The headword is the present infinitive of the compound verb διοπομπέομαι ; it occurs in the Synagoge and shows some analogies to a scholion on Plato, Cratylus 396 and to Hesychius, delta1900. It is commonly referred to by lexicographers; their works are the only extant source for the form διοπομπέομαι , since the verb is normally used in Greek as ἀποδιοπομπέομαι (alpha 3297; LSJ entry at web address 1). For the general equivalence see Eustathius on Homer, Odyssey 10.481 ἄλλως δὲ κοινότερον διοπομπεῖν καὶ ἀποδιοπομπεῖν ἐφαίνετο . The substantive διοπομπή can be found in Et.Gud.147.54, with the gloss πέμψις , “mission”; cf. Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.6.33 τῆι διοπομπήσει τῶν κακῶν . For the meaning see Hesychius, alpha6304 ἀποδιοπομπεῖσθαι: ἀποστρέφεσθαι, τὸν ἀποτρόπαιον ἐκπέμπεσθαι μακράν, ἀποκαθαίρεσθαι “to turn away, to send the ill-omened one [sc. a scapegoat] far away, to purify”; delta1900 διοπομπεῖσθαι: καθαίρειν, ἰδίως δὲ τοὺς καθαίροντας πρὸς τὸν προστρόπαιον Δία ἀποπέμπειν “to purify; properly, to send those who purify to [the shrine of] Zeus Prostropaios [= to whom one turns to obtain purification]”.
[1] According to Etym. Mag. 125.33, which offers the etymology ἀπὸ τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τοῦ πομπός , “from “Zeus” and “escort”, following a grammatical explanation of the verb (πρώτης συζυγίας διοπομπῶ, διοπομπήσω “first conjugation”), the headword σημαίνει τὸ ἀποτρέπεσθαι διὰ τοῦ ἀποτροπαίου Διὸç ἀποτρόπαιος μὲν Ζεὺς, καὶ δαίμων, ἀποτρέπων τὰ ἄγη , “it denotes the action of averting [evil] with the help of Zeus Apotropaios; [the epithet] apotropaios [for] Zeus and a demon means 'curse-lifting', 'turning away the pollution'. Cf. Plato, Laws 854b7 ἴθι ἐπὶ τὰς ἀποδιοπομπήσεις, ἴθι ἐπὶ θεῶν ἀποτροπαίων ἱερὰ ἱκέτης , (Epictetus, Diss. 2.18.20) “betake yourself to the purificatory rituals, betake yourself as a suppliant to the shrines of the evil-averting gods”.
Eustathius on Homer, Odyssey 10.481, refers his interpretation of the word διοπομπεῖσθαι to the offerings of ram-fleeces as scapegoats to Zeus Meilichios, during the purificatory rituals which took place in the month of Maimakterion (cf. delta 1210). The meaning of “escorting out [of the city] the sacred fleece seems to be the originary one; hence “conjure away” (Plutarch, Cato Maior 22 μετ' εὐπρεπείας τοὺς φιλοσόφους ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ) or “chase away” a pollution (Cassius Dio 37.46.1 μίασμα , a damage (Iamblicus, Myst. 1.13.21 βλάβην , every kind of negative, ill-omened events or things (scholion on Pindar, Nemean 10 τὴν ἔριν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς κρείττωνας ; scholion [both the vetus and Tzetzes] on Aristophanes, Frogs 1340 τοὺς χαλεπωτάτους τῶν ὀνείρων ; Clem. Alex. Strom. 7.6.33 κακά .) both real or presumed (Ephorus in Plutarch, Lysander 17 [FGrH 70 F205] ἀποδιοπομπεῖσθαι πᾶν τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ὥσπερ κῆρας , “remove all of the gold and silver as calamities”. Lib. 15.1.34 opposes ἀποδιοπομπεῖσθαι to γενέσθαι συνευfξεσθαι “wish”.
For another instance of the verb in reference to purificatory rituals see Hesychius, lambda691 s. v. Λέρνη θεατῶν (The Lerne of the theaters, Cratinus fr.347 Kock): "παροιμία τίς ἐστιν Αργολικὴ Λέρνη κακῶν, ἣν ἀποδιοπομπούμενοι ἔλεγον. τὰ γὰρ ἀποκαθάρματα εἰς τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον ἐνέβαλλον , “there is a common saying, “Argolian Lerne of ills” [= abyss of ills] which they used to say when they made purifications, for they used to send to that place all that they wanted to cleanse off” (cf. Strabo 8.6.8; Pausanias 8.15.8).
[2] For further relation to rituals of κάθαρσις see [Lysias] 6.53 τὴν πόλιν καθαίρεσθαι καὶ ἀποδιοπομπεῖν καὶ φαρμακὸν ἀποπέμπειν καὶ ἀλιτήριον ἀπαλλάττεσθαι , “purify the city, avert evil from there, expel the scapegoat and take away the sinner”; again Eustathius on Homer, Odyssey 10.481 πῦρ ζητεῖ ὀΔυσσεὺς ἐπὶ καθάρσει τοῦ δώματος. ἐδόκουν γὰρ οἱ Ἕλληνες οὕτω τὰ τοιαῦτα μύση καθαίρεσθαι διοπομπούμενα , “Odysseus is looking for fire, in order to purify the palace. It seems that in this way the Greeks used to clear off the uncleanness thrown away”; Plato, Laws 878a1 καθήρασθαι καὶ ἀποδιοπομπήσασθαι τὸν οἶκον ... κατὰ νόμον “purify and cleanse the house…according to rules”. See also Plato, Cratylus 396C αὔριον δέ, ἂν καὶ ὑμῖν συνδοκῆι, ἀποδιοπομπησόμεθα τε αὐτὴν καὶ καθαρούμεθα ἐξευρόντες ὅστις τὰ τοιαῦτα δεινὸς καθαίρειν, εἶτε τῶν ἱερέων τις εἶτε τῶν σοφιστῶν . “tomorrow, if you too agree, we will conjure it away and purify ourselves, after having found some one either of the priest or of the sophist, skilled in doing such purifications”; scholion ad loc. (cf. n. 1) ἀποδιοπομπεῖσθαι φασὶ ἀποτρέπεσθαι τὸν προστρόπαιον Δία καὶ οἱονεὶ ἀποκαθαίρεσθαι τὰ δεινὰ ,"a. is explained as 'to turn to Zeus Prostropaios and so obtain effective purification from the evil".
[3] The present middle/passive imperative (third person) of the same verb. The expression, which seems a deprecatory formula, could also be referred to a person and consequently translated "let chase him away" in an unidentified quotation. See also the gloss ἀποδιωκέσθω in alpha 3297.