Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes

κηρὶ, ‘plague,’ as 1166 “κῆρα τάνδ᾽ ἀποφεύγειν”,—but without ref. to the idea that the “νόσος” was ordained by fate (1326).

προσβαίη, in the sense of ‘advance,’ where we should have expected “προβαίη”, is certainly strange. It is partly excused, however, by the fact that the speaker is himself outside of the cave, and so can the more naturally place himself in imagination at the external point towards which the movement is made,—saying, ‘come far,’ instead of, ‘go far.’ I do not feel sure, then, that “προσβαίη” is corrupt, though it is suspicious. If corrupt, it probably conceals a compound with “πρό”. In the Classical Review (vol. II. p. 324, 1888) I have conjectured προσκάζοι, ‘limp forth.’ Minuscule “β” and “κ” often resemble each other (thus in Ant. 1094“λακεῖν” is corrected from “λαβεῖν”). If προσκάζοι had become “προσβάζοι”, thelatter would easily have generated “προσβαίη”. A verb describing painful movement would be fitting here, after “νοσῶν...κῶλον παλαιᾷ κηρί”: cp. “ὀγμεύει” (163), “εἰλυόμην” (291). It is immaterial that this particular compound of “σκάζω” does not occur elsewhere; many verbal compounds occur once only, as, e.g., “προδείσας” ( O. T. 90), “προκλίνας” ( O. C. 201). For other conjectures, see Appendix.