turn the scale, sink, ἐτίταινε τάλαντα, ἕλκε δὲ μέσσα λαβών, ῥέπε δʼ αἴσιμον ἦμαρ Ἀχαιῶν, implying defeat and death, Il. 8.72; ῥέπε δʼ Ἕκτορος αἴσιμον ἦμαρ 22.212; τὸ τοῦδέ γʼ αὖ ῥέπει Ar. Ra. 1393; τοῦ ταλάντου τὸ ῥέπον κάτω βαδίζει τὸ δὲ κενὸν πρὸς τὸν Δία Id. Fr. 488.4, cf. Cerc. l.c.; τὸ μὲν κάτω ῥέπον . ., βαρύ· τὸ δὲ ἄνω, κοῦφον Pl. Just. 373e; ἀεὶ τοὐναντίον ῥ. Id. R. 550e, cf. Archim. Aequil. 1 Praef.
more generally, of things, incline one way or the other, ὅ τι πολλᾷ ῥέποι what is always shifting, never steady, Pi. O. 8.23; βλεμμάτων ῥέπει βολή inclines downward, falls, of a young girlʼs eye, A. Fr. 242; ὕπνος ἐπὶ γλεφάροις ῥέπων sleep falling upon the eyes, Pi. P. 9.25; ἐς τὸ λορδόν, κυφόν, Hp. Art. 48; ῥ. πρὸς τὴν γῆν Arist. PA 686a32, etc.
of one of two contending parties, preponderate, prevail, ἐπὶ ὁκότερα [οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι] ἐτράποντο, ταῦτα ῥέψειν ἔμελλε Hdt. 7.139; μοι σκοπουμένῳ ἔρρεψε δεῖν on consideration [the opinion] that it was necessary prevailed, Pl. Ep. 328b; ἠθῶν . ., ἃ ἂν ὥσπερ ῥέψαντα τἄλλα ἐφελκύσηται Id. R. 544e.
of persons, εὖ ῥέπει θεός is favourably inclined, A. Th. 21; ἐπὶ τὸ πρηνές the doctor should incline towards (prefer) pronation, Hp. Fract. 1 (unless in signf. 2, the subject being τὴν χεῖρα) ; ῥ. ἐπὶ τὸ πείθεσθαι Isoc. 15.4; ἐπὶ τὸ λῆμμα D. 18.298; πρὸς τὴν ἀνδρείαν Pl. Plt. 308a, cf. Lg. 802e; also ῥ. ταῖς γνώμαις ἐπὶ τοὺς Ῥοδίους Plb. 33.16.2; εἴς τινα Luc. Bis Acc. 6; but νομίζων τούτους πλεῖστον ῥέπειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῇ πόλει avail most, have the greatest influence, X. Lac. 4.1, cf. Isyll. 2
ῥ. εἴς τινα fall to, be directed towards, τὸ μητρὸς ἐς σέ μοι ῥέπει στέργηθρον A. Ch. 240; τοὔργον εἰς ἐμὲ ῥέπον that this deed points to me, S. OT 847.
of events, fall, happen, in a certain way, φιλεῖ τοῦτο μὴ ταύτῃ ῥέπειν Id. Ant. 722; τῇδε or ἐκείνῃ ῥ. Pl. Lg. 862c, Ti. 79e; ῥ. εἴς τι turn or come to something, συμφορὰν . . κακῶν ῥέπουσαν ἐς τὰ μάσσονα A. Pers. 440; τὸ μηδὲν εἰς οὐδὲν ῥ. naught comes to naught, E. Fr. 532; ὁ χρησμὸς ἐς τοῦτο ῥ. Ar. Pl. 51; ὁ γρῖφος ἐνταῦθα ῥ. Antiph. 124.11.
trans., cause the scale to incline one way or the other, only in compds. ἐπιρρέπω, καταρρέπω, exc. that A. uses the Pass., τῶνδʼ ἐξ ἴσου ῥεπομένων being equally balanced, Supp. 405 (lyr.):—in B. 16.25, ὅ τι μὲν ἐκ θεῶν μοῖρα παγκρατὴς ἄμμι κατένευσε καὶ Δίκας ῥέπει τάλαντον, ῥ. is prob. intrans. (sc. ἐπʼ αὐτό). (Perh. cogn. with Lith. virpti ‘quiver’.)