Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Electra

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ἐκκομπάσας ἔπος τι τυγχάνει, ‘he chanced to utter a certain (irreverent) boast,’ βαλών, ‘after hitting’ (with an arrow, or perh. with a javelin). “ἔπος τι” is euphemistic: cp. Hyginus Fab. 98superbiusque in Dianam locutus est. The vaunt would naturally follow, not precede, the hit. And so we read elsewhere. Schol. Eur. Or. 647“καυχησάμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιτυχίᾳ, καὶ εἰπὼν ὡς οὐδ᾽ ἂν αὐτὴ ἡ Ἄρτεμις οὕτως ἔβαλεν, ἐπειράθη τῆς θεοῦ ὀργιζομένης κ.τ.λ.” Proclus Chrest. p. 455 “Ἀγαμέμνων ἐπὶ θήρᾳ βαλὼν ἔλαφον ὑπερβάλλειν ἔφησε καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν”. Tzetzes on Lycophr. 183 “τρώσας ἔλαφον μέγα καυχήσας ἐφθέγξατο οὕτως: Οὐδὲ ἡ Ἄρτξμις” (sc. “οὕτως ἂν ἔβαλεν”).

This is the reason against taking “τυγχάνει” with “βαλών”, as=‘he shoots and hits’; cp. Il. 15. 581“θηρητὴρ ἐτύχησε βαλών”: Her. 3. 35“εἰ...τοῦ παιδὸς...βαλὼν τύχοιμι”. The vaunt must then precede the hit.

Others take βαλὼν with ἔπος: ‘he chanced to let fall some boastful word.’ But this is objectionable on two grounds. (1) “ἐκβάλλειν ἔπος” is a very frequent phrase; Il. 18. 324: Od. 4. 503: Pind. P. 2. 81: Aesch. Ag. 1663, Aesch. Ch. 47: Her. 6. 69, etc. But “βάλλειν ἔπος” does not seem to occur: even in Ar. Ran. 595“καὶ βαλεῖς τι μαλθακόν, κἀκβαλεῖς” is a v.l., and probably right; cp. Vesp. 1289 “σκωμμάτιον...ἐκβαλῶ”. (2) “ἐκκομπάσας”, combined with “βαλών” in this sense, would be awkwardly redundant.

Monk, with Musgrave, took σφαγὰς as=iugulum, understanding, ‘he uttered a vaunt, and hit the stag with his missile in the throat.’ (Mus. Crit. 1. 77.)