The answer key gives "Although many cavalrymen were attacking.
I identify “επιτιθεμενων” as genitive, plural, masculine, present, middle/passive ppl of επιτιθεμι, in a genitive absolute concessive construction. Am I right in identifying the participle voice as middle/passive? Passive doesn’t make sense, so I conclude the voice is middle. The answer key gives the translation as if the participle were in active (middle) voice. Middle “implies that the subject is more closely involved or interested in the action.” (M page 93) This is rather fuzzy, i.e., more closely than what? Granted, the subject of “attacking” would surely be very involved in the action, but so would the subject of many verbs e.g., eating, running, dying, loving, and many others. Should all these verbs be conjugated in Greek in the middle voice? Is there a more definite test (other than reflexive, reciprocal (page 91) or idiomatic (page 93) meanings) to determine if the voice should be middle instead of active?
I will appreciate all comments.
Thanks to all.
If you look at page 195 you will find the following gloss for ἐπιτίθημι which gives the special meaning of the middle of ἐπιτίθημι, that is “attack”.
ἐπιτίθημι (ἐπι) place upon; add to; u make an attempt upon, attack (+ dat.)[/u] [epithet]
I suggest you don’t get too bogged down in generalising about the middle voice. As M. says “It takes time for the student to get an adequate sense of the range of implications conveyed by the middle voice.” ( p. 93). There is often a sense of doing something for oneself . For now just note the idiomatic uses M. gives you.
The next day he was better, and insisted upon getting out of bed, and on sitting in his old arm-chair over the fire. And the Greek books were again had out; and Grace, not at all unwillingly, was put through her facings. “If you don’t take care, my dear,” he said, “Jane will beat you yet. She understands the force of the verbs better than you do.”
“I am very glad that she is doing so well, papa. I am sure I shall not begrudge her her superiority.”
“Ah, but you should begrudge it her!” Jane was sitting by at the time, and the two sisters were holding each other by the hand. “Always to be best;—always to be in advance of others. That should be your motto.”
I always remember this scene from Trollope and “the force of the verbs” when I think about how poor I am about grasping the middle voice.
Here though, I think it’s very straightforward. The normal construction for ἐπιτίθημι takes two objects, one accusative and one dative. τι τινι. I set something (τι) upon something (τινι).
However, in the middle (in this meaning of “attack”, at least) that τι direct object has been replaced by the subject (how I think of it anyway). ἐπιτίθεμαί τινι. I set myself against something.
There are other constructions for both the active and the middle of ἐπιτίθημι, but I think it’s easy to see here, at least, why the idiomatic meaning of the middle came out as it did.
Thanks to both respondents.
It seems that I got myself all confused for no reason. The middle voice of επιτιθεμι is idiomatic and means “make an attempt, attack”. It has an active meaning. Period. At least that’s how I understand it now.
Much ado about nothing.