by modus.irrealis » Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:39 pm
Well, the LSJ has "esp. of troops, acquire booty, πολλὰ παÏá½° τὴν στÏατείαν á½ . Plu.Cat.Ma.10;" although πολλὰ is probably not a direct object here. But the passive forms already had a middle meaning in Classical Greek so it wouldn't be all that strange for them to be construed with a direct object. I agree that it's an odd verse but I'm not sure how else to understand it.
It also seems to have been understood this way in ancient times. Here's a commentary on this verse (based on a passage from John Chrysostom):
Τί á¼ÏƒÏ„ιν, “ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ πατÏá½¶ á¼¢ τῇ μητÏá½¶ δῶÏον, ὃ á¼á½°Î½ á¼Î¾ “á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦ ὠφεληθῇς, καὶ οὠτιμήσῃ τὸν πατÎÏα ἑαυτοῦ;†á¼Ï€Î±Î¯Î´ÎµÏ…σαν τοὺς νÎους, εá½ÏƒÎµÎ²ÎµÎ¯Î±Ï‚ σχήματι, καταφÏονεῖν τῶν γονÎων· οἷον, εἴ τις εἶπεν τῷ ἰδίῳ υἱῷ· δός μοι τὸ Ï€Ïόβατον, ὃ ἔχεις, á¼¢ τὸν μόσχον, á¼¢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον, ἔλεγε Ï€Ïὸς πατÎÏα, δῶÏόν á¼ÏƒÏ„ι τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο, ὃ θÎλεις á¼Î¾ á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦ ὠφεληθῆναι, καὶ οὠδÏνασαι λαβεῖν·
This has the same issue with ὃ and the passive of ὠφελῶ but I think the context is clearer for what is meant