The meaning of How in the Bible
(From 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?" ('ekh); Matthew 6:28, "how they grow" (pos); I Corinthians 15:35, "How are the dead raised?"; (2) degree, extent, frequently, "how great" (Daniel 4:3, mah; Mark 5:19, hosos, "how much"); "how many" (Matthew 27:13, posos); "how much" (Acts 9:13, hosos); "how much more" (Matthew 7:11, posos; I Samuel 14:30, 'aph ki); "how oft" (Psalms 78:40, kammah; Matthew 18:21, posakis); "how long" (Job 7:19, kammah; Matthew 17:17, heos pote), etc.; (3) the reason, wherefore, etc. (Matthew 18:12; Luke 12:49, tis); (4) means—by what means? (John 3:4, John 3:9, pos); (5) cause (John 12:34; Acts 2:8; Acts 4:21, pos); (6) condition, in what state, etc. (Luke 23:55, hos; Acts 15:36, pos; Ephesians 6:21, tis); "how" is sometimes used to emphasize a statement or exclamation (II Samuel 1:19, II Samuel 1:25, II Samuel 1:27, "How are the mighty fallen!"); "how" is also used for "that" (Genesis 30:29, 'eth 'asher, frequently "how that"; Exodus 9:29, ki most frequently, in the New Testament, hoti, 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; I Kings 12:6; Job 13; I Corinthians 14:26), omits (II Corinthians 13:5); has "how that" (I Samuel 2:22); "that" (I 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" (I 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; I Samuel 4:16; I Corinthians 7:16), for "why" (Job 19:28; Job 31:1; Jeremiah 2:33; Galatians 2:14), for "when" (Job 37:15), for "for" (Psalms 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; I 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 'ulam, "but," "truly," "yet" (Judges 18:29); of 'akh, "certainly," "only" (I Samuel 8:9); of 'ephes, "moreover," etc. (II Samuel 12:14); of ken, "so," "thus" (II Chronicles 32:31); of rak, "only," "surely" "nevertheless" (I Kings 11:13); of alla, "but," etc. (John 7:27; Acts 7:48; I Corinthians 8:7, etc.); of de, "but," etc. (John 6:23); of mentoi (John 7:13 the King James Version); many other instances.
For "howbeit," the Revised Version (British and American) has frequently "but" (II Kings 12:13, etc.), "and" (II Chronicles 21:20; Mark 5:19), "surely" (ERV) (Job 30:24), "now" (John 11:13), "yet" (II Corinthians 11:21), "nay, did" (Hebrews 3:16); omits (Matthew 17:21, different text); it has "howbeit" for "but" (II Kings 12:3; Luke 19:27; John 5:34, etc.), for "also" (Leviticus 23:27, Leviticus 23:39), for "nevertheless" (Numbers 13:28; I Kings 22:43; Mark 14:36; Luke 13:33 the English Revised Version; Luke 18:8; II Timothy 2:19), for "notwithstanding" (Joshua 22:19; Luke 10:20 the English Revised Version, "nevertheless" the American Standard Revised Version; (Philippians 4:14), for "nay" (Romans 7:7).
Howsoever (in what manner soever, although, however) is the translation of kol 'asher, "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 raq, "only," "surely," "nevertheless" (Judges 19:20); of yehi-mah, "let be what" (II Samuel 18:22-23, the Revised Version (British and American) "but come what may"); in II Samuel 24:3 "how" and "soever" are separated (kahem), "how many soever they may be," literally, "as they and as they."
W. L. Walker
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