The golden apple was engraved with a word in the dative case. The Latin translation of the Greek is:
formossimae= to the prettiest

​

​Formossimae

​Dative Endings

Juppiter Paridi malum aureum dat.

​Latin

Jupiter gives Paris the golden apple.

​English

Dative Use= Indirect Object

Dative answers the question: CUI?

​Cui= to whom?

Cui Iuppiter malum aureum dat? To whom does Jupiter give the golden apple?

Iuppiter Paridi malum aureum dat. Jupiter gives Paris the golden apple.

​

To whom does Paris give the apple?

​Cui Paris malum dat?

Paris gives Venus the apple.

​​Paris Veneri malum dat.