένοιντο ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ. ἴοιεν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.4) by assimilation to
optative in principal clause, ἦ τ᾽ ἂν. νῦν μὲν ἀνώγοιμι πτολεμίζειν. ἐπὴν τεισαίμεθα λώβην [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
III.5) ἐπειδάν with
optative is
falsa lectio in some passages of early authors, as [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: found in later Gr, [
Refs 1st c.BC+]
IV) with Inf, only in indirect speech, ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατὰ σχολὴν σκέψασθαι, κόπτεσθαι (i.e. ἔφη) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
V) with other words:
V.1) ἐ. τάχιστα
as soon as, frequently separated by a word, ἐ. ἦλθε τάχιστα. ἀπέδοτο [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
V.1.b) ἐ. τὰ πρῶτα [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
V.2) with emphatic Particles, ἐπεὶ ἄρα
when then, in continuing a narrative, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπεὶ οὖν
when then, in resuming a narrative, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B) CAUSAL (ἐπεί more frequently in this sense in early Prose: ἐπειδή
whereas is used in preambles of decrees, [
Refs]
inasmuch as, NT.Luke.1.1),
since, seeing that, frequently from [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.1) with Ind. (after both present and past tenses), ἐ. οὐδὲ ἔοικε [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; frequently with past tenses with ἄν, ἐπεὶ οὔποτ᾽ ἂν στόλον ἐπλεύσατ᾽ ἄν [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐ γὰρ ἂν σθένοντά γε εἷλέν μ᾽· ἐπεὶ οὐδ᾽ ἂν ὧδ᾽ ἔχοντ᾽ (i.e. εἷλεν) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: especially in the sense,
for otherwise, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
future, ἐξέστω δὲ μηδενὶ. τεθῆναι, ἐ. ἀποδώσει.
otherwise he shall pay, [
Refs]
for teach me, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: with an
interrogative, ἐ. πῶς ἂν καλέσεια;
for how would you call him? [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.2) with Opt, ἐ. ἂν μάλα τοι σχεδὸν ἔλθοι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; so after past tenses on the principle of indirect speech, ἐπείπερ ἡγήσαιντο
since (as they said) they believed, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.3) with Inf. in indirect speech, ἐ. γιγνώσκειν γε αὐτά [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.4) in elliptical expressions, ἀδύνατός [εἰμι], ἐ. ἐβουλόμην ἂν οἷός τ᾽ εἶναι I am unable (and yet I am sorry),
for I should like to have the power, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so εἶμι· ἐ. καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἂν ἴσως οὐκ ἀηδῶς σου ἤκουον [
Refs]
and yet, although, compare [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐ. ὅ γε ἀποθανὼν πελάτης τις ἦν ἐμός
and yet (moreover) the murdered man was my own hired man, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.4.b) sometimes after a
vocative, where 'listen' may be supplied, Ἕκτορ, ἐ. με κατ᾽ αἶσαν ἐνείκεσας [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.5) with other Particles, ἐ. ἄρα, ἐ. ἂρ δή
since then, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐ. γε (ἐπεί. γε [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
since indeed, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπειδή γε[
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐ. ἦ
since in truth, ἐ. ἦ πολὺ φέρτερόν ἐστι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπείπερ (ἐ. περ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπειδήπερ in Comedy texts and Prose, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐ. τοι
since surely, [
Refs 8th c.BC+] sometimes begins a verse in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; sometimes coalesces by synizesis with οὐ, οὐδέ, etc, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]