[367] The χρεῖος was property carried off by a raid, or wrongfully retained. Thus Il.11. 698“καὶ γὰρ τῷ χρεῖος μεγ᾽ ὀφείλετ᾽ ἐν Ἤλιδι δίῃ”,
“τέσσαρες ἀθλοφόροι ἵπποι . . τοὺς δ᾽ αὖθι ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Αὐγείας”“κάσχεθε”. The claim was sometimes backed by force, as in the sequel of the passage just quoted, and ib. 685 foll.; sometimes also it was urged pacifically, as here (for Mentor has too scanty a force for violent reprisals), and in Od.21. 16“ἦ τοι Ὀδυσσεὺς”
“ἦλθε μετὰ χρεῖος τό ῥά οἱ πᾶς δῆμος ὄφελλε”,
“μῆλα γὰρ ἐξ Ἰθάκης Μεσσήνιοι ἄνδρες ἄειραν”
. . “τῶν ἕνεκ᾽ ἐξεσίην πολλὴν ὁδὸν ἦλθεν Ὀδυσσεὺς”
“παιδνὸς ἐὼν, πρὸ γὰρ ἧκε πατὴρ ἄλλοι τε γέροντες”.
ὀφέλλεται=“ὀφείλεται”. Both forms come from stem “ὀφελ” with termination “-ιω” (j“ω”). From “ὀφελ-ίω” we get by assimilation “ὀφέλλω”, while in “ὀφείλω” we may regard the “ι” as compensatory for a lost “λ”, or as simply transposed. That “ὀφέλλω” and “ὀφείλω” can be used in the same sense may be seen from such phrases as “μοιχάγρἰ ὀφέλλει” Od.8. 332, “ζωάγρἰ ὀφέλλεις” ib. 462, “χρεῖος πᾶς δῆμος ὄφελλεν” Od.21. 17.From this use with a direct accusatival object the transition to the use of the verb with an infinitive as object = ‘ought to do so and so,’ is easy. The verb “ὀφέλλειν”, augere, is distinct: some refer it to a root phal, ‘to bring forth.’
