Bible Encyclopedias
How

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Represents various Hebrew and Greek words, interrogative, interjectional and relative. Its different uses refer to (1) The manner or way , e.g. Genesis 44:34 , "How shall I go up to my father?" (ēkh ); Matthew 6:28 , "how they grow" (pō̇s ); 1 Corinthians 15:35 , "How are the dead raised?"; (2) degree , extent , frequently, "how great" (Daniel 4:3 , māh ; Mark 5:19 , hósos , "how much"); "how many" (Matthew 27:13 , pósos ); "how much" (Acts 9:13 , hosos ); "how much more" (Matthew 7:11 , posos ; 1 Samuel 14:30 , 'aph kı̄ ); "how oft" (Psalm 78:40 , kammāh ; Matthew 18:21 , posákis ); "how long" (Job 7:19 , kammāh ; Matthew 17:17 , héōs póte ), etc.; (3) the reason , wherefore, etc. (Matthew 18:12; Luke 12:49 , tis ); (4) means - by what means? ( John 3:4 , John 3:9 , pō̇s ); (5) cause ( John 12:34; Acts 2:8; Acts 4:21 , pōs ); (6) condition , in what state, etc. (Luke 23:55 , hōs ; Acts 15:36 , pōs ; Ephesians 6:21 , tis ); "how" is sometimes used to emphasize a statement or exclamation (2 Samuel 1:19 , 2 Samuel 1:25 , 2 Samuel 1:27 , "How are the mighty fallen!"); "how" is also used for "that" (Genesis 30:29 , 'ēth 'ăsher , frequently "how that"; Exodus 9:29 , kı̄ most frequently, in the New Testament, hóti , Matthew 12:5; Matthew 16:12 , Matthew 16:21; Acts 7:25; Romans 7:1 , etc., in the King James Version).

The Revised Version (British and American) has "wherefore" for "how" (Genesis 38:29 , margin "how"); has "what" (Judges 13:12; 1 Kings 12:6; Job 13; 1 Corinthians 14:26 ), omits (2 Corinthians 13:5 ); has "how that" (1 Samuel 2:22 ); "that" (1 Chronicles 18:9; Luke 1:58; Galatians 4:13; James 2:22; Revelation 2:2 ); has "that even" for "how that" (Hebrews 12:17 );" What is this?" for "How is it that?" (Luke 16:2 ); omits" How is it ?" (Mark 2:16 , different text); has "Do ye not yet," for "How is it that?" (Mark 8:21 ); "Have ye not yet" (Mark 4:40 , different text); "what" for "how much" (Luke 19:15 , different text); omits "how that" (Luke 7:22 ); "then how" (James 2:24 ); has "cannot" for "How can he" (1 John 4:20 ); omits "How hast thou" (Job 26:3 ), "how is" (Jeremiah 51:41 ); has "how" for "the fashion which" (Genesis 6:15 ), for "and" (Exodus 18:1 ), for "what" (Judges 18:24; 1 Samuel 4:16; 1 Corinthians 7:16 ), for "why" (Job 19:28; Job 31:1; Jeremiah 2:33; Galatians 2:14 ), for "when" (Job 37:15 ), for "for" (Psalm 42:4 ), for "but God" (Proverbs 21:12 ), for "whereunto" (Mark 4:30 ); for "by what means" (Luke 8:36; John 9:21 ), for "how greatly" (Philippians 1:8 ); "how that" for "because" (Ezekiel 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:5 ), for "and how" (Acts 20:20 ); "know how to" for "can" (Matthew 16:3 ); "how" for "by whom" (Amos 7:2 , Amos 7:5 ).

"How" in compounds gives us Howbeit (how be it). It is the translation of 'ūlām , "but," "truly," "yet" ( Judges 18:29 ); of 'akh , "certainly," "only" (1 Samuel 8:9 ); of 'epheṣ , "moreover," etc. (2 Samuel 12:14 ); of kēn , "so," "thus" (2 Chronicles 32:31 ); of raḳ , "only," "surely" "nevertheless" (1 Kings 11:13 ); of allá , "but," etc. (John 7:27; Acts 7:48; 1 Corinthians 8:7 , etc.); of dé , "but," etc. (John 6:23 ); of méntoi (John 7:13 the King James Version); many other instances.

For "howbeit," the Revised Version (British and American) has frequently "but" (2 Kings 12:13 , etc.), "and" (2 Chronicles 21:20; Mark 5:19 ), "surely" (ERV) (Job 30:24 ), "now" (John 11:13 ), "yet" (2 Corinthians 11:21 ), "nay, did" (Hebrews 3:16 ); omits (Matthew 17:21 , different text); it has "howbeit" for "but" (2 Kings 12:3; Luke 19:27; John 5:34 , etc.), for "also" (Leviticus 23:27 , Leviticus 23:39 ), for "nevertheless" (Numbers 13:28; 1 Kings 22:43; Mark 14:36; Luke 13:33 the English Revised Version; Luke 18:8; 2 Timothy 2:19 ), for "notwithstanding" (Joshua 22:19; Luke 10:20 the English Revised Version, "nevertheless" the American Standard Revised Version; Phil ( Luke 4:14 ), for "nay" (Romans 7:7 ).

Howsoever (in what manner soever, although, however) is the translation of kōl 'ăsher , "all that which," etc. ( Zephaniah 3:7 , "howsoever I punished them," the Revised Version (British and American) "according to all that I have appointed concerning her," margin "howsoever I have punished her"; the English Revised Version omits "have"); of raḳ , "only," "surely," "nevertheless" (Judges 19:20 ); of yehı̄ -māh , "let be what" (2 Samuel 18:22 , 2 Samuel 18:23 , the Revised Version (British and American) "but come what may"); in 2 Samuel 24:3 "how" and "soever" are separated ( kāhēm ), "how many soever they may be," literally, "as they and as they."