νομίζων

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 νομίζων

   no-MI-dzōn

   thinking
2. sentence🔊 ἔξυπνος δὲ γενόμενος ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς σπασάμενος τὴν μάχαιραν ἤμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν νομίζων ἐκπεφευγέναι τοὺς δεσμίους

   EK-sy-pnos DE ge-NO-me-nos ho des-mo-PHY-laks KAI i-DON a-ne-oiɣ-ME-nas tas THY-ras tês phy-la-KÊS spa-SA-me-nos tên MA-khai-ran Ê-mel-len he-au-TON a-nai-REIN no-MI-dzōn ek-pe-pheu-GE-nai tous des-MI-ous

   awake and having become the jailer and having seen opened the doors of the prison having drawn the sword was about himself to kill thinking to have escaped the prisoners

Exegesis

The present participle nomizōn {νομίζων | nomízōn} ‘supposing’ introduces a causal clause with the perfect infinitive ekpepheugénai {ἐκπεφευγέναι | ekpepheugénai} ‘to have escaped,’ the object of which is tous desmious {τοὺς δεσμίους | toùs desmíos} ‘the prisoners.’ This string of participles accelerates the narrative: awakening, perceiving, reacting, intending, and reasoning. English renders most participles as finite verbs or subordinate clauses for clarity, while preserving the immediacy of ḗmellen anairein. The bracketed glosses highlight the jailer’s custodial role, the prisoners’ bound status, the sudden alertness of the awakening, and the nature of the weapon he draws.