Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Nov. 28

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 114. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

οἶδα ~ (perf. only): know (perfect system only) 

πείθω ~ πείσω ~ ἔπεισα: persuade; trust, obey

ἥκω ~ ἥξω ~ ἧξα: come, arrive

φοβέω ~ φοβήσω ~ ἐφόβησα: frighten, terrify

κεῖμαι ~ κείσομαι (no aorist): lie, be placed

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Εἰδὼς σίγα.

Νόμῳ πείθου.

Κατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκεις.

Πόνος ὁ μὴ φοβῶν κράτιστος.

Ταῦτα θεῶν ἐν γούνασι κεῖται.

And now, some commentary:

Εἰδὼς σίγα.

Having learned something, keep it quiet.

These words are attributed to Solon, one of the Seven Sages of Greece; find out more at Wikipedia. The word εἰδὼς is a perfect participle from οἶδα, a verb that only has a perfect system; a good way to see how that works is at the Wiktionary.

Νόμῳ πείθου.

Obey the law.

This is another of the maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages. The word πείθου is a middle imperative from πείθω, and one of the middle meanings of this verb is "obey" (in the sense of listen and obey, trust and obey), and it takes a dative complement: νόμῳ. In terms of etymology, πείθω is cognate with Latin fido, which means it is a cousin of English faith. Here is the Indo-European root: bʰéydʰeti.

Κατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκεις.

You have come late to the festival.

This saying is used to mock anyone who has arrived late for a business matter or some other serious purpose. There are also variants of this saying referring to popular Greek festivals: Παναθηναίων κατόπιν ... Πυθίων ὕστερον ἧκες. You can read about the Panthenaean festival and the Pythian games at Wikipedia.

Πόνος ὁ μὴ φοβῶν κράτιστος.

The labor which does not cause fear is best.

These words are spoken by the Chorus in Sophocles's Philoctetes. The verb φοβέω has very different meanings in the active and middle: in the active, as here, it means to frighten or cause fear; in the middle, it means to be afraid.

Ταῦτα θεῶν ἐν γούνασι κεῖται.

These things rest on the knees of the gods.

This can also be translated as "in the lap" of the gods. The words come from Homer's Iliad. Hector is addressing Achilles before their duel, and it is indeed true that the outcome is up to the gods: as Hector then throws his spear at Achilles, Athena turns Hector's spear aside, saving Achilles. R. B. Onians (author of the remarkable book The Origins of European Thought) wrote an essay about this phrase: On the Knees of the Gods.

Achilles fights Hector

And here's a random proverb too:

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