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ποσάκις

posákis

G4212 adverb

SILEX Entry

Definition

An interrogative or relative adverb asking or stating 'how many times' something occurs. Primarily denotes frequency of an event or action, seeking to elicit or specify the number of repetitions.

Semantic Range

how many times, how often, on how many occasions

Root / Etymology

Derived from πόσος ('how much, how many') with the adverbial suffix -κις, which forms adverbs expressing the number of times, thus 'how many times.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

ποσάκις is used exclusively in Koine Greek as an adverb raising the question of frequency, e.g., 'how often?' or 'how many times?' In the New Testament, it appears in interrogative contexts (e.g., Matthew 18:21: 'Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?'). The form is standard Koine, built analytically (ποσά- + -κις), and does not appear in classical Attic Greek, though similar forms are common (e.g., πόσκις in some dialects). The LXX (Septuagint) and contemporary Jewish Greek texts use ἑπτακίς 'seven times' and similar numerically specific adverbs to express frequency. The English translation 'how often' is accurate but does not capture the explicit reference to discrete counts of repetition implied by the suffix -κις. In Hellenistic Greek, the sense is consistently quantitative and interrogative regarding repetition.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

multiplicative from πόσος; how many times:--how oft(-en).

Root Family

ποσ- (posákis) — how many, of what quantity

Root ποσ- how many, of what quantity
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G4214 πόσος how many

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4212-01 ποσάκις posakis ADV how-often how many times how many times 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4212-01 Matthew 18:21 ποσάκις posakis ADV how often how many times how many times
G4212-01 Matthew 23:37 ποσάκις posakis ADV how-often how many times how many times
G4212-01 Luke 13:34 ποσάκις posakis ADV how-often how many times how many times
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