4159. pothen

Lexicon

pothen: From where, whence

Original Word: πόθεν
Part of Speech: Adverb, Interrogative
Transliteration: pothen
Pronunciation: PO-then
Phonetic Spelling: (poth'-en)
Definition: From where, whence
Meaning: whence, from what place.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

whence.

From the base of posis with enclitic adverb of origin; from which (as interrogative) or what (as relative) place, state, source or cause -- whence.

see GREEK posis

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
adverb from the same as posos
Definition
from where
NASB Translation
how (3), what (1), what...source (1), what sense (1), where (22).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4159: πόθεν

πόθεν, adverb (from Homer down), whence;

a. of place,from what place: Matthew 15:33; Luke 13:25, 27; John 3:8; John 6:5; John 8:14; John 9:29, 30; John 19:9; Revelation 7:13; from what condition, Revelation 2:5.

b. of origin or source, equivalent to from what author or giver: Matt. 13:(),; ; Mark 6:2; Luke 20:7; John 2:9; James 4:1; from what parentage, John 7:27f (cf. ), see Meyer at the passage,

c. of cause, how is it that? how can it be that? Mark 8:4; Mark 12:37; Luke 1:43; John 1:48 (); .

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the combination of the Greek word "πο-" (po-), a form of the interrogative pronoun, and the enclitic particle "-θεν" (-then), which indicates origin or source.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for πόθεν, similar concepts of questioning origin or source can be found in Hebrew words like מֵאַיִן (me'ayin, Strong's Hebrew 370), which also means "from where?" or "whence?" This reflects a common linguistic theme in both Greek and Hebrew of inquiring about origins or sources.

Usage: In the New Testament, πόθεν is used to ask questions regarding the origin or source of a person, object, or event. It often appears in contexts where the speaker is questioning the legitimacy or authority of something or someone.

Context: • The term πόθεν appears in various contexts throughout the New Testament, often in dialogues where the origin or authority of Jesus or His teachings is questioned. For example, in John 7:27, the people question Jesus' origin: "But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from." Here, πόθεν is used to express skepticism about Jesus' messianic claims.
• In Matthew 21:25, Jesus uses πόθεν to challenge the chief priests and elders regarding the baptism of John: "The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" This usage highlights the word's function in probing the divine or human origin of authority.
• The word also appears in more personal contexts, such as in John 1:48, where Nathanael asks Jesus, "How do You know me?" (πόθεν με γινώσκεις;), indicating a question about the source of Jesus' knowledge.
• The use of πόθεν underscores the importance of understanding the divine versus earthly origins in the theological discussions of the New Testament, often leading to deeper revelations about Jesus' identity and mission.

Forms and Transliterations

ποθεν πόθεν ποθούσα pothen póthen

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 13:27 Adv
GRK: σῷ ἀγρῷ πόθεν οὖν ἔχει
NAS: in your field? How then
KJV: thy field? from whence then hath it
INT: your field from where then has it

Matthew 13:54 Adv
GRK: καὶ λέγειν Πόθεν τούτῳ ἡ
NAS: and said, Where [did] this man [get] this
KJV: and said, Whence hath this [man] this
INT: and said from where to this [man] the

Matthew 13:56 Adv
GRK: ἡμᾶς εἰσίν πόθεν οὖν τούτῳ
NAS: are they not all with us? Where then
KJV: with us? Whence then hath this [man]
INT: us are from where then to this [man]

Matthew 15:33 Adv
GRK: οἱ μαθηταί Πόθεν ἡμῖν ἐν
NAS: said to Him, Where would we get so
KJV: unto him, Whence should we
INT: the disciples from where to us in

Matthew 21:25 Adv
GRK: τὸ Ἰωάννου πόθεν ἦν ἐξ
NAS: of John was from what [source], from heaven
KJV: of John, whence was it?
INT: of John from where was it from

Mark 6:2 Adv
GRK: ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες Πόθεν τούτῳ ταῦτα
NAS: saying, Where did this man [get] these things,
KJV: saying, From whence hath this
INT: were astonished saying from where to this [man] these things

Mark 8:4 Adv
GRK: αὐτοῦ ὅτι Πόθεν τούτους δυνήσεταί
NAS: answered Him, Where will anyone
KJV: answered him, From whence can a man
INT: of him from where these will be able

Mark 12:37 Adv
GRK: κύριον καὶ πόθεν αὐτοῦ ἐστὶν
NAS: so in what sense is He his son?
KJV: Lord; and whence is he [then] his
INT: Lord moreover how of him is he

Luke 1:43 Adv
GRK: καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο
NAS: And how has it [happened] to me, that the mother
KJV: And whence [is] this to me,
INT: And from where to me this

Luke 13:25 Adv
GRK: οἶδα ὑμᾶς πόθεν ἐστέ
NAS: to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
KJV: you not whence ye are:
INT: I do know you from where you are

Luke 13:27 Adv
GRK: οἶδα ὑμᾶς πόθεν ἐστέ ἀπόστητε
NAS: you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART
KJV: you not whence ye are; depart
INT: I do know you from where you are depart

Luke 20:7 Adv
GRK: μὴ εἰδέναι πόθεν
NAS: that they did not know where [it came] from.
KJV: not tell whence [it was].
INT: not they knew from where

John 1:48 Adv
GRK: αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ Πόθεν με γινώσκεις
NAS: said to Him, How do You know
KJV: unto him, Whence knowest thou
INT: to him Nathanael from where me know you

John 2:9 Adv
GRK: οὐκ ᾔδει πόθεν ἐστίν οἱ
NAS: and did not know where it came
KJV: knew not whence it was: (but
INT: not knew from where it is which

John 3:8 Adv
GRK: οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ
NAS: of it, but do not know where it comes
KJV: not tell whence it cometh, and
INT: not know from where it comes and

John 4:11 Adv
GRK: ἐστὶν βαθύ πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις
NAS: is deep; where then
KJV: is deep: from whence then hast thou
INT: is deep from where then have you

John 6:5 Adv
GRK: πρὸς Φίλιππον Πόθεν ἀγοράσωμεν ἄρτους
NAS: to Philip, Where are we to buy
KJV: Philip, Whence shall we buy
INT: to Philip from where shall we buy bread

John 7:27 Adv
GRK: τοῦτον οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν ὁ
NAS: we know where this man
KJV: we know this man whence he is: but
INT: this one we know from where he is

John 7:27 Adv
GRK: οὐδεὶς γινώσκει πόθεν ἐστίν
NAS: no one knows where He is from.
KJV: no man knoweth whence he is.
INT: no one knows from where he is

John 7:28 Adv
GRK: καὶ οἴδατε πόθεν εἰμί καὶ
NAS: know Me and know where I am
KJV: and ye know whence I am: and
INT: and you know from where I am and

John 8:14 Adv
GRK: ὅτι οἶδα πόθεν ἦλθον καὶ
NAS: for I know where I came
KJV: for I know whence I came, and
INT: because I know from where I came and

John 8:14 Adv
GRK: οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἔρχομαι ἢ
NAS: but you do not know where I come
KJV: cannot tell whence I come, and
INT: not know from where I come or

John 9:29 Adv
GRK: οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν
NAS: we do not know where He is from.
KJV: not from whence he is.
INT: not we know from where he is

John 9:30 Adv
GRK: οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἐστίν καὶ
NAS: that you do not know where He is from, and [yet] He opened
KJV: know not from whence he is, and
INT: not know from where he is and

John 19:9 Adv
GRK: τῷ Ἰησοῦ Πόθεν εἶ σύ
NAS: to Jesus, Where are You from? But Jesus
KJV: saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou?
INT: to Jesus from where are you

Strong's Greek 4159
29 Occurrences

πόθεν — 29 Occ.