Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 124. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

παρά (prep.+acc.): beside, near, by 

ἄρτι (adverb): just now 

μέν (particle): on the one hand... (but we all know particles are really untranslatable, right?)

σήμερον (adverb): today 

πάλιν (adverb): back, again 

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

Κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιόν.

Ἄρτι μῦς πίττης γεύεται.

Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

Ἐμοὶ ἐχθὲς καί σοὶ σήμερον.

Ἀνδρὸς δὲ ψυχὴ πάλιν ἐλθεῖν οὔτε λεϊστὴ οὔθ᾽ ἑλετή.

And now, some commentary:

Κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιόν.

Jackdaw (sits) next to jackdaw.

Compare the English saying, "Birds of a feather flock together." The LSJ entry for κολοιός cites this proverb, along with several other sayings about jackdaws.

Ἄρτι μῦς πίττης γεύεται.

The mouse has just now had a taste of the pitch.

The verb γεύεται takes a genitive complement: πίττης. The saying is used by Demosthenes, and it alludes to a mousetrap in which the mouse is lured and trapped in sticky pitch. In other words: someone has just made a fatal mistake, one from which they cannot escape. The proverb appears in the LSJ entry for μῦς.

Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

Hit me, but listen!

The words are from Plutarch's Life of Themistocles. The situation is that Eurybiades is about to hit Themistocles with his staff while they are arguing about whether the navy should retreat or stay to fight the Persians; Themistocles wins the argument. You can read about the career of Themistocles at Wikipedia, and you can also read about Eurybiades.

Ἐμοὶ ἐχθὲς καί σοὶ σήμερον.

Yesterday (it came) for me, and today for you.

The saying comes from the Biblical Book of Sirach, and the "it" implied here is death, as if the dead were speaking to the living: death came for me already, and it is coming for you today. You can also find the saying in Latin, Mihi heri, et tibi hodie ("For me yesterday, and for you today"), and this Latin variation was a common funerary inscription: Hodie mihi, cras tibi ("For me today, for you tomorrow").

Ἀνδρὸς δὲ ψυχὴ πάλιν ἐλθεῖν οὔτε λεϊστὴ οὔθ᾽ ἑλετή.

The soul of a man cannot return again either by snatching or grabbing.

The words are from Homer's Iliad; Achilles is reflecting on his own mortality. For thoughts about "οὔτε λεϊστὴ οὔθ᾽ ἑλετή," see Gregory Nagy's essay on The Hesiodic Suitors of Helen. Even better: you can hear Nagy reading this passage in Greek here: Homer, Iliad 9.307–429 (this verse is at 8:39 in the recording).

Hodie michi, cras tibi (medieval Latin spelling)

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 11

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 123. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀγαθός ~ ἀγαθοῦ (adj. masc.): good 

μηδείς ~ μηδενός (adj. masc.): no one, nobody 

ἀφανές ~ ἀφανοῦς (adj. neut.): invisible, unseen 

φρόνιμος ~ φρονίμου (adj. masc.): sensible, wise 

ἕκαστον ~ ἑκάστου (adj. neut.): each, all 

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

Ἀγαθοὺς τίμα.

Φθόνει μηδενί.

Τὰ ἀφανῆ τοῖς φανεροῖς τεκμαίρου.

Ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ὁ φρόνιμος οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.

Ἕκαστον γὰρ δένδρον ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου καρποῦ γινώσκεται.

And now, some commentary:

Ἀγαθοὺς τίμα.

Honor good (men).

This is one of the sayings attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages; more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. From the root in Greek ἀγαθ- we get the English name Agatha. 

Φθόνει μηδενί.

Envy no one.

Note the use of μηδείς with the imperative φθόνει, corresponding to the use of οὐδείς in the indicative. The verb φθονέω takes a dative complement, μηδενί. The verb This is another one of the Delphic maxims.

Τὰ ἀφανῆ τοῖς φανεροῖς τεκμαίρου.

Infer unseen things by means of visible things.

The word τεκμαίρου is a middle imperative, and it takes a direct object: ἀφανῆ, the neuter plural of ἀφανές, an alpha-privative adjective (ἀ-φανές). This is one of the sayings attributed to Solon; you can read more about Solon at Wikipedia.

Ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ὁ φρόνιμος οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.

The wise man is not ensnared by pleasure.

This is one of the one-liners (monostichs) of Menander. The word ὑπό loses its vowel before the following vowel, and the aspiration of ἡδονῆς turns the pi to a phi: ὑφ' ἡδονῆς. Likewise the οὐ becomes οὐκ before the following vowel, and the aspiration of ἁλίσκεται changes the kappa to a chi: οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.

Ἕκαστον γὰρ δένδρον ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου καρποῦ γινώσκεται.

Each tree is known by its own fruit.

The words come from the Gospel of Luke. You can find out more about this part of Luke at Wikipedia: Sermon on the Plain. In addition, this saying has an article of its own at Wikipedia: The Tree and its Fruits.

Solon in an Islamic miniature (13th century)

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 10

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 122. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

λέγω ~ λέξω ~ εἶπον: say, speak 

πάσχω ~ πείσομαι ~ ἔπαθον: suffer 

μιμνήσκω ~ μνήσω ~ ἔμνησα: remember, mention 

νέμω ~ νεμέω ~ ἔνειμα: inhabit, possess 

φθέγγομαι ~ φθέγξομαι ~ ἐφθεγξάμην: utter a sound, speak 

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

Λέγε εἰδώς.

Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

Ἡδύ τοι σωθέντα μεμνῆσθαι πόνων. 

Διὰ Θεῶν πόλιν νεμόμεθ' ἀδάματον.

Ἄλλο γλαὺξ, ἄλλο κορώνη φθέγγεται.

And now, some commentary:

Λέγε εἰδώς.

Speak what you know.

Literally, "having come to know something, speak." The word εἰδώς is the perfect active participle of οἶδα. This is another one of the sayings attributed to the Seven Sages; see more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims.

Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

Even the fool learns by experience.

The words come from Hesiod's Works and Days. Compare Homer's Iliad: Ρεχθέν δε τε νήπιος έγνω. The word νήπιος can mean a child, someone young, but it can also mean childish, foolish, silly, etc., as in this saying. The idea here is that a more wise person might use reasoning instead without suffering "the school of hard knocks" as we say in English; that English saying even has its own Wikipedia article: School of Hard Knocks.

Ἡδύ τοι σωθέντα μεμνῆσθαι πόνων. 

Indeed it is sweet for the one who has been saved to remember his sufferings.

This line is a fragment of Euripides, cited by Aristotle. The word σωθέντα is an aorist passive participle, masculine accusative, serving as the subject of the infinitive μεμνῆσθαι, which takes a genitive complement: πόνων. You can see a collection of related sayings here: Pleasure at Pain in the Past.

Διὰ Θεῶν πόλιν νεμόμεθ' ἀδάματον.

By means of the gods we inhabit a city that is unconquered.

The words come from Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes. The verb here is νεμόμεθα, and the final vowel drops out before the following vowel. The word ἀδάματον is feminine accusative; alpha-privative adjectives regularly do not have a distinctive feminine form. 

Ἄλλο γλαὺξ, ἄλλο κορώνη φθέγγεται.

The owl says one thing, the crow another.

The saying is used to refer to differences of opinion, or any kind of stark contrast. The root of the verb φθέγγομαι appears in English words like diphthong and apothegm.

owl skyphos

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 9

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 121. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κακία ~ κακίας (noun f.): vice, dishonor 

νόμος ~ νόμου (noun m.): custom, law 

σῶμα ~ σώματος (noun n.): body 

μοῖρα ~ μοίρας (noun f.): fate, lot 

στρατηγός ~ στρατηγοῦ (noun m.): general 

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

Κακίας ἀπέχου.

Νόμος καὶ χώρα.

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

Νῦν αὖτέ με μοῖρα κιχάνει.

Πολλοὶ στρατηγοὶ Καρίαν ἀπώλεσαν.

And now, some commentary:

Κακίας ἀπέχου.

Keep away from wickedness.

The verb ἀπέχου is a middle imperative, and it takes a genitive complement: κακίας. This is one of the sayings of the Seven Sages reported by Stobaeus.

Νόμος καὶ χώρα.

Law and region.

This saying refers to the idea that each region has its own laws. Compare a saying in this earlier blog post: Ἕπου χώρας τρόποις. You can see the root of Greek νόμ- in the English word economy, which is from Greek οἰκονομία, οἰκο-νομία.

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

A shadow instead of a body.

This saying was applied to people who might appear to be powerful but who have no power at all, like a shadow. From the root of Greek σῶμα we get English somatic.

Νῦν αὖτέ με μοῖρα κιχάνει.

Now again my fate overtakes me.

The words are from Homer's Iliad; Hector is speaking, aware that he is about to die. The word μοῖρα means a lot or portion, but it also means fate: the lot in life apportioned to you by the gods. The plural, Μοῖραι, were the Fates; you can read more about these goddesses at Wikipedia: Moirai.

Πολλοὶ στρατηγοὶ Καρίαν ἀπώλεσαν.

Many generals destroyed Karia.

Compare the more peaceful English saying: "Too many cooks spoil the soup."  You can read about Caria, a region in western Anatolia, at Wikipedia: Caria. From Greek στρατηγός (a compound of στρατός and ἄγω), we get English strategy.

Greek Moirai

And here's a random proverb too:

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Week 35: Proverb and Vocabulary Review

Review Padlet. Here's a link to the Proverb Padlet that contains the contents of the week's posts... and it displays at random each time you load the Padlet! That way you can use it as a randomizing-reviewer for the week.

And remember: you can put a Padlet on your phone so you can pop up a proverb at random whenever. There's a free Padlet app you can download if you want, but you don't need the app; you can just save the URL to your phone home screen. You can also access all the Padlets here: Padlet-of-Padlets.

Alphabetical Index. Plus here is the list of all of this week's proverbs, alphabetized and linked back to the blog post so that you can access the English translation and commentary as needed. I've also updated the complete list of proverbs (there are now 600 total!).

• Αἰσώπειον αἷμα.
  
• Ἅπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖσιν εὔκολα.
  
• Ἅπας μὲν αἰθὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.
  
• Ἀπώλεσας τὸν οἶνον ἐπιχέας ὕδωρ.
  
• Ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν.
  
• Ἀτρέως ὄμματα.
  
• Βοιώτιος νοῦς.
  
• Γλῶτταν ἴσχε.
  
• Δεύτερος πλοῦς.
  
• Διὸς ἐγκέφαλος.
  
• Δωδωναῖον χαλκεῖον.
  
• Εἰς ὕδωρ σπείρεις.
  
• Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ.
  
• Καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι.
  
• Κινδύνευε φρονίμως.
  
• Νόμος ὁ πάντων βασιλεύς.
  
• Ὃ ποιεῖς ποίησον τάχιον.
  
• Οὐδεὶς φίλος ᾧ πολλοὶ φίλοι.
  
• Οὐκ ἔστιν εὖ ἄρξειν μὴ ἀρχθέντα.
  
• Παρ᾿ ὄνῳ λυρίζεις.
  
• Πρόνοιαν τίμα.
  
• Πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζεις.
  
• Τέχνῃ χρῶ.
  
• Τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.
  
• Φρόνει θνητά.
  

Audio. If you would like to do some listening, there is audio for Proverbs 1-500.

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 6

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 120. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

πρόνοια ~ προνοίας (noun f.): foresight 

Ζεύς ~ Διὸς (noun m.): Zeus 

ὄμμα ~ ὄμματος (noun n.): eye; eyesight 

κέντρον ~ κέντρου (noun n.): goad, spur 

πένθος ~ πένθους (noun n.): grief, misery 

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

Πρόνοιαν τίμα.

Διὸς ἐγκέφαλος.

Ἀτρέως ὄμματα.

Πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζεις.

Τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.

And now, some commentary:

Πρόνοιαν τίμα.

Honor foresight.

The Greek πρόνοια is from the verb προνοέω. You can see a wide range of νοέω derivatives at Wiktionary. This is another one of the maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages.

Διὸς ἐγκέφαλος.

Zeus's brains.

This Greek phrase was used to refer to rare and costly food; it appears in Athenaeus' Deipnosophistae, and it actually shows up in the LSJ entry for ἐγκέφαλος. From the Greek ἐγκέφαλος we get English encephalitis, inflammation of the brain.

Ἀτρέως ὄμματα.

The eyes of Atreus.

This refers to someone with a cruel look, like the wicked Atreus who tricked his twin brother, Thyestes, into eating his own sons in a stew. When Thyestes was done eating, Atreus then brought out the dead boys' hands and feet to reveal their identities (see medieval illustration below). Agamemnon and Thyestes are the sons of Atreus, i.e. Atreides. Find out more at Wikipedia: Atreus.

Πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζεις.

You are kicking against the goads.

This refers to recalcitrant animals, and metaphorically to recalcitrant humans. You can see the phrase in Euripides' Bacchae, when Dionysus is speaking to Pentheus, admonishing a mortal not to struggle against the power of a god. This classical Greek phrase also appears in the Biblical Book of Acts: "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."

Τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.

For him, glory; for us, grief.

The words are from Homer's Iliad. Agamemnon is speaking about the wound his brother Menelaus has suffered in battle: that wound brought glory on the Trojan warrior Pandarus, but grief to the Greeks.

Atreus and Thyestes

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 5

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 119. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

παρά (prep.+dat.): beside, with, at 

φρονίμως (adverb): wisely, prudently 

τάχιον (adverb): more quickly, very quickly 

ὅς ~ οὗ (pronoun): who, which 

ἐγώ ~ ἐμοῦ (pronoun): I 

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

Παρ᾿ ὄνῳ λυρίζεις.

Κινδύνευε φρονίμως.

Ὃ ποιεῖς ποίησον τάχιον.

Οὐδεὶς φίλος ᾧ πολλοὶ φίλοι.

Καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι.

And now, some commentary:

Παρ᾿ ὄνῳ λυρίζεις.

You're making music for a donkey.

This is yet another Greek proverb about the mismatch between donkeys and the music of the lyre. To have a donkey for your audience means, metaphorically, that you are wasting your time; the person you are speaking to cannot appreciate what you are saying. See this earlier post: Ὄνος λύρας ἀκούων κινεῖ τὰ ὦτα — and also this one: Τί γὰρ κοινὸν λύρᾳ καὶ ὄνῳ;

Κινδύνευε φρονίμως.

Take risks wisely.

This is one of those maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages. The adverb φρονίμως is from the adjective φρόνιμος, which is in turn from the noun φρήν, often found in the plural φρένες, which gives rise to a range of important words in Greek; you can see a list of derived words at the Wiktionary.

Ὃ ποιεῖς ποίησον τάχιον.

That which you do, do (very) quickly.

The adverb τάχιον is the comparative form of ταχύ; as often, the neuter adjective is being used as an adverb. The words come from the Gospel of John, when Jesus dismisses Judas from the Last Supper, knowing that Judas will betray him.

Οὐδεὶς φίλος ᾧ πολλοὶ φίλοι.

The one who has many friends has no friend.

The words are from Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics. He worried about the nature of real friendship long before the advent of "Facebook friends" who might be many in number but not in reality. In English we "have" friends, but in Greek, this kind of possession is expressed with the dative — ᾧ — literally: to whom there are many friends, ᾧ πολλοὶ φίλοι, there is no friend, οὐδεὶς φίλος.

Καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι.

I too am human.

The words come from the Book of Acts when Cornelius has had a vision of an angel; then, when he meets Peter, he reacts as if Peter were an angel likewise, and Peter corrects his misunderstanding with these words. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Acts 10. The word καί is being used adverbially here: I too (like you) am a human (not an angel).

Cornelius worships Peter

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 4

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 118. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἴσχω (no other parts): restrain, hold back 

σπείρω ~ σπερῶ ~ ἔσπειρα: sow, scatter 

δείκνυμι ~ δείξω ~ ἔδειξα: show, point out 

ἀπόλλυμι ~ ἀπολέω ~ ἀπώλεσα: kill, destroy 

ἄρχω ~ ἄρξω ~ ἦρξα: begin; rule 

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

Γλῶτταν ἴσχε.

Εἰς ὕδωρ σπείρεις.

Ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν. 

Ἀπώλεσας τὸν οἶνον ἐπιχέας ὕδωρ.

Οὐκ ἔστιν εὖ ἄρξειν μὴ ἀρχθέντα.

And now, some commentary:

Γλῶτταν ἴσχε.

Control your tongue.

This is another one of the sayings Stobaeus attributes to the Seven Sages; see more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. The spelling γλῶτταν is Attic; you also see γλῶσσαν. We get English words from both Greek spellings, including glottal stops and glossary. (But beware: English gloss and glossy are from a Germanic root meaning "glow.")

Εἰς ὕδωρ σπείρεις.

You're sowing in water.

This is a fool's errand: seed should be planted in the earth, not water. In particular, this refers to someone doing favors for a person who is not going to ever return the favor. Compare a version in Theognis where someone is foolishly sowing seed in the hoar-salt sea: σπείρειν πόντον ἁλὸς πολιῆς.

Ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν. 

Rule reveals the man.

In other words, when you put someone in charge of something (ἀρχή is the notion of being "first" and then, by extension, it means the power that comes from being at the head of something, being in charge; see next saying), you see what kind of man he is. This is one of the sayings attributed to Pittacus, who was one of the Seven Sages; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Pittacus of Mytilene.

Οὐκ ἔστιν εὖ ἄρξειν μὴ ἀρχθέντα.

Someone who has not been ruled will not be able to rule well.

This saying depends on the contrast between the act of ruling (ἄρξειν is a future active infinitive) and the act of being ruled (ἀρχθέντα is an an aorist passive participle; in the accusative, it provides the subject of the infinitive). For a discussion, see Erasmus, who cites this and similar sayings from a variety of Greek and Romans sources. The root ἀρχ- gives us roots relating to the basic meaning of "beginning, original" as in English archaic and also the meaning of "rule" as in English monarchy.

Ἀπώλεσας τὸν οἶνον ἐπιχέας ὕδωρ.

By adding water, you've wrecked the wine.

This refers to a situation that was going well until something went wrong; in particular, it refers to someone who does something deceptive or furtive, hoping no one would notice... but they do! The wine doesn't taste right after it's been watered down. This is a fragment from Aristias, a writer of satyr plays; you can find out more about this tradition at Wikipedia: Satyr plays.

bust of Pittacus

And here's a random proverb too:

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 3

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 117. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

θνητός ~ θνητοῦ (adj. masc.): mortal 

δεύτερος ~ δευτέρου (adj. masc.): second, next 

χάλκεον ~ χαλκέου (adj. neut.): copper, bronze 

ἅπαν ~ ἅπαντος (adj. neut.): all, every 

ἅπας ~ ἅπαντος (adj. masc.): all, every 

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

Φρόνει θνητά.

Δεύτερος πλοῦς.

Δωδωναῖον χαλκεῖον.

Ἅπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖσιν εὔκολα.

Ἅπας μὲν αἰθὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.

And now, some commentary:

Φρόνει θνητά.

Think mortal thoughts.

This is a kind of "memento mori" but in Greek, the idea being that you should think in mortal terms, taking the certainty of your own death into account. It is another one of the maxims recorded by Stobaeus; more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. You can see the root of Greek θνητ- in the verb θνῄσκω and the noun θάνατος. The root also shows up in the English word euthanasia.

Δεύτερος πλοῦς.

The second (way of) sailing.

This referred to sailing by the power of rowing, rather than with the wind. Obviously, it's more work — but you still get there, so the saying refers to a next-best route to success, one that might take more effort on your part. You can see the Greek root of δεύτερος in Deuteronomy, the "second book of the law" in the Hebrew Bible; see Wikipedia: Deuteronomy.

Δωδωναῖον χαλκεῖον.

A bronze (bell) of Dodona.

This saying referred to a noisy person, as if they were as loud as the famous bronze bell or cymbal of Dodona (an oracle site in northern Greece) that rang out whenever the wind blew; another source tells us that the oracle spoke through a series of interconnected kettle drums made of bronze, such that when any one of them was struck, they all resounded. In any case, something noisy was going on at the oracle of Dodona! Find out more at Wikipedia: Dodona.

Ἅπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖσιν εὔκολα.

All things are easy for those who are wise.

The adjective εὔκολα is a compound: εὔ-κολα. It is clear that εὔ means "well" or "good," but it is not clear what the κολ- part of the adjective refers to. In any case, the word means easy: easy-going, easily satisfied, easy to understand, etc. Erasmus points out that if you add " Ἔστιν δ᾿" to the beginning, the result is an iambic senarius: 

Ἔστιν | δ᾿ ἅπαν||τα τοῖς | σοφοῖ||σιν εὔ|κολα.

Ἅπας μὲν αἰθὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.

All the sky is open to the eagle.

This is a fragment from the Phaethon of Euripides, and the following line of the fragment reads: ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς, "all the earth is a fatherland for a noble man," which is a saying discussed in an earlier blog post. These lines are also in iambic meter:

Ἅπας | μὲν αἰ||θὴρ αἰ|ετῷ || περά|σιμος,

ἅπα|σα δὲ || χθὼν ἀν|δρὶ γεν||ναίῳ | πατρίς.

the ruins of Dodona

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Dec. 2

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 116. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

τέχνη ~ τέχνης (noun f.): art, skill, craft 

νοῦς ~ νοῦ (noun m.): mind, sense 

αἷμα ~ αἵματος (noun n.): blood 

βασιλεύς ~ βασιλέως (noun m.): king, chief 

λαός ~ λαοῦ (noun m.): people, folk 

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

Τέχνῃ χρῶ.

Βοιώτιος νοῦς.

Αἰσώπειον αἷμα.

Νόμος ὁ πάντων βασιλεύς.

Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ.

And now, some commentary:

Τέχνῃ χρῶ.

Use your skill.

The word χρῶ is a middle imperative from the contract verb χράομαι, which takes a dative complement: τέχνῃ. This is another of the maxims Stobaeus attributes to the Seven Sages. The Greek root τέχν- gives us all the English tech- words. It is related to the word for weaving in Latin, texo (which gives us English words like textile and text).

Βοιώτιος νοῦς.

The mind of a Boeotian.

This proverbial saying referred to someone who was ignorant or stupid; such was the reputation of people from Boeotia, a region in central Greece. You could also find the sentiment expressed in this form: Ἡ Βοιωτία ὗς, a Boeotian pig. The Greek phrase lives on in French, where the insulting term béotien means someone who is a country bumpkin, unsophisticated (compare the English use of "philistine," lower-case p).

Αἰσώπειον αἷμα.

The blood of Aesop.

This refers to someone who is unjustly accused, as Aesop was unjustly accused and executed by the Delphians; the story is told in the "Life of Aesop," an ancient Greek novel about the storyteller Aesop. When Aesop went to Delphi, he insulted the inhabitants, and they got their revenge on him by planting a sacred object from the temple in his baggage and then accusing him of theft. Greek αἷμα gives us the hemo- words in English medicine like hemoglobin and hemorrhage.

Νόμος ὁ πάντων βασιλεύς.

Law is the king of all.

The words are from the poet Pindar and are quoted in Plato's Gorgias. The word πάντων could refer to things or to people (so I chose the ambiguous "all" in English), but the next line of Pindar's ode makes it clear that he referring to "everyone," not "everything" — θνατῶν τε καὶ ἀθανάτων, "both mortals and immortals." From the Greek root of βασιλ- we get English words like basil and basilica.

Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ.

The people's love is my strength.

This was the royal motto of the Kingdom of Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries, appearing in the coat of arms; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Coat of arms of Greece. See the image page at Wikipedia for a detailed description of the different elements combined here, with the motto appearing at the bottom:

And here's a random proverb too:

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