οὐ μή

οὐ μή, in independent sentences, is used either in Denial or in Prohibition:

I in Denial,

1 with subj.,

a chiefly of [tense] aor.,

οὔ τι μὴ ληφθῶ δόλῳ A.Th.38

, cf. 199, 282, Ch.895;

οὔ τοί σ' Ἀχαιῶν . . μή τις ὑβρίσῃ S.Aj.560

, cf. El.42, 1029, Ph.103,381, OT329,771, OC 450, 1023 (v. infr.);

οὔ τι μὴ φύγητε λαιψηρῷ ποδί E.Hec.1039

, cf. HF 718;

οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἀπώσηται Hdt.1.199

, cf. 7.53;

οὐ μήποτε . . ἐσβάλωσιν Th.4.95

, cf. 5.69;

οὐ μή ποθ' ἁλῶ Ar.Ach.662

, cf. V.394;

οὐ μή ποτε δέξηται Pl.Phd.105d

, cf. Phdr.260e, R.609b;

οὐ μὴ κρατηθῶ X.Cyr. 5.1.17

, cf. 3.2.8 (v.l. δέξονται), An.4.8.13; so

οὐδεὶς μή ποθ' εὕρῃ κατ' ἔμ' οὐδὲν ἐλλειφθέν D.18.246

.

b rarely of [tense] pres., mostly with Verbs expressing possibility or ability, οὐ μὴ δύνηται (v.l. δυνήσεται) X.Cyr. 8.1.5, cf. An.2.2.12, Hier.11.15;

οὐ μὴ οἷός τ' ᾖς Pl.R.341b

;

οὐ γὰρ μὴ δυνατὸς ὦ Id.Phlb.48d

: in S.OC1023, for οὐ μή ποτε . . φυγόντες . . ἐπεύχωνται θεοῖς, two Mss. give ἐπεύξωνται, and this has been adopted by most edd.; and in Is.8.24, for οὐ μὴ εἰσίῃς Bekk. restd. οὐ μὴ εἴσει εἰς . . :—Note: οὐ μή with subj. prob. arose from the ellipsis of a Verb or phrase expressing fear or apprehension; such words are sts. expressed,

οὐ γὰρ ἦν δεινὸν . . μὴ ἁλῷ κοτε Hdt.1.84

, cf. 7.235, Ar.Ec. 650, X.Mem.2.1.25, Pl.Ap.28b, Phd.84b, Grg.520d, R.465b.—Sts. there is no idea of fear, as in S.Ph.103, E.IT18; the constr. is freely used after ὅτι, Th.5.69, X.HG4.2.3, Pl.R.499b; after ὡς, since, Ar. Av.461; after ὥστε, Pl.Phdr.227d.

2 with [tense] fut. ind.,

οὔ σοι μὴ μεθέψομαί ποτε S.El.1052

, cf. OC176(lyr.);

οὐ μή σ' ἐγὼ περιόψομαι Ar. Ra.508

; οὐ μὴ δέξονται (v.l. δέξωνται) X.Cyr.3.2.8: the reading in Id.HG1.6.32 is doubtful: in orat. obliq. the opt. is used,

ἐθέσπισεν ὡς οὐ μή ποτε πέρσοιεν S.Ph.611

: or inf.,

εἶπεν . . οὐ μή ποτε . . εὖ πράξειν πόλιν E.Ph.1590

.

II in Prohibition, οὐ μή is used interrogatively with [tense] fut. ind. (chiefly of the 2 pers.) so as to express a strong prohibition, οὐ μὴ 'ξεγερεῖς τὸν ὕπνῳ κάτοχον; = μὴ ἐξέγειρε, S.Tr.978 (anap.);

οὐ μὴ μῦθον ἐς πολλοὺς ἐρεῖς

;

E.Supp.1066

, cf.Andr.757, El.982, Hipp. 213 (anap.);

οὐ μὴ πρόσει τούτοισιν ἐσκοροδισμένοις

;

Ar.Ach.166

, cf. Nu.367, V.397: when the Mss. give an [tense] aor. subj. in such phrases (as

οὐ μὴ σκώψῃς μηδὲ ποιήσῃς Id.Nu.296

) it has generally been changed by edd. into [tense] fut. ind.—The prohibition is continued by καί or by

μηδέ, οὐ μὴ' ξεγερεῖς . . κἀκκινήσεις

;

S.Tr.978

(anap.);

οὐ μὴ προσοίσεις χεῖρα μηδ' ἅψῃ πέπλων

;

E.Hipp.606

, cf. Ar.Nu.296, Ra.298.—The prohibition is changed into a direct command by ἀλλά or

δέ, οὐ μὴ λαλήσεις ἀλλ' ἀκολουθήσεις ἐμοί

;

Id.Nu.505

, cf. Ra.202, 462, 524, E.Ba.792; οὐ μὴ προσοίσεις χεῖρα βακχεύσεις δ' ἰών; ib.343, cf. Med.1151, El.383.

2 later οὐ μὴ ἐμπέσω let me not fall, LXX 2 Ki.24.14.

3 in questions, οὐ μή, = Lat. nonne,

ὁ θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ

;

Ev.Luc.18.7

.

III in A. Th.250, οὐ σῖγα μηδὲν τῶνδ' ἐρεῖς κατὰ πτόλιν; seems to mean keep silent and say nothing . . , σῖγα being short for σιγήσει and καὶ being omitted: similarly, οὐ σῖγ' ἀνέξει, μηδὲ δειλίαν ἀρῇ; submit silently and do not play the coward, S.Aj.75, cf. Tr. 1183, OT637, E.Hipp.498, Hel.437, Pl.Smp.175a.