| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The temporal adverb tote {τότε | tó-te} ‘then’ situates this action immediately after the previous escape attempt. The aorist verb apekopsan {ἀπέκοψαν | a-pé-kop-san} ‘they cut off’ narrates a completed action, with its subject hoi stratiotai {οἱ στρατιῶται | hoi stra-ti-ō-tai} ‘the soldiers’ following the verb in standard narrative order. The direct object ta schoinia {τὰ σχοινία | tá skhoi-ní-a} ‘the ropes’ is defined by the genitive tes skaphes {τῆς σκάφης | tês ská-phēs} ‘of the boat,’ marking possession. The conjunction kai {καὶ | kaí} ‘and’ links the second aorist eiasan {εἴασαν | e-í-a-san} ‘they allowed’ with the infinitive ekpesein {ἐκπεσεῖν | ek-pe-seîn} ‘to drift away,’ expressing the permitted outcome. English uses past tense verbs (“cut off,” “let”) for narrative flow and renders the genitive as either “of the boat” or “boat’s ropes” to convey ownership. |