When he requests that Kreon not “equate” his daughters with his misdeeds, Oidipous’s expression (μηδ᾽ ἐξισώσῃς) echoes what the priest said at the beginning of the play (οὐκ ἰσούμενόν; l. 31), when he insisted that the suppliants were not equating Oidipous with a god. It has become clear in the course of the play that both Oidipous and his Thebans have been more than ready to equate him with a god and that this has been their downfall. Thus, the daughters are in fact very much to be equated with Oidipous’s misdeeds, of which their miserable condition is a direct consequence. If they are not to be equated with the impiety of father and fellow citizens, they will have to stop being like them in one significant regard: their readiness to equate themselves with gods. This insight illustrates the wisdom of Kreon’s conviction that purification depends upon inviting the god to dictate terms. The city must demonstrate its piety by subordinating itself to divine instruction. [Mw] [Md] [Mpea] [P] [Mipd]