posos asks for quantity, number, extent, or the greater degree expected in a comparison.

The term most often introduces questions about a count or amount, whether loaves, baskets, debt, people, or accusations. It also marks the greater side of comparisons and, less often, asks about the extent of a condition, duration, or response.

1. Asking the number or amount · dominant

   Plural and singular interrogative forms ask for quantities in concrete settings: the disciples are asked about loaves in Mark 6:38, and the number of baskets is recalled in Mark 8:19. In Luke 16:5 the question concerns what a debtor owes, while Acts 21:20 speaks of the number of believing Jews.

   Mark 6:38Mark 8:19Mark 8:20Luke 16:5Luke 16:7Acts 21:20
2. Greater degree in a comparison · common

   The dative singular neuter form occurs in clauses that move from one stated case to a greater expected outcome. In Luke 12:24 the APB renders the comparison, "How much more valuable are you than the birds?"; Hebrews 9:14 similarly compares the cleansing effect described in the clause.

   Luke 12:24Luke 12:28Matthew 7:11Hebrews 9:14Romans 11:12Romans 11:24
3. Asking about extent or duration · occasional

   The interrogative frames the scale of what is described rather than a countable object: Mark 9:21 asks how long the condition has been happening, and Matthew 6:23 describes the greatness of darkness. In 2 Corinthians 7:11, the feminine singular form introduces the listed effects of grief according to God.

   Mark 9:21Matthew 6:232 Corinthians 7:11

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly renders the interrogative with "how many," "how much," or "how much more," and in Matthew 6:23 with "how great." These renderings confirm the clauses' questions and comparisons rather than fixing a separate English equivalent in every verse.