Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

οὐ AND μή WITH THE PARTICIPLE

οὐ πιστεύων since (as, when, etc.) he does not believe, μὴ πιστεύων if he does not believe, ““ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη οὐδενὸς κωλύ_οντος” he went up on the mountains since no one hindered him” X. A. 1.2.22, οὐκ ἂν δύναιο μὴ καμὼν εὐδαιμονεῖν thou canst not be happy if thou hast not toiled E. fr. 461, ὡς ἡδὺ τὸ ζῆν μὴ φθονούσης τῆς τύχης how sweet is life if fortune is not envious Men. Sent. 563.

a. μή with the articular participle is the abridged equivalent of a conditional relative sentence. Thus, in ὁ μὴ ταῦτα ποιῶν ἄδικός ἐστι, ὁ μὴ ποιῶν is virtually the generic ὃς ἂν μὴ ποιῇ or ὅστις μὴ ποιεῖ compressed into a noun.

[*] 2729. οὐ is used with a supplementary participle (in indirect discourse) in agreement with a noun (or pronoun, expressed or unexpressed) depending on a verb of knowing, showing, seeing, perceiving, etc. (2106-2115); and also with such supplementary participles (not in indirect discourse) after verbs of emotion (2100), etc. In most such cases ὅτι οὐ might have been used.

““οὐδένα γὰρ οἶδα μι_σοῦντα τοὺς ἐπαινοῦντας” for I know of no one who dislikes his admirers” X. M. 2.6.33, φανερὸν πᾶσιν ἐποίησαν οὐκ ἰδίᾳ πολεμοῦντες they made it clear to all that they were not waging war for their own interests Lyc. 50, ““ὁρῶσι τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους οὐ . . . ἀπιόντας” they see that their elders do not depart” X. C. 1.2.8, ““οὐδεὶς μήποθ᾽ εὕρῃ . . . οὐδὲν ἐλλειφθέν” no one will ever find that anything has been left undone” D. 18.246; ““Κύ_ρῳ ἥδετο οὐ δυναμένῳ σι_γᾶν” he rejoiced that Cyrus was unable to remain silent” X. C. 1.4.15.

[*] 2730. ἐπίσταμαι and οἶδα denoting confident belief may take μή for οὐ. Thus, ““ἔξοιδα φύσει σε μὴ πεφυ_κότα τοιαῦτα φωνεῖν κακά” well do I know that by nature thou art not adapted to utter such guile” S. Ph. 79; cp. S. O. C. 656, T. 1.76, 2. 17. This use of μή is analogous to that with the infinitive (2727).

[*] 2731. μή is used when the reason for an action is regarded as the condition under which it takes place; as οὐ τοῦ πλέονος μὴ στερισκόμενοι χάριν ἔχουσιν they are not grateful at not being deprived of the greater part of their rights T. 1.77 ( = εἰ μὴ στερίσκοντο).

[*] 2732. The participle with ὡς, ὥσπερ, ἅτε, οἷον, οἷα (2085-2087) has οὐ; as ““ἐθορυβεῖτε ὡς οὐ ποιήσοντες ταῦτα” you made a disturbance by way of declaring that you did not intend to do this” L. 12.73. The use of οὐ shows that there is nothing conditional in the use of ὡς though it is often translated by as if. μή occurs only after an imperative or a conditional word (2737).

[*] 2733. Participles of opposition or concession (2083) take οὐ; as ““πείθου γυναιξὶ καίπερ οὐ στέργων ὅμως” hearken to women albeit thou likest it not” A. Sept. 712.

[*] 2734. The participle with the article has οὐ when a definite person or thing is meant, but μή when the idea is indefinite and virtually conditional (whoever, whatever); and when a person or thing is to be characterized (of such a sort, one who; 2705 g). Cp. 2052.

““οἱ οὐκ ὄντες” the dead” T. 2.44, οἱ οὐκ ἐθέλοντες the particular persons (or party) who are unwilling Ant. 6.26, ““οἱ οὐ βουλόμενοι ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν” the party of opposition” And. 1.9; ““οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι” any who are unable” X. A. 4.5.11 ( = οἵτινες μὴ δύνανται or ὅσοι ἂν μὴ δύνωνται), ““ὁ μὴ δαρεὶς ἄνθρωπος οὐ παιδεύεται” he who gets no flogging gets no training” Men. Sent. 422, ““ὁ μὴ λέγων ἃ φρονεῖ” the man who does not say what he thinks” D. 18.282, ὁ μηδὲν ἀδικῶν οὐδενὸς δεῖται νόμου he who does no wrong needs no law Antiph. 288.