| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal dative phrase tē de epaurion {τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον | têi dè epáurion} “but on the next day,” which marks a new step in the narrative sequence. The aorist participle easantes {ἐάσαντες | eásantes} “having allowed” precedes the main verb hypestrepsan {ὑπέστρεψαν | hypéstrepsan} “they returned” and is adverbial, describing the circumstance under which the main action occurs. The participle governs the infinitive aperchesthai {ἀπέρχεσθαι | apérkhesthai} “to go away,” forming a complementary construction that specifies what they permitted. The direct object tous ippeis {τοὺς ἱππεῖς | toús hippeîs} “the horsemen” stands before the infinitive for clarity and mild emphasis on the escort unit being released. The prepositional phrase syn autō {σὺν αὐτῷ | sún autôi} “with him” attaches to aperchesthai, indicating that the cavalry continues on accompanying the prisoner, while the unnamed plural subject of hypestrepsan refers to the rest of the escort. The clause hypestrepsan eis tēn parembolēn {ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν | hypéstrepsan eis tḕn parembolḗn} “they returned to the camp” concludes the sentence with a simple aorist indicative summarizing the completed movement back to the military base. English renderings mirror this structure by preserving the temporal opening, the participial nuance with “having allowed” / “after letting,” and the sequence of the cavalry’s departure contrasted with the others’ return. |