μήποτε

mhvpote mhvpote (from
mhv and
povte) (
mhv
povte (separately) L WH (except , see below) Tr (except )), differing from
ou[pote as
mhv does from
ouj; (from Homer down). Accordingly it is:1. a particle of Negation; not ever, never:
ejpeiv
mhvpote
ijscuvei, since it is never of force, because the writer thinks that the very idea of its having force is to be denied, (where WH text
mhv
tovte), on which see Winer's Grammar, 480 (447), cf. Buttmann, 353 (304); but others refer, this passage to 3 a. below.2. a prohibitory conjunction; lest ever, lest at any time, lest haply, (also written separately
mhv
povte ((see at the beginning), especially when the component parts retain each its distinctive force; cf. Lipsius, Gram. Untersuch., p. 129f; Ellendt, Lex. Sophocles . In the N. T. use of this particle the notion of time usual to
povte seems to recede before that of contingency, lest perchance)), so that it refers to the preceding verb and indicates the purpose of the designated action (Winer's Grammar, sec. 56, 2): with a subjunctive present ; with a subjunctive aorist, and , from () (where the Septuagint for @P,); ((cf. below)); (R G); and (both from , where the Septuagint for @P,); (
ouj namely,
qevlw); ; ; ; ; with
i{na prefixed, ; with a future indicative (see Buttmann, sec. 139, 7, cf. also, p. 368 (315) d.): ( L T Tr WH; (cf. )); ; ( L T Tr WH). after verbs of fearing, taking care (Winer's Grammar, as above; Buttmann, sec. 139, 48): with subjunctive aorist -- so after
prosevcw, to take heed, lest etc., ; (); so that an antecedent
fobouvmenoi or
prosevconte" must be mentally supplied, ;
mhvpote
oujk
ajrkevsh/, lest perchance there be not enough (so that
oujk
ajrkevsh/ forms one idea, and
fobouvmeqa must be supplied before
mhvpote), R T WH marginal reading; but L Tr WH text, together with Meyer, et al., have correctly restored
mhvpote (namely,
tou'to
genevsqw (Winer's Grammar, sec. 64, 7 a.))
ouj
mhv
ajrkevsh/, i. e. "Not so! There will in no wise be enough" (see
mhv, IV. 2); cf. Bornemann in the Studien und Kritiken for 1843, p. 143f; (but all the editors above named remove the punctuation mark after
mhvpote; in which case it may be connected directly with the words which follow it and translated (with R. V.) `peradventure there will not be enough'; cf. Buttmann, sec. 148, 10, especially, p. 354 (304) note. For additional examples of
mhvpote in this sense (cf. Aristotle, eth. Nic. 10, 10, p. 1179a, 24; with indicative, ibid., pp. 1172{a}, 33; 1173{a} 22, etc.), see Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word; Alexander Buttmann (1873) in his translation of Apoll. Dysk., index under the word; (cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word
mhv, Buttmann, 9)). after
fobou'mai, with present subjunctive ; so that
fobouvmeno" must be supplied before it, <<ref:BHS/GNT_L