William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb

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[*] 532. A conditional relative sentence may express a general supposition, when the verb of the antecedent clause denotes a customary or repeated action or a general truth, while the relative clause refers in a general way to any act or acts of a given class. Here the subjunctive with ὃς ἄν, ὅταν, etc., follows primary tenses, and the optative (without ἄν) follows secondary tenses. (See 462.) E.g. Ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσιν, ὅς χ᾽ ἕτερον μὲν κεύθῃ ἐνὶ φρεσὶν, ἄλλο δὲ εἴπῃ, for that man (i.e. any man) is hated by me like the very gates of Hades, who conceals one thing in his mind and speaks another. Il. ix. 312. Νεμεσσῶμαί γε μὲν οὐδὲν κλαίειν ὅς κε θάνῃσι βροτῶν καὶ πότμον ἐνίσπῃ, I am never at all indignant at weeping for any mortal who may die, etc. Od. iv. 195. Οἶνος, ὅς τε καὶ ἄλλους βλάπτει, ὃς ἄν μιν χάνδον ἕλῃ μηδ᾽ αἴσιμα πίνῃ. Od. xxi. 293. Καὶ γὰρ συμμαχεῖν τούτοις ἐθέλουσιν ἅπαντες, οὓς ἂν ὁρῶσι παρεσκευασμένους, for all men are (always) willing to be allies to those whom they see prepared. DEM. iv. 6. Καίπερ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐν ᾧ μὲν ἂν πολεμῶσι, τὸν παρόντα (πόλεμον) ἀεὶ μέγιστον κρινόντων, although men always consider the present war the greatest, so long as they are engaged in it. THUC. i. 21. Πορεύονταί τε γὰρ αἱ ἀγέλαι ᾗ ἂν αὐτὰς εὐθύνωσιν οἱ νομεῖς, νέμονταί τε χωρία ἐφ᾽ ὁποῖα ἂν αὐτὰς ἐφιῶσιν, ἀπέχονταί τε ὧν ἂν αὐτὰς ἀπείργωσι: καὶ τοῖς καρποῖς ἐῶσι τοὺς νομέας χρῆσθαι οὕτως ὅπως ἂν αὐτοὶ βούλωνται: ἄνθρωποι δὲ ἐπ᾽ οὐδένας μᾶλλον συνίστανται ἢ ἐπὶ τούτους οὓς ἂν αἴσθωνται ἄρχειν αὐτῶν ἐπιχειροῦντας. XEN. Cyr. i. 1, 2. Νομίζω προστάτου ἔργον εἶναι οἵου δεῖ, ὃς ἂν ὁρῶν τοὺς φίλους ἐξαπατωμένους μὴ ἐπιτρέπῃ, i.e. such as one ought always to be, who, etc. Id. Hell. ii. 3, Id. Hell. 51. Καταφρόνησις δὲ (ἐγγίγνεται), ὃς ἂν καὶ γνώμῃ πιστεύῃ τῶν ἐναντίων προέχειν, ὃ ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει. THUC. ii. 62. (Here the ὃ refers to all that precedes, as a definite antecedent.)

Οὐ μὲν γὰρ μεῖζον κλέος ἀνέρος, ὄφρα κ᾽ ἔῃσιν, ἢ ὅ τι ποσσίν τε ῥέξῃ καὶ χερσίν. Od. viii. 147. (Ὄφρα κ᾽ ἔῃσιν, so long as he lives.) (Θεοὺς) παρατρωπῶσ᾽ ἄνθρωποι λισσόμενοι, ὅτε κέν τις ὑπερβήῃ καὶ ἁμάρτῃ. Il. ix. 500. Ἥμισυ γάρ τ᾽ ἀρετῆς ἀποαίνυται εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς ἀνέρος, εὖτ᾽ ἄν μιν κατὰ δούλιον ἦμαρ ἕλῃσιν. Od. xvii. 322. Φιλέει δέ κως προσημαίνειν, εὖτ᾽ ἂν μέλλῃ μεγάλα κακὰ ἢ πόλι ἢ ἔθνεϊ ἔσεσθαι. HDT. vi. 27. Φεύγουσι γάρ τοι χοἰ θρασεῖς, ὅταν πέλας ἤδη τὸν Ἅιδην εἰσορῶσι τοῦ βίου. SOPH. Ant. 580. Ἡνίκ᾽ ἂν δ᾽ οἴκοι γένωνται, δρῶσιν οὐκ ἀνασχετά. Pac. 1179. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἡ ἐκφορὰ ᾖ, λάρνακας ἄγουσιν ἅμαξαι. THUC. ii. 34. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ κρύψωσι γῇ, ἀνὴρ ᾑρημένος ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως, ὃς ἂν γνώμῃ τε δοκῇ μὴ ἀξύνετος εἶναι, λέγει ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἔπαινον τὸν πρέποντα. Ibid. Ἕως ἂν σῴζηται τὸ σκάφος, τότε χρὴ προθύμους εἶναι: ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἡ θάλαττα ὑπέρσχῃ, μάταιος ἡ σπουδή. DEM. ix. 69.So ἔστ᾽ ἂν δείσωσιν, XEN. Mem. iii. 5, 6.

Ὃν δ᾽ αὖ δήμου ἄνδρα ἴδοι βόωντά τ᾽ ἐφεύροι, τὸν σκήπτρῳ ἐλάσασκεν, whatever man of the people he saw and found brawling, he drove him with his sceptre. Il. ii. 198; see ii. 188. Οὔ τινα γὰρ τίεσκον ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων, οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλὸν, ὅ τίς σφεας εἰσαφίκοιτο, i.e. they were never in the habit of honouring any one who came to them. Od. xxii. 414. Ὅτε μὲν σκιρτῷεν, . . . θέον. Il. xx. 226: so 228. See Od. xx. 138. Καὶ οὓς μὲν ἴδοι εὐτάκτως καὶ σιωπῇ ἰόντας, προσελαύνων αὐτοῖς τίνες τε εἶεν ἠρώτα, καὶ ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο ἐπῄνει. XEN. Cyr. v. 3, 55. (Here ἠρώτα and ἐπῄνει denote the habit of Cyrus.) Καὶ τοῖς μὲν Ἀθηναίοις ηὔξετο τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀπὸ τῆς δαπάνης ἣν ἐκεῖνοι ξυμφέροιεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ, ὁπότε ἀποσταῖεν, ἀπαράσκευοι καὶ ἄπειροι ἐς τὸν πόλεμον καθίσταντο, and the Athenian navy continued to increase from the money which these contributed (pres.), and they, whenever they revolted (aor.), always found themselves unprepared and inexperienced for war. THUC. i. 99.

Ἐπὶ Μοίριος βασιλέος, ὅκως ἔλθοι ὁ ποταμὸς ἐπ᾽ ὀκτὼ πήχεας, ἄρδεσκε Αἴγυπτον τὴν ἔνερθε Μέμφιος, i.e. whenever the river rose. HDT. ii. 13. Τὸν δὲ χοῦν τὸν ἐκφορεόμενον, ὅκως γένοιτο νὺξ, ἐς τὸν Τίγριν ἐξεφόρεον, i.e. they carried it away every night. Id. ii. 150. Οἱ δὲ (Κᾶρες), ὅκως Μίνως δέοιτο, ἐπλήρουν οἱ τὰς νέας. Id. i. 171. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνοιχθείη, εἰσῄειμεν παρὰ τὸν Σωκράτη, i.e. each morning, when the prison was opened, etc. PLAT. Phaed. 59D. Ὅτε ἔξω τοῦ δεινοῦ γένοιντο, πολλοὶ αὐτὸν ἀπέλειπον, “many used to leave him when they were out of danger.” XEN. An. ii. 6, 12. (If ἐγένοντο had been used, the whole sentence would refer to a particular case.)