ποῦ
poû
G4226 adverb
SILEX Entry
Definition
Interrogative adverb of place, signifying 'where?' or 'at what place?' Used to inquire about the specific location of a person, object, or event. In some contexts, also implies movement toward a location ('to where?') or origin ('from where?'). The meaning focuses on spatial position or destination, depending on context.
Semantic Range
where?, in what place?, at what place?, to what place?, at which locality?, destination (with verbs of movement), position (with stative verbs)
Root / Etymology
From the base of πο- (indicating inquiry, see πῶς, τίς); the precise origin is uncertain, perhaps sharing a root with the obsolete pronoun πός. Its form parallels related interrogative adverbs like ποθεν ('from where?') and ποι ('to where?').
Historical & Contextual Notes
ποῦ appears in classical Greek as the standard adverbial interrogative for place. Its use is continuous in Koine Greek, including the New Testament and Septuagint, always to request information about physical or metaphorical location. In later Greek it sometimes overlaps with derivatives, but retains its specific function as 'where?'. English translations typically render it as 'where'; however, the Greek may at times carry more nuance, such as directionality depending on accompanying verbs. Distinguished from που (an indefinite, enclitic adverb meaning 'somewhere'), ποῦ is always interrogative and accented. Related forms: ποθεν ('from where?'), ποι ('to where?').
Translation Consistency
ποῦ is an interrogative adverb of place whose normal, natural English equivalent is “where.” This single word covers the typical senses (where?/in what place?/to where?/from where?) without archaisms like “whither” or “whence,” and matches the overwhelmingly dominant renderings in the data. Using “where” ensures consistent, idiomatic translation across all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
genitive case of an interrogative pronoun (what) otherwise obsolete (perhaps the same as πού used with the rising slide of inquiry); as adverb of place; at (by implication, to) what locality:--where, whither.
Root Family
ποῦ (pou) — where, in what place, at what place, to what place
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4225 | πού | where? |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4226-01 |
ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where | 48 |
Occurrences in Scripture
48 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4226-01 |
Matthew 2:2 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
Where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Matthew 2:4 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Matthew 8:20 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Matthew 26:17 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Mark 14:12 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
Where | where? | where? |
G4226-01 |
Mark 14:14 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Mark 15:47 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Luke 8:25 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Luke 9:58 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |
G4226-01 |
Luke 12:17 | ποῦ | pou | ADV |
where | where? | where |