4214. posos
Lexical Summary
posos: How much, how many, how great

Original Word: πόσος
Part of Speech: Correlative Or Interrogative Pronoun
Transliteration: posos
Pronunciation: PO-sos
Phonetic Spelling: (pos'-os)
KJV: how great (long, many), what
NASB: how much, how many, how, how great, how many things, what
Word Origin: [from an absolute pos (who, what) and G3739 (ὅς - which)]

1. interrogative pronoun (of amount) how much (large, long or (plural) many)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
how great

From an absolute pos (who, what) and hos; interrogative pronoun (of amount) how much (large, long or (plural) many) -- how great (long, many), what.

see GREEK hos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
interrog. adjective from a prim. root
Definition
how much? how great?
NASB Translation
how (1), how great (1), how many (10), how many things (1), how much (13), what (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4214: πόσος

πόσος, πόση, πόσον ((cf. Curtius, § 631), from Aeschylus down, Latinquantus), how great: Matthew 6:23; 2 Corinthians 7:11; πόσος χρόνος, how great (a space) i. e. how long time, Mark 9:21; neuter how much, Luke 16:5, 7; πόσῳ (by) how much, Matthew 12:12; πόσῳ μᾶλλον, Matthew 7:11; Matthew 10:25; Luke 11:13; Luke 12:24, 28; Romans 11:12, 24; Philemon 1:16; Hebrews 9:14; πόσῳ χείρονος τιμωρίας, Hebrews 10:29; plural how many: with nouns, Matthew 15:34; Matthew 16:9; Mark 6:38; Mark 8:4, 19; Luke 15:17; Acts 21:20; πόσα, how grave, Matthew 27:13; Mark 15:4.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Greek Strong’s 4214 (variously inflected as πόσος, πόσο, πόσα, πόσοι, πόσον, etc.) introduces questions or exclamations about quantity or degree. Across its twenty-seven New Testament occurrences it ranges from simple numerical inquiry to weighty theological argument, always pressing the listener or reader to measure reality in the light of divine truth.

Semantic Range and Theological Nuances

1. Numerical count – “How many?” (Mark 6:38).
2. Measure of value – “How much?” (Matthew 12:12).
3. Degree of comparison – “How much more…!” (Luke 11:13).
4. Severity or intensity – “How much harsher…!” (Hebrews 10:29).

The word therefore moves easily from the marketplace to the sanctuary, from practical inventory to spiritual exhortation.

Experiential Contexts in the Synoptic Gospels

Jesus repeatedly uses the term when engaging the disciples’ senses. Before feeding the crowds He asks, “How many loaves do you have?” (Mark 8:5). After the miracle He obliges them to recall, “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you pick up?” (Mark 8:19), and again, “when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets did you collect?” (Mark 8:20). The question turns mere arithmetic into worship, proving that scarcity in human hands becomes abundance in His.

In Matthew 27:13 and Mark 15:4 Pilate’s “How many things” charged against Jesus ironically exposes the emptiness of those accusations, contrasting the rulers’ exaggerated claims with the silence of the righteous Sufferer.

Teaching Technique: The “How Much More” Argument

The rabbinic qal vahomer (light-to-heavy) reasoning saturates Jesus’ teaching:
Matthew 7:11 – “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Luke 12:24 – “Consider the ravens… of how much more value are you than birds!”
Luke 12:28 – “If God so clothes the grass… how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Such sayings affirm both God’s providence and the believer’s worth, combating anxiety by anchoring faith in the Father’s character.

Counting Miraculous Provision

The evangelists record seven distinct “posos” questions tied to the feeding narratives (Matthew 15:34; 16:9-10; Mark 6:38; 8:5, 19-20). The repetition underlines two ministry principles:

1. God invites human participation (“Bring them here to Me”).
2. God engraves the lesson by numerical memory; the very digits become testimony.

Exhortation to Moral Responsibility

Matthew 10:25 employs the comparative force negatively: “If the master of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” Persecution is normalized for disciples.

Paul echoes the same device positively: “If their trespass means riches for the world, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Romans 11:12). Here “poso” stirs missionary hope for Israel’s future restoration.

Pauline and General Epistle Usage

2 Corinthians 7:11 – “See what godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves… what punishment!” The cascading “what” (πόσην) catalogues observable fruits of repentance.
Philemon 16 – Paul entreats, “How much more to me—both in the flesh and in the Lord.” The degree marker intensifies the appeal for Onesimus’ reception, framing Christian brotherhood as surpassing social class.
Hebrews 9:14 and 10:29 contrast the temporary cleansing of animal blood with Christ’s eternal redemption: “how much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse your conscience” and “how much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished…?” The word presses the conscience to honor the greater sacrifice.

Eschatological and Missional Implications

Romans 11:24 extends a botanical parable into prophecy: if wild branches were grafted contrary to nature, “how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” The degree-marker fuels confidence in God’s covenant fidelity and final ingathering.

Pastoral and Homiletical Applications

1. Cultivate gratitude by rehearsing “how many” blessings the Lord has already multiplied.
2. Combat worry through “how much more” meditation on the Father’s care.
3. Confront sin by considering “how much” greater the privilege—and therefore the accountability—under the New Covenant.
4. Inspire evangelism with Paul’s “how much more” hope for global harvest.

Historical Reception

Early church fathers seized upon the “how much more” pattern to demonstrate Scripture’s internal logic. Chrysostom, preaching on Matthew 7, called it “the golden ladder by which the mind ascends from earthly examples to heavenly assurances.” The Reformers likewise invoked these passages to ground assurance of salvation in the finished work of Christ, showing that if lesser promises are sure, the greater cannot fail.

Conclusion

Strong’s 4214 subtly but powerfully invites readers to weigh, count, and compare in the light of God’s revelation. Whether measuring loaves, mercy, or final judgment, the word directs every calculation toward Christ, Who alone defines true magnitude.

Forms and Transliterations
ποσα πόσα ποσαι πόσαι ποσας πόσας πόση ποσην πόσην Ποσοι Πόσοι ποσον πόσον Ποσος Πόσος Ποσους Πόσους ποσω πόσω πόσῳ ποσων πόσων posa pósa posai pósai posas pósas posen posēn pósen pósēn poso posō Posoi Pósoi pósōi poson posōn póson pósōn Posos Pósos Posous Pósous
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 6:23 IPro-NNS
GRK: τὸ σκότος πόσον
NAS: that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
KJV: be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!
INT: that darkness how great

Matthew 7:11 IPro-DNS
GRK: τέκνοις ὑμῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ
NAS: to your children, how much more
KJV: children, how much more
INT: children of you how much more the

Matthew 10:25 IPro-DNS
GRK: Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐπεκάλεσαν πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοὺς
NAS: Beelzebul, how much more
KJV: Beelzebub, how much more
INT: Beelzebul they called how much more those

Matthew 12:12 IPro-DNS
GRK: πόσῳ οὖν διαφέρει
NAS: How much more valuable then
KJV: How much then is a man
INT: How much then is more valuable

Matthew 15:34 IPro-AMP
GRK: ὁ Ἰησοῦς Πόσους ἄρτους ἔχετε
NAS: said to them, How many loaves
KJV: unto them, How many loaves
INT: Jesus How many loaves have you

Matthew 16:9 IPro-AMP
GRK: πεντακισχιλίων καὶ πόσους κοφίνους ἐλάβετε
NAS: of the five thousand, and how many baskets
KJV: and how many baskets
INT: five thousand and how many hand-baskets you took [up]

Matthew 16:10 IPro-AFP
GRK: τετρακισχιλίων καὶ πόσας σπυρίδας ἐλάβετε
NAS: of the four thousand, and how many large baskets
KJV: and how many baskets
INT: four thousand and how many baskets you took [up]

Matthew 27:13 IPro-ANP
GRK: Οὐκ ἀκούεις πόσα σου καταμαρτυροῦσιν
NAS: to Him, Do You not hear how many things they testify against
KJV: not how many things they witness against
INT: not Hear you how many things you they witness against

Mark 6:38 IPro-AMP
GRK: λέγει αὐτοῖς Πόσους ἔχετε ἄρτους
NAS: And He said to them, How many loaves
KJV: unto them, How many loaves
INT: he says to them How many have you loaves

Mark 8:5 IPro-AMP
GRK: ἠρώτα αὐτούς Πόσους ἔχετε ἄρτους
NAS: And He was asking them, How many loaves
KJV: them, How many loaves
INT: he asked them How many have you loaves

Mark 8:19 IPro-AMP
GRK: τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους πόσους κοφίνους κλασμάτων
NAS: for the five thousand, how many baskets
KJV: five thousand, how many baskets
INT: the five thousand how many hand-baskets of fragments

Mark 8:20 IPro-GNP
GRK: τοὺς τετρακισχιλίους πόσων σπυρίδων πληρώματα
NAS: for the four thousand, how many large baskets
KJV: four thousand, how many baskets
INT: the four thousand of how many baskets [the] fillings

Mark 9:21 IPro-NMS
GRK: πατέρα αὐτοῦ Πόσος χρόνος ἐστὶν
NAS: his father, How long
KJV: his father, How long is it ago
INT: father of him How long a time is it

Mark 15:4 IPro-ANP
GRK: οὐδέν ἴδε πόσα σου κατηγοροῦσιν
NAS: See how many charges they bring against
KJV: behold how many things they witness
INT: nothing See of how many things you they witness against

Luke 11:13 IPro-DNS
GRK: τέκνοις ὑμῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ
NAS: to your children, how much more
KJV: children: how much more
INT: children of you how much more the

Luke 12:24 IPro-DNS
GRK: τρέφει αὐτούς πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς
NAS: feeds them; how much more
KJV: feedeth them: how much more are
INT: feeds them How much more you

Luke 12:28 IPro-DNS
GRK: οὕτως ἀμφιέζει πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς
NAS: into the furnace, how much more
KJV: the oven; how much more
INT: thus arrays how much rather you

Luke 15:17 IPro-NMP
GRK: ἐλθὼν ἔφη Πόσοι μίσθιοι τοῦ
NAS: he said, 'How many of my father's
KJV: he said, How many hired servants
INT: having come he said How many hired servants of the

Luke 16:5 IPro-ANS
GRK: τῷ πρώτῳ Πόσον ὀφείλεις τῷ
NAS: to the first, 'How much do you owe
KJV: unto the first, How much owest thou
INT: to the first How much owe you to

Luke 16:7 IPro-ANS
GRK: Σὺ δὲ πόσον ὀφείλεις ὁ
NAS: to another, 'And how much do you owe?'
KJV: to another, And how much owest thou?
INT: you moreover how much owe you

Acts 21:20 IPro-NFP
GRK: Θεωρεῖς ἀδελφέ πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶν
NAS: brother, how many thousands
KJV: brother, how many thousands
INT: You see brother how many myriads they are

Romans 11:12 IPro-DNS
GRK: πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ
NAS: for the Gentiles, how much more
KJV: of the Gentiles; how much more
INT: [is the] riches of [the] Gentiles how much more the

Romans 11:24 IPro-DNS
GRK: εἰς καλλιέλαιον πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὗτοι
NAS: into a cultivated olive tree, how much more
KJV: a good olive tree: how much more
INT: to a cultivated olive tree how much more these

2 Corinthians 7:11 IPro-AFS
GRK: θεὸν λυπηθῆναι πόσην κατειργάσατο ὑμῖν
NAS: For behold what earnestness this
KJV: a godly sort, what carefulness
INT: God to have been grieved how much it produced in you

Philemon 1:16 IPro-DNS
GRK: μάλιστα ἐμοί πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον
NAS: especially to me, but how much more
KJV: to me, but how much more unto thee,
INT: especially to me how much moreover rather

Strong's Greek 4214
27 Occurrences


πόσα — 2 Occ.
πόσαι — 1 Occ.
πόσας — 1 Occ.
πόσην — 1 Occ.
πόσῳ — 11 Occ.
πόσων — 1 Occ.
Πόσοι — 1 Occ.
πόσον — 3 Occ.
Πόσος — 1 Occ.
Πόσους — 5 Occ.

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