James Adam, The Republic of Plato

ἐπικούροις. Why not φύλαξι? The word φύλακες regularly includes both the ἄρχοντες and the ἐπίκουροι, but it is strange to find ἐπίκουροι including the τέλεοι φύλακες or rulers (see on II 374 D), as it appears to do here and in 466 A. The following explanations may be suggested. (1) Plato intends the community of wives and children to extend only to the Auxiliaries, and not also to the Guardians. This view is taken by Blaschke (Familienu. Gütergem. d. Pl. St. p. 10), who asserts that the Rulers proper have already past the limits of age prescribed for matrimony. In point of fact, however, a man may become a τέλεος φύλαξ at 50 (VII 540 A, B), whereas he can marry till he is 55 (460 E). (2) As by far the largest number of husbands would be only Auxiliaries, Plato speaks somewhat loosely, as if matrimonial community were confined to them. This explanation is possible enough in itself, but fails to explain the usage in 466 A. (3) ἐπίκουροι is used with the new and deeper meaning given to it in 463 B (where see note), ‘helpers of the people,’ rather than in its original and technical sense of the rulers' auxiliaries. This suits all the passages, and is in my judgment what Plato intended. ἐπίκουρος is not the only term whose connotation deepens as the Republic proceeds: cf. II 376 B, III 392 C notes

464B - 465D Domestic communism is also in harmony with the general communistic character of the city. It will cement the union of the guardians and so consolidate the State. It will also deliver us from lawsuits arising out of disputes about the family and property. In cases of attempted violence to the person, we shall expect a man's fellows to defend him. The older citizens will exercise disciplinary powers over the younger; reverence and fear will keep the latter from retaliating. All these arrangements will tend to keep the rulers at peace with one another, and, if they are united, we shall not expect sedition in the rest of the State. Other minor advantages there are, too trivial to specify.

ὡμολογοῦμεν. I formerly read <*>μολογοῦμεν with Ξ q^{2}, Stallbaum, and others; but Schneider, as I now think, is right in retaining the imperfect and referring it to the original mention of domestic communism in Book IV. The whole of this discussion may in fact be regarded as a defence in the form of an explanation of the sentence IV 423 E— 424 A. See also App. I.