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1481. Dative of Advantage or Disadvantage (dativus commodi et incommodi).—The person or thing for whose advantage or disadvantage, anything is or is done, is put in the dative. The dative often has to be translated as if the possessive genitive were used; but the meaning is different.

ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῖς οἱ βάρβαροι ἐκ τῆς χώρα_ς ἀπῆλθον after the barbarians had departed (for them, to their advantage) from their country T. 1.89, ““ἄλλο στράτευμα αὐτῷ συνελέγετοanother army was being raised for himX. A. 1.1.9, ““ἄλλῳ τοιοῦτος πλουτεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷsuch a man is rich for another, and not for himselfP. Menex. 246e, ““στεφανοῦσθαι τῷ θεῷto be crowned in honour of the godX. H. 4.3.21, ““Φιλιστίδης ἔπρα_ττε ΦιλίππῳPhilistides was working in the interest of PhilipD. 9.59, τὰ χρήματ᾽ αἴτι᾽ ἀνθρωποῖς κακῶν money is a cause of misery to mankind E. Fr. 632, οἱ Θρᾷκες οἱ τῷ Δημοσθένει ὑστερήσαντες the Thracians who came too late (for, i.e.) to help Demosthenes T. 7.29, ἥδε ἡμέρα_ τοῖς Ἕλλησι μεγάλων κακῶν ἄρξει this day will be to the Greeks the beginning of great sorrows 2. 12, ““ἄ_ν τίς σοι τῶν οἰκετῶν ἀποδρᾷif any of your slaves runs awayX. M. 2.10.1.

a. For the middle denoting to do something for oneself, see 1719.

b. In the last example in 1481, as elsewhere, the dative of a personal pronoun is used where a possessive pronoun would explicitly denote the owner.

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