Ἄβυσσον
abyss
Translated by Elizabeth Vandiver21 Nov 1998Vetting: high15 revisions
Translation
[Meaning] that which not even a deep [buqo/s ] can contain; but Ionians pronounce buqo/s as busso/s .1
From which alsobussodomeu/ein ["to build in the deep"] appears to be said,2 from the verb du/nw ["I sink"] [meaning] I enter upon secretly, with a change [of initial consonant] [giving] bu/w , bu/sw , be/busmai , be/busai , [and the nouns] buso/s and a)bu/ssos [meaning] where no-one enters because of its depth.3
Aristophanes in Frogs [writes]: "for immediately you will come to a huge lake, an absolute abyss."4 And he also uses the word in the neuter: "they shall not make peace while the measureless [a)/busson ] silver is with the goddess on the Acropolis." For 1,000 talents were stored on the Acropolis.5
"Abyss" is what the Holy Scripture calls the watery substance. So since the land is surrounded on all sides by waters [and] by great and small seas, David naturally called this [i.e., abyss] the earth's surrounding garment.6 Also, "abyss calls to abyss", the same prophet says,7 meaning figuratively military divisions and the excessive size of the multitude.8
"I was under water as [if] in a kind of abyss."9
So an abyss [is] a great amount of water.
From which also
Aristophanes in Frogs [writes]: "for immediately you will come to a huge lake, an absolute abyss."4 And he also uses the word in the neuter: "they shall not make peace while the measureless [
"Abyss" is what the Holy Scripture calls the watery substance. So since the land is surrounded on all sides by waters [and] by great and small seas, David naturally called this [i.e., abyss] the earth's surrounding garment.6 Also, "abyss calls to abyss", the same prophet says,7 meaning figuratively military divisions and the excessive size of the multitude.8
"I was under water as [if] in a kind of abyss."9
So an abyss [is] a great amount of water.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἄβυσσον· ἣν οὐδὲ βυθὸς χωρῆσαι δύναται· Ἴωνες δὲ τὸν βυθὸν βυσσόν φασιν. ὅθεν δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι καὶ βυσσοδομεύειν, παρὰ τὸ δύνω, τὸ ὑπεισέρχομαι, κατὰ τροπὴν βύω, βύσω, βέβυσμαι, βέβυσαι, βυσὸς καὶ ἀβύσσος, οὗ οὐδεὶς εἰσέρχεται διὰ τὸ βάθος. Ἀριστοφάνης Βατράχοις· εὐθὺς γὰρ ἐπὶ λίμνην μεγάλην ἥξεις πάνυ ἄβυσσον. καὶ οὐδετέρως φησὶν ὁ αὐτός· ἕως ἂν ᾖ τὸ ἀργύριον τὸ ἄβυσσον παρὰ τῇ θεῷ, οὐκ εἰρηνεύσουσιν. ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀκροπόλει χίλια τάλαντα ἀπέκειτο. Ἄβυσσον καλεῖ τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν ἡ θεία γραφή. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ γῆ πανταχόθεν ὕδασι περιέχεται μεγάλοις καὶ μικροῖς πελάγεσιν, εἰκότως περιβόλαιον αὐτῆς εἴρηκεν ὁ Δαβίδ. καὶ, ἄβυσσος ἄβυσσον ἐπικαλεῖται, ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης φησίν· τὰ στρατιωτικὰ λέγων τάγματα καὶ τὴν τοῦ πλήθους ὑπερβολὴν τροπικῶς. ὡς ἐν ἀβύσσῳ τινὶ ὑποβρύχιος ἐγενόμην. Ἄβυσσος οὖν ὑδάτων πλῆθος πολύ.
Betacode
*)/abusson: h(\n ou)de\ buqo\s xwrh=sai du/natai: *)/iwnes de\ to\n buqo\n busso/n fasin. o(/qen dokei= le/gesqai kai\ bussodomeu/ein, para\ to\ du/nw, to\ u(peise/rxomai, kata\ troph\n bu/w, bu/sw, be/busmai, be/busai, buso\s kai\ a)bu/ssos, ou(= ou)dei\s ei)se/rxetai dia\ to\ ba/qos. *)aristofa/nhs *batra/xois: eu)qu\s ga\r e)pi\ li/mnhn mega/lhn h(/ceis pa/nu a)/busson. kai\ ou)dete/rws fhsi\n o( au)to/s: e(/ws a)\n h)=| to\ a)rgu/rion to\ a)/busson para\ th=| qew=|, ou)k ei)rhneu/sousin. e)n ga\r th=| a)kropo/lei xi/lia ta/lanta a)pe/keito. *)/abusson kalei= th\n u(gra\n ou)si/an h( qei/a grafh/. e)pei\ ou)=n h( gh= pantaxo/qen u(/dasi perie/xetai mega/lois kai\ mikroi=s pela/gesin, ei)ko/tws peribo/laion au)th=s ei)/rhken o( *dabi/d. kai\, a)/bussos a)/busson e)pikalei=tai, o( au)to\s profh/ths fhsi/n: ta\ stratiwtika\ le/gwn ta/gmata kai\ th\n tou= plh/qous u(perbolh\n tropikw=s. w(s e)n a)bu/ssw| tini\ u(pobru/xios e)geno/mhn. *)/abussos ou)=n u(da/twn plh=qos polu/.
Notes (9)
- See also alpha 105.↩
- 1This comment on Ionian pronunciation comes from the scholiast on Aristophanes, Frogs 138, quoted later in the entry. ↩
- 2In Homer, Odyssey, where
bussodomeu/w occurs most frequently, it has the sense "brood over." ↩- 3cf. Etymologicum Magnum 4.44. These are principal parts of the verb
bu/w , which means "to stuff," followed bybuso/s , which does not exist according to LSJ. Probably this is a mistake forbusso/s , "depth of the sea" (cf. beta 598,busso/n ). The Suda generally has little concern for the distinction between single and double consonants. The author thus seems to propose a very dubious etymology: thata)-bussos literally means "unstuffable" -- i.e., unable to be entered. [Ms M (= Marcianus 448) omits this sentence.] ↩- 4Aristophanes, Frogs 137-8 (web address 1). ↩
- 5"Silver" [
a)rgu/rion ] is a neuter noun in Greek, while lake [li/mnh ] in the previous sentence is feminine; the point is that the same forma)/busson is used with both. The sentence quoted here is actually part of a scholion to Aristophanes, Lysistrata 173 (web address 2); Aristophanes uses the phraseto\ a)rgu/rion to\ a)/busson in that line itself. ↩- 6Psalm 103:6 LXX. See again under pi 1083. ↩
- 7Psalm 41:8 LXX. ↩
- 8Referring to the continuation of Psalm 41:8 LXX, "all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (KJV). ↩
- 9From Theodoret's commentary (PG 80.1173) on Psalm 41:8 LXX.
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from4 entries
- α101ἌβυδοςAbudos, Abydos, AbydusA city. The word is applied to an informant [sukofa/nths] because of the common belief that the people of Abudos were informers. Also [sc. attested is] an adverb, *)abudo/qi, [meaning] in Abudos. Also [sc. attested is…
- α105Ἄβυσσοςabyss, pitThere was a shrine of Persephone, which guarded much gold from all ages [and] kept it inviolate. In this [shrine] there was a certain pit of gold, not visible to the general public [and] hidden under ground.
- β598Βυσσόνdepth; ocean's depth[Meaning] depth, with oxytone accent [sc. accent on the last syllable]. But with barytone accent [sc. accent on the next-to-last syllable] it indicates dye [made] out of a murex-shell. Also [sc. attested is the…
- χ304ΧίλιαthousandA number.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history15 revisions · last 15 Aug 2015
- coding — David Whitehead
- cosmetics — David Whitehead
- coding — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- tweaked translation and note, after consulting with the translator — Catharine Roth
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- betacoding — Jennifer Benedict
- modified translation and notes 6-9 — David Whitehead
- Added links; cosmetics — Elizabeth Vandiver
- added x-ref; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added note; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Cosmetics, augmented note, added keywords, set status — William Hutton
- —
- —
- Translated — Elizabeth Vandiver