James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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ἀδελφοὺς κτλ. refers only to State-marriages, as ὁ κλῆρος shews. Without this exemption Plato's proposals would (according to Richards l.c.) “have rendered all unions whatever practically impossible.” Surely not; although they would have unduly favoured the τηλύγετος παῖς. A son, for example, who is born when his mother is 21 and his father 26, cannot marry till he is 49, because he is 29 before his bride can possibly be born, and she cannot marry under 20; whereas a son, whose father is 54 and mother 39 when he is born, can marry a girl only one year younger than himself, because his father and mother retire at 55 and 40 respectively. Did Plato intend the sons of elderly couples to marry young, and those of young couples to marry late? Such an inference is unlikely, although it is the logical outcome of his theories. In any case Plato did well to introduce a saving clause. The κομψὸς κλῆρος, obedient to the archons, would couple ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ whenever it seemed desirable in the interests of the State, so long as they were not really blood-relations. (This the archons of course would know.) Apollo's priestess would platonize. We must suppose that her assent is given in advance, and once for all (although προσαναιρῇ is present and follows ξυμπίπτῃ), unless she had an accredited representative on the spot, which there is nothing to indicate. On Plato's attitude to Apollo see IV 427 C note

461E - 464B Let us now endeavour to shew that community of wives and children is best, and in agreement with the general plan of our constitution. That it is the best policy Plato proves as follows. A legislator should above all things aim at maintaining unity within his city. The most effective instrument for this purpose is community of pleasure and pain. As in an individual man, the sufferings of a single member affect the whole, so also in a well-governed city, the joys and sorrows of every citizen are shared by all. It is easy to shew that our ideal city fulfils this condition in a unique degree, both by means of its other institutions, and more especially through the community of wives and children.

ἑπομένη -- πολιτείᾳ. This topic was not specified in the original distribution of the subject (458 B), but it is closely connected with ὡς μακρῷ βελτίστη. Plato does not deal with it till 464 B.

βεβαιώσασθαι κτλ. Hirschig cancelled παρὰ τοῦ λόγου: but cf. (with Stallbaum) Gorg. 489 A ἵνα—βεβαιώσωμαι ἤδη παρὰ σοῦ. ‘The argument’ is personified, as often.