A. FORMS: nom. “σφεῖς” Hdt.7.168, Th.5.46,65, X.An. 7.5.9, HG5.2.8, Pl.R.487c:—the uncontr, form σφέες is never found, cf. A.D.Pron.93.1, though recognized by Greg.Cor.p.479 S.:—the obl. cases only are used by Hom.
2. Gen. σφέων, in Hom. a monosyll., and sts. enclitic, Il.18.311, Od.3.134; poet. σφείων only in Il., and always in phrase ὦσαν ἀπὸ σφείων, 4.535, 5.626, 13.148; σφέων also in Hdt.2.4, 4.35, al.; Att. “σφῶν” IG12.39.67, al., Th.1.120, al., Antipho 6.23, etc., also in Hom. in the phrase σφῶν αὐτῶν, Il.12.155, 19.302.
3. Dat. σφίσι（ν) or σφισι（ν) 4.2, 17.453, 22.288,474, A. Pr.481, Hdt.1.4, al., Th.1.19, al., X.HG1.7.5, etc.; more freq. in the forms σφι, σφιν, Il.2.612,614, al., A.Pr.254, al., Hdt.1.31, al. (not in Att. Prose); in Trag. never σφι; sts. elided σφ᾽, Il.3.300, 8.4, etc.; σφιν also in Dor. Prose, SIG56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG22.1126.25 (Delph. Amphict., iv B.C.), Schwyzer 92.5 (Argos, iii B.C.), Anon. in PSI9.1091.21:—σφίσι（ν) is not enclitic acc. to A.D.Pron.98.12, sts. enclitic acc. to Hdn.Gr.2.42 (who says elsewh. (2.57) that pronouns beginning with σφ- are always enclitic); σφι（ν) is enclitic, exc. at the beginning of a phrase, as “σφὶν δ᾽ αὐτοῖς” Hes.Fr.49 (cited by A.D.Pron.98.11).
4. Acc., Ep. and Ion. σφέα^ς (enclit. σφεας) Hom. (v. infr.), Archil.27.2, Hdt.1.4,5, al.; freq. to be pronounced as one long syllable, as in “οὐ μέν σφεας ἔτ᾽ ἔολπα” Od.8.315, cf. 480, 13.213,276; but also as a disyll., Il.12.43, Od.12.225, al.; σφα^ς enclit. in Il.5.567, Parm.1.12, Theoc.21.16, not enclit. in Opp.C.1.471, H.2.231; Att. “σφᾶς” IG12.101.3, Th.1.24, E.Med.1378, Or.1127, etc.; enclit. σφας [α_, cf. S.Ant.128 (anap.)] S.OT1470,1508, OC486; also σφε Il.19.265, Simon.99, Pi.P.5.86, A.Th.630 (lyr.), 788 (lyr.), 864 (anap.), S.OT1505, OC605, 1669, E.Med.394, etc.; never in Com. (for Ar.Eq.1020 is a burlesque oracle), nor in Att. Prose; once in Hdt. (7.170, sed leg. σφέας): neut. σφεα (v. infr. 111).
II. Rare dialectic forms:—Lacon. dat. φιν, EM702.41; used also by Emp.22.3, Call.Dian.125,213, Fr.183, Nic.Th.725: Aeol. dat. and acc. ἄσφι, ἄσφε, Sapph.43, Alc.73: Syrac. dat. and acc. ψιν, ψε, Sophr.93,94, Theoc.4.3; ψε and ψεαυτόνς also Cretan, Rendic.Pont. Accad.Rom. di Arch.7.106, Riv.Fil.58(1930).473; Cret. dat. “ψιναυτοῖς” Riv.Ist.Arch.2.19: Arc. dat. σφεις IG5(2).6.10, 18 (Tegea).-- For the dual v. σφωέ: like other pl. forms σφε can be used with reference to two persons, Il.11.111, Od.8.271, 21.192, 206; so σφεας, Il.11.128.
III. Gender:—in Hom. this Pron. has no neut.; in Od.9.70, 10.355, it refers to things, denoted by feminine nouns: but in Ion. Prose occurs the neut. pl. σφεα, Hdt.1.46,89, 2.119, 3.53 (σφε codd.), 7.50, Abyd.9; σφε is acc. pl. neut. in Theoc.15.80.
B. MEANINGS:
I. they, them, pl. of οὗ B.I, “ἐκ γάρ σφεων φρένας εἵλετο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη” Il.18.311; “τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπον” Od.3.134; “μετὰ δέ σφισι πότνια Ἥβη νέκταρ ἐῳνοχόει” Il.4.2; “οὔ σφι θαλάσσια ἔργα μεμήλει” 2.614; “ἐγώ σφισιν ἔδειξα κράσεις ἠπίων ἀκεσμάτων” A.Pr.481, cf. 443,457, S.OT1470, al., E.Med.1378; this use is not found in Prose, exc. in dialects, SIG56.48 (Argos, v B.C.), IG22.1126.25 (Delph. Amphict., iv B.C.), Hdt.1.3, 2.15, al.
2. reflexively, as pl. of “οὗ” B. 11.1, “ὦσαν ἀπὸ σφείων” 4.535, al.; “αἵ ἑ μετὰ σφίσιν εἶχον” 22.474, cf. Th.2.76; later with the same restriction as for “οὗ” B. 11.1, e.g. “φράζοντες ὡς οὔ σφι περιοπτέη ἐστὶ ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἀπολλυμένη: ἢν γὰρ σφαλῇ, σφεῖς γε οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ δουλεύσουσι τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερέων” Hdt.7.168, cf. Th.5.46,65, X.An.7.5.9, HG5.2.8, Pl.R.487c.
3. oblique cases in combination with αὐτῶν, αὐτούς, etc., forming a reflex. Pron. used without the foreg. restriction, “ἐντὸς δὲ πυκάζοιεν σφέας αὐτούς” Od.12.225; “σφῶν δ᾽ αὐτῶν κήδε᾽ ἑκάστη” Il.19.302, cf. 12.155; “σφᾶς δ᾽ αὐτάς” Hes.Th.34; “Κερκυραῖοι σφῶν αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι ἐφόνευον” Th.3.81, cf. 1.139, al.; it sts. = ἀλλήλους (-ων）“, ἀλλήλοις κοτέοντες ἐπὶ σφέας ὁρμήσωσι” Hes.Sc.403; “ποθεινοτέρως σφῶν αὐτῶν ἔχειν” X.Lac.1.5; σφᾶς （σφὰς cod. L) αὐτοὺς . . ἐπέφραδον informed one another, A.R.2.959; but σφᾶς ἑωυτάς is prob. f.l. in Hp.Epid.2.1.3: cf. Thom.Mag.p.329 R.
II. as sg., = him, her, in the dat. and acc. forms σφι（ν）, σφε; σφιν is so used in h.Pan.19, h.Hom.30.9, A.Pers.759, S.OC1490 (in Od.15.524 σφιν refers to all the suitors, and in Hes.Sc.113 to Ares and Cycnus); σφι in Lyc.1242; σφε = him, her, in Pi.I.6(5).74, A.Pr.9, Th.469, al., S.OT761, Ant.44, Ph.200 (anap.), al., E.Alc.107 (lyr.), 149,200, Med.33, al.; = it (of a masc. noun) in S.OC40: f.l. for σφεα in Hdt.3.52,53, and for σφεας Id.1.71, al.
