πῶς

πῶς — pōs

πῶς (from the obsolete ΠΟΣ, whence ποῦ, ποῖ, etc. (cf. Curtius, § 631)), adverb (from Homer down);

I. in interrogation; how? in what way? — in a direct question, followed by a. the indicative, it is the expression α. of one seeking information and desiring to be taught: Luk 1:34; Luk 10:26; Joh 3:9; Joh 9:26; 1Co 15:35 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 266 (250)); πῶς οὖν, Joh 9:10 Tdf. (but L WH brackets οὖν), Joh 9:19; Rom 4:10. β. of one about to controvert another, and emphatically deny that the thing inquired about has happened or been done: Mat 12:29; Mar 3:23; Luk 11:18; Joh 3:4; Joh 3:12; Joh 5:44; Joh 5:47; Joh 6:52; Joh 9:16; 1Jn 3:17; 1Jn 4:20; Rom 3:6; Rom 6:2; 1Co 14:7; 1Co 14:9; 1Co 14:16; 1Ti 3:5; Heb 2:3; καί πῶς, Mar 4:13; Joh 14:5 (here L text Tr WH omit καί); πῶς οὖν, Mat 12:26; Rom 10:14 R G; πῶς δέ, Rom 10:14 a R G L marginal reading, 14b R G T, 15 R G (on this see in b. below). where something is asserted and an affirmative answer is expected, πῶς οὐχί is used: Rom 8:32; 2Co 3:8. γ. of surprise, intimating that what has been done or is said could not have been done or said, or not rightly done or said — being equivalent to how is it, or how has it come to pass, that etc.: Gal 2:14 G L T Tr WH; Mat 22:12; Joh 4:9; Joh 6:52; Joh 7:15; πῶς λέγεις, λέγουσι, κτλ., Mar 12:35; Luk 20:41; Joh 8:38; καί πῶς, Luk 20:44; Act 2:8; καί πῶς σύ λέγεις, Joh 12:34; Joh 14:9 (here L T WH omit; Tr brackets καί); πῶς οὖν, Joh 6:42 (here T WH Tr text πῶς νῦν); Mat 22:43; πῶς οὐ, how is it that... not, why not? Mat 16:11; Mar 8:21 R G L marginal reading; (R G T); Luk 12:56.

b. the deliberative subjunctive (where the question is, how that can be done which ought to be done): πῶς πληρωθῶσιν αἱ γραφαί, how are the Scriptures (which ought to be fulfilled) to be fulfilled? Mat 26:54; πῶς φύγητε, how shall ye (who wish to escape) escape etc. Mat 23:33; add, πῶς οὖν, Rom 10:14 L T Tr WH; πῶς δέ, Rom 10:14 a L text T Tr WH; 14{b} L Tr WH; 15 L T Tr WH (Sir 49:11); cf. Fritzsche on Romans, vol. ii., 405f c. followed by ἄν with the optative: πῶς γάρ ἄν δυναίμην; Act 8:31 (on which see ἄν, III., p. 34b).

II. By a somewhat negligent use, occasionally met with, even in Attic writings, but more frequent in later authors, πῶς is found in indirect discourse, where regularly ὅπως ought to have stood; cf. Winers Grammar, § 57, 2 at the end; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, IV.).

a. with the indicative — present: Mat 6:28; Mar 12:41; Luk 12:27; Act 15:36; 1Co 3:10; Eph 5:15; Col 4:6; 1Ti 3:15; τό πῶς (on the article see ὁ, II. 10 a.); with the imperfect Luk 14:7; with the perfect, Rev 3:3; with the aorist, Mat 12:4; Mar 2:26 (here Tr WH brackets πῶς); Luk 8:36; Act 9:27, etc.; after ἀναγινώσκειν, Mar 12:26 T Tr WH; how it came to pass that, etc. Joh 9:15; with the future: μέριμνα, πῶς ἀρέσει (because the direct question would be πῶς ἀρέσω;), 1Co 7:32-34 (but L T Tr WH ἀρέσῃ); ἐζήτουν πῶς αὐτόν ἀπολέσουσιν, how they shall destroy him (so that they were in no uncertainty respecting his destruction, but were only deliberating about the way in which they will accomplish it), Mar 11:18 R G (but the more correct reading here, according to the best manuscripts, including codex Siniaticus, is ἀπολέσωσιν 'how they should destroy him' (cf. Winers Grammar, § 41 b. 4 b.; Buttmann, § 139, 61; see the next entry)).

b. with the subjunctive, of the aorist and in deliberation: Mar 11:18 L T Tr WH; Mar 14:1; Mar 14:11 (R G); Mat 10:19; Luk 12:11; τό πῶς, Luk 22:2; Luk 22:4; Act 4:21.

III. in exclamation, how: πῶς δύσκολόν ἐστιν, Mar 10:24; πῶς παραχρῆμα, Mat 21:20; πῶς δυσκόλως, Mar 10:23; Luk 18:24; with a verb, how (greatly): πῶς συνέχομαι, Luk 12:50; πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν, Joh 11:36.