Does it mean ‘because of what they say’?
ὁ μὲν δὴ Κῦρος ἅμα γελῶν οὕτως ἐπῄνεσε τοὺς στρατιώτας. ἐν δὲ τῇ σκηνῇ ἐτύγχανέ τις ὢν τῶν ταξιάρχων Ἀγλαϊτάδας ὄνομα, ἀνὴρ τὸν τρόπον τῶν στρυφνοτέρων ἀνθρώπων, ὃς οὑτωσί πως εἶπεν: ἦ γὰρ οἴει, ἔφη, ὦ Κῦρε, τούτους ἀληθῆ λέγειν ταῦτα; ἀλλὰ τί μὴν βουλόμενοι, ἔφη ὁ Κῦρος, ψεύδονται; τί δ᾽ ἄλλο γ᾽, ἔφη, εἰ μὴ γέλωτα ποιεῖν ἐθέλοντες ὑπὲρ οὗ λέγουσι ταῦτα καὶ ἀλαζονεύονται;
ταῦτα is the direct object of λέγουσι. I think that excludes the possibility of reading ὑπὲρ οὗ to mean “because of what they say.” Perhaps a comma should be placed after ἐθέλοντες:
Maybe “What other than wanting to raise a laugh, because of which they say these things and make false pretensions?”
I was also thinking along these lines, namely, that a coma is needed after λέγουσι: what other except wanting to raise laughter upon what they say, they invent that too. This kai may be kai of balanced contrast.
No, Hylander had it right: if a comma is tο go anywhere, it’s after εθελοντες. λεγουσι ταυτα go together, echoing the other’s λέγειν ταῦτα. ὑπὲρ οὗ is ὑπὲρ τοῦ γέλωτα ποιεῖν. Then καὶ ἀλαζονεύονται is Cyrus’ gloss on what it means to say these things. He agrees that what they say is untrue, but categorizes it as αλαζονεία.
ok I think I got it : τί δ᾽ ἄλλο γ᾽, ἔφη, εἰ μὴ γέλωτα ποιεῖν ἐθέλοντες ὑπὲρ οὗ λέγουσι ταῦτα καὶ ἀλαζονεύονται;
what else except wanting to raise laughter: what they talk about, they invent it too,