πόσος
pósos
G4214 interrogative pronoun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Interrogative pronoun or adjective indicating an inquiry about quantity, size, extent, or degree. Used to ask about 'how much,' 'how many,' or 'to what extent.' In singular, typically refers to amount or extent (how much, how great), and in plural, to number (how many). May also occur as an exclamatory, expressing wonder or emphasis ('how great!'). Functions for both tangible (number, length, size) and abstract (extent, intensity) quantities depending on context.
Semantic Range
how much, how many, how great, of what size, of what degree, to what extent, exclamative: how great!/how many!
Root / Etymology
Rooted in πός (po-, interrogative stem for 'what, how') with the inflectional ending -ος (adj. form, cf. ὅσος for relative sense). Cognate with Latin 'quantus.' The etymology traces to the Proto-Indo-European *kwo- ('who, what') and *so- ('this, that').
Historical & Contextual Notes
πόσος appears across Greek literature from the classical period as an interrogative seeking information about quantity or degree—'how much' or 'how many,' and sometimes in exclamatory statements. In the New Testament and LXX, it often frames direct questions ('how many baskets?') or indirect ones (reporting questions or reflecting on magnitude). While English typically divides these sense into 'how much' (non-countable), 'how many' (countable), and exclamative 'how great,' Greek applies πόσος in all these settings, determined by grammatical number and context. Related to the relative pronoun ὅσος ('as much as') but always in an interrogative or exclamative function. Less frequent in classical literature than the corresponding relative or indefinite forms, but regular in Koine usage. Unlike ὅσος, πόσος is not used to introduce relative clauses. Greek regularly makes the distinction between πόσος (interrogative) and τοσοῦτος (demonstrative: 'so much, so many').
Translation Consistency
πόσος is an interrogative/adjective asking about quantity, degree, or extent (how much, how many, how great). "How" is the natural, concise English equivalent that covers singular/plural and exclamative uses and will render consistently across all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an absolute (who, what) and ὅς; interrogative pronoun (of amount) how much (large, long or (plural) many):--how great (long, many), what.
Root Family
ποσ- (posákis) — how many, of what quantity
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4212 | ποσάκις | how many times |
Word Forms
9 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4214-05 |
πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much | 11 |
G4214-09 |
πόσους | posous | DET ACC M PL |
How many | how many | how many | 5 |
G4214-07 |
πόσον | poson | DET NOM N SG |
how much | how much | how much | 4 |
G4214-01 |
πόσα | posa | PRO.Q ACC N PL |
how many | how many | how many | 2 |
G4214-02 |
πόσαι | posai | DET NOM F PL |
how many | how many | how many | 1 |
G4214-03 |
πόσας | posas | DET ACC F PL |
how many | how many | how many | 1 |
G4214-04 |
πόσην | posen | PRO.Q ACC F SG |
what | how much | how much | 1 |
G4214-06 |
πόσοι | posoi | DET NOM M PL |
how many | how many | how many | 1 |
G4214-08 |
πόσος | posos | DET NOM M SG |
How | how great? | how great? | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
27 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4214-07 |
Matthew 6:23 | πόσον | poson | DET NOM N SG |
how great | how much | how much |
G4214-05 |
Matthew 7:11 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Matthew 10:25 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Matthew 12:12 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
How much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-09 |
Matthew 15:34 | πόσους | posous | DET ACC M PL |
How many | how many | how many |
G4214-09 |
Matthew 16:9 | πόσους | posous | DET ACC M PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-03 |
Matthew 16:10 | πόσας | posas | DET ACC F PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-01 |
Matthew 27:13 | πόσα | posa | PRO.Q ACC N PL |
how many things | how many | how many |
G4214-09 |
Mark 6:38 | πόσους | posous | DET ACC M PL |
How many | how many | how many |
G4214-09 |
Mark 8:5 | πόσους | posous | PRO.Q ACC M PL |
How many | how many | how many |
G4214-09 |
Mark 8:19 | πόσους | posous | DET ACC M PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-07 |
Mark 8:20 | πόσων | poson | DET GEN F PL |
how many | how much | how many |
G4214-08 |
Mark 9:21 | πόσος | posos | DET NOM M SG |
How | how great? | how great? |
G4214-01 |
Mark 15:4 | πόσα | posa | PRO.Q ACC N PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-05 |
Luke 11:13 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Luke 12:24 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Luke 12:28 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-06 |
Luke 15:17 | πόσοι | posoi | DET NOM M PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-07 |
Luke 16:5 | πόσον | poson | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
how much | how much | how much |
G4214-07 |
Luke 16:7 | πόσον | poson | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
how much | how much | how much |
G4214-02 |
Acts 21:20 | πόσαι | posai | DET NOM F PL |
how many | how many | how many |
G4214-05 |
Romans 11:12 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Romans 11:24 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-04 |
2 Corinthians 7:11 | πόσην | posen | PRO.Q ACC F SG |
what | how much | how much |
G4214-05 |
Philemon 1:16 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Hebrews 9:14 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |
G4214-05 |
Hebrews 10:29 | πόσῳ | poso | PRO.Q DAT N SG |
how much | by how much | by how much |