adverb
pou
Strong’sG4226
where, whither
stem pou-51 times in the New Testamentin 13 of 27 booksnever changes form
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ποῦ is a question-word meaning "where?", asking about location 1234. It is used to ask literally where something or someone is 1, including questions implying that the thing asked about cannot be found, such as "where is the boasting?" or "where is your victory?" 1.
The same word can also be used, as in English colloquial speech, to mean "whither?" — asking not where something is but where it is going — both in direct questions ("where are you going?") and in indirect ones 14.
In addition, ποῦ can function like the relative word "where," introducing a statement rather than a question 1.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ποῦ,
interrog. adv.,[in LXX for אַי, אַיֵּה, אָנָה;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4226 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpoo
as adverb of place; at (by implication, to) what locality
Fromgenitive case of an interrogative pronoun πός (what) otherwise obsolete (perhaps the same as G4225 used with the rising slide of inquiry);
King Jameswhere, whither.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect κοῦ, interrogative adverb where? Refs 8th c.BC+; rarely with Verbs of motion in early authors, see που entry near the end:—with genitive loci, π. χθονό; where in the world? Refs 5th c.BC+; τὴν σοφίαν.. π. χοροῦ τάξομε; in what part of the chorus? Refs 5th c.BC+
2 so in a sense not strictly local, π. ποτ᾽ εἶ φρενῶ; Refs 5th c.BC+; π. σοι τύχης ἕστηκε; at what point of fortune stands he? Refs
II of manner, how? Refs 5th c.BC+; to express an inference very strongly, κοῦ γε δὴ.. οὐκ ἂν χωσθείη κόλπος..; how then would it not.. ? i.e. it certainly would.., Refs 5th c.BC+; in Trag., in indignant questions, how? by what right? π. σὺ στρατηγεῖς τοῦδ; Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
51 occurrences, every one of them listed
pou35×
Matthew 2:4… grammatevoin tou laou punthanote para autoiu pou tos christos gennotō.… of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 8:20… de huios tou anthrōpou ouk echatō pou tan kefalan klinateiō.… the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Mark 15:47… Magdalēnas kai Marias tas Iōsētou theōrale pou tithotē.… Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.
Luke 9:58… de huios tou anthrōpou ouk echatō pou tan kefalan klinateiō.… the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Luke 12:17“place”… legarōntos; Tinem poiameia, hoti ouk echamō pou sunagami toin karpoin mu?… to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
Luke 17:17… tois deka katharizila? tois de ennea pou?… not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where then are the other nine?
John 1:38… auto; Rabbi hem legotō methermēneuorōntem Didaskalor, pou menasō?… to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
John 1:39… kai horevi. erchala oun kai horala pou menatō, kai para auto menala tan …… replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that …
John 3:8… alla ouk oidasē pothen erchotō kai pou hupagatō; houtōs atō pantos tos gennorēntos …… know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is …
John 8:10… theaserantos plēn tau gunaikau legata auta, pou alō? ekeinois tois katēgorois su oudenos …… straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one …
John 8:14… mu, hoti oidamē pothen erchama kai pou hupagamō; vis de ouk oidavē pothen …… testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I …
John 8:14… de ouk oidavē pothen erchomō ē pou hupagamō.… going. But you do not know where I came from or where I …
John 11:57… Farisaiois entolain hina ean tinos gnōskateia pou atō mēnuateia, hopōs piazaleia auton.… given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so …
John 12:35… peripatarōntos en ta skotia ouk oidatē pou hupagatō.… in the darkness does not know where he is going.
John 13:36Legatō auto Simōnos Petros; Kurior, pou hupagasō? apokrinita Iēsus; Hopou hupagamō ouk …“Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked …
John 14:5legatō auto Thōmos; Kurior, ouk oidanē pou hupagasō; pōs dunonō tan hodan oidarē?… said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can …
John 20:2… ek teu mnēmeieu, kai ouk oidanē pou tithala auton.… said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”
John 20:13… ton kurion mu, kai ouk oidamē pou tithala auton.… said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”
John 20:15… ei sis bastazasa auton, legasar mi pou tithasa auton, kamis auton airami.… have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I …
Acts 27:29“somewhere”foborōntois tē mē pou kata trachuoin topoin ekpiptaneia ek prumnau …Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed …
Romans 4:19… katanoata tem heautou sōmem nekrorēntem, hekatontaetos pou huparcharōntos, kai tan nekrōsian tau mētrau …… of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the …
1 Corinthians 1:20pou sofos? pou grammatevos? pou suzētētos tou …Where is the wise man? Where is …
1 Corinthians 1:20pou sofos? pou grammatevos? pou suzētētos tou aiōnou houtou? …Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the …
1 Corinthians 1:20pou sofos? pou grammatevos? pou suzētētos tou aiōnou houtou? ouchi mōranata …… wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age …
1 Corinthians 12:17ei holem tem sōmem ofthalmos, pou tas akoas? ei holem akoas, pou …… the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be …
1 Corinthians 12:17… pou tas akoas? ei holem akoas, pou tas osfrēsias?… the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
1 Corinthians 12:19… de ate teim panteim henem melem, pou tem sōmem?If they were all one part, where would the body be?
1 Corinthians 15:55pou su, thanator, tem nikem? pou su, …“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where …
1 Corinthians 15:55pou su, thanator, tem nikem? pou su, thanator, tem kentrem?“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
Galatians 4:15“where”pou oun tos makarismos vu? marturamō gar …What then has become of your blessing? For I can testify that, if …
Hebrews 4:4legatē gar pou peri tau hebdomau houtōs; Kai katapauata …For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh …
Hebrews 11:8… eis klēronomian, kai exerchata mē epistorōntos pou erchotō.… inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going.
1 Peter 4:18… molis sōzotō, tos asebos kai hamartōlos pou faneti?… for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and …
1 John 2:11… ta skotia peripatatō, kai ouk oidatē pou hupagatō, hoti tas skotias tuflata toin …… the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness …
Revelation 2:13Oidamē pou katoikasō, hopou tos thronos tou Satanou, …I know where you live, where the throne of …
Pou16×
Matthew 2:2legarōntois; Pou atō tos tiktirantos basilevos toiu Ioudaioiu? …asking, “Where is the One who has been …
Matthew 26:17… proserchala tois mathētois to Iēso legarōntois; Pou thelasō hetoimazaneia si esthiara tem pascha?… disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare …
Mark 14:12… thuale, legalō auto tois mathētois autou; Pou thelasō apercharantois hetoimazaneia hina esthiaseia tem …… be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare …
Mark 14:14… to oikodespoto hoti Tos didaskalos legatō; Pou atō tem katalumem mu hopou tem …… to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I …
Luke 8:25legata de autoi; Pou tas pistias vu? fobirantois de thaumazala, …“Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened …
Luke 17:37kai apokrinirantois legalō auto; Pou, kurior? tos de legata autoi; Hopou …“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever …
Luke 22:9tois de legala auto; Pou thelasō hetoimazaneia?“Where do You want us to prepare …
Luke 22:11… tau oikiau; Legatō si tos didaskalos; Pou atō tem katalumem hopou tem pascha …… of that house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I …
John 7:11… auton en ta heorta kai legale; Pou atō ekeinos?… Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
John 7:35legala oun tois Ioudaiois pros heautoin; Pou houtos mellatō poreuorō hoti nis ouk …… the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that …
John 8:19legale oun auto; Pou atō tos patros su? apokrinita Iēsus; …“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him …
John 9:12kai legala auto; Pou atō ekeinos? legatō; Ouk oidamē.“Where is He?” they asked. “I do …
John 11:34kai legata; Pou tithavē auton? legalō auto; Kurior, erchosōr …“Where have you put him?” He asked …
John 16:5… kai oudenos ek vu erōtatō min; Pou hupagasō?… yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
Romans 3:27Pou oun tas kauchēsias? ekkleiita. dia poiou …Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded …
2 Peter 3:4kai legarōntois; Pou atō tas epangelias tau parousiau autou? …“Where is the promise of His coming …