ὁμολογ-έω G3670
Confess, acknowledge, profess — to agree openly, declare publicly, or promise formally
The verb homologeo literally means 'to say the same thing' (homos + legein) and carries this notion of verbal alignment into confessions of faith, acknowledgments of truth, and binding promises. Jesus declares that whoever confesses him before others, he will confess before the Father (Matt 10:32; Luke 12:8). John insists that every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ come in the flesh is from God (1 John 4:2-3, 15), and the early church's signature act was to 'confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord' (Rom 10:9-10). Spanish confesamos and German bekennen hold steady across all uses, while French confesser shades into promettre ('to promise') for the vow-making sense.
Senses
1. confess or acknowledge — The core sense: to confess, acknowledge, or admit openly — whether confessing sins (1 John 1:9), acknowledging a truth (John 1:20, where the Baptist 'confessed and did not deny'), or declaring faith in Christ (Rom 10:9-10; 1 John 4:2-3, 15). Jesus makes confession reciprocal: whoever confesses him before others, he will confess before the Father (Matt 10:32; Luke 12:8). The 22 occurrences in this cluster form the semantic center of homologeo, and the multilingual evidence — Spanish confesar, German bekennen, French confesser — converges on the idea of speaking agreement with a truth, whether uncomfortable (sin) or joyful (faith). 22×
AR["أَعتَرِفُ","اعتَرَفنا","اعتَرَفْتَ","اعْتَرَفَ","اعْتَرَفْتَ","سَأَعْتَرِفُ","سَيَعْتَرِفُ","مُعتَرِفينَ","مُعْتَرِفَة","يَعتَرِف","يَعتَرِفُ","يَعتَرِفْ","يَعْتَرِفُوا","يَعْتَرِفُونَ","يَعْتَرِفْ","يُعْتَرَفُ"]·ben["আমি-স্বীকার-করব","তুমি-স্বীকার-কর","তুমি-স্বীকার-করেছিলে","যে-স্বীকার-করে","স্বীকার-করছিলেন","স্বীকার-করছে","স্বীকার-করব","স্বীকার-করবে","স্বীকার-করবেন","স্বীকার-করলেন","স্বীকার-করা-হয়","স্বীকার-করি","স্বীকার-করে"]·DE["bekennen","bekennt"]·EN["I-will-confess","confess","confessed","confesses","confessing","he-confessed","it-is-confessed","should-confess","we-confess","were-confessing","will-confess","you-confess","you-confessed"]·FR["confesser"]·heb["אוֹדֶה","הִתְוַדֵּיתָ","הוֹדָה","הוֹדוּ","יוֹדֶה","מִתְוַדִּים","מוֹדִים","מוֹדֶה","תֹּדֶה"]·HI["अंगीकार-करती-है","अंगीकार-करते-हुए","अंगीकार-करने-वाला","अंगीकार-करे","अंगीकार-करेगा","अंगीकार-किया-जाता-है","मान-रहे-थे","मान-लिया","मानते","मानतेहैं","मानूँगा","माने","मानेगा","मैं-अंगीकार-करूँगा","सवेएकर-किय","हम-मान-लें"]·ID["Aku-akan-mengaku","akan-mengakui","diakui","engkau-mengakui","ia-mengaku","kita-mengaku","mengaku","mengakui","yang-mengaku","yang-mengakui"]·IT["confessare"]·jav["Kawula-badhé-ngaken","badhé-ngakeni","ingkang-ngakeni","kawula-ngakeni","ngaken","ngakeni","ngakeni,","panjenengan-ngakeni","panjenengan-ngaku"]·KO["고백하는","고백하면","고백하지","고백한다","고백했다","그리고","시인된다","시인하는","시인하는-자","시인하리라","시인하면","시인하지","시인했다","우리-가-고백하면"]·PT["confessa","confessam","confessar","confessarei","confessares","confessarmos","confessasse","confessaste","confessou","confessou,","que-confessa","que-confessam","se-confessa"]·RU["Исповедующий","исповедает","исповедает,","исповедаешь","исповедал","исповедаю","исповедуем","исповедует","исповедуется","исповедуют","исповедующие","исповедующих","признавали"]·ES["confesaban","confesamos","confesando","confesara","confesare","confesará","confesaré","confesaste","confesó","confiesa","confiesan","confiesas","confiese","se-confiesa"]·SW["akiri","alikiri","anayemkiri","atakayenikiri","atamkiri","atanikiri","hawakukiri","inakiri","inakiriwa","inayokiri","kiri","nitalikiri","nitamkiri","omkiri","tukikiri","ukakiri","utakiri","wanakubali"]·TR["-o","açıkça-söylüyorlardı","ikrar-edecek","ikrar-edeceğim","ikrar-ederse","itiraf-eden","itiraf-edenler","itiraf-ederse","itiraf-edersek","itiraf-edersen","itiraf-edilir","itiraf-ediyorsa","itiraf-etti","itiraf-ettin","kabul-ediyorlar"]·urd["اقرار-کرتی","اقرار-کرتی-ہے","اقرار-کرتے-تھے","اقرار-کرنے-والا","اقرار-کرنے-والے","اقرار-کروں-گا","اقرار-کریں","اقرار-کرے","اقرار-کرے-گا","اقرار-کیا","اقرار-کیا-جاتا-ہے","تو-اقرار-کرے","مانتے-ہیں"]
Matt 10:32, Matt 10:32, Luke 12:8, Luke 12:8, John 1:20, John 1:20, John 9:22, John 12:42, Acts 23:8, Acts 24:14, Rom 10:9, Rom 10:10 (+10 more)
2. promise or vow — To promise, pledge, or vow — extending the notion of verbal commitment from present acknowledgment to a future undertaking. Herod promises with an oath to give Salome whatever she asks (Matt 14:7), and Stephen recounts that God 'promised' to give Abraham's descendants the land (Acts 7:17). Spanish prometio ('he promised') and the forward-looking context clearly distinguish this from confession or public declaration. The semantic link is that a promise is a homologia — you 'say the same thing' as your future self will do. 2×
AR["وَعَدَ","وَعَدَ-بِهِ"]·ben["প্রতিজ্ঞা-করল","স্বীকার-করেছিলেন"]·DE["bekennt"]·EN["confessed","he-promised"]·FR["confesser"]·heb["הִבְטִיחַ","נִשְׁבַּע"]·HI["वचन-दिय","वायदा-किया-था"]·ID["berjanji"]·IT["confessare"]·jav["janji"]·KO["맹세했다","약속했다"]·PT["jurou","prometeu"]·RU["исповедал","обещал"]·ES["prometió"]·SW["aliahidi"]·TR["söz-verdi"]·urd["قسم-کھائی-تھی","وعدہ-کیا"]
3. profess or declare publicly — To profess or declare publicly — emphasizing formal, outward proclamation of belief or identity rather than private admission. Jesus warns that on the last day he will 'declare' to the lawless, 'I never knew you' (Matt 7:23), and Titus 1:16 condemns those who 'profess to know God' but deny him by their deeds. Spanish declararé / profesan and German bekennen mark this as the performative, public-facing dimension of homologeo — a solemn declaration made before witnesses. 2×
AR["أُصَرِّحُ","يَعْتَرِفونَ"]·ben["স্বীকার-করব","স্বীকার-করে"]·DE["bekennen","bekennt"]·EN["I-will-declare","they-profess"]·FR["confesser"]·heb["אוֹדֶה","מוֹדִים"]·HI["कहूँगा","मअन्ते-हैन"]·ID["Aku-akan-menyatakan","mereka-mengaku"]·IT["confessare"]·jav["Kawula-badhe-ngandika","ngaken"]·KO["고백한다","선언하리라"]·PT["confessam","declararei"]·RU["исповедуют","объявлю"]·ES["declararé","profesan"]·SW["nita-wa-tamkia","wanadai-kumjua"]·TR["açıkça-söyleyeceğim","ikrar-ediyorlar"]·urd["اقرار-کرتے-ہیں","اقرار-کروں-گا"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὁμολογ-έω, Refs 5th c.BC+: future __A -ήσωRefs 5th c.BC+: aorist ὡμολόγησα Refs: perfect ὡμολόγηκα Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, present and aorist, Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, future -ήσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+: aorist ὡμολογήθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ὡμολόγημαι Refs 5th c.BC+, etc.:—to be ὁμόλογος: hence, __A.I agree with, say the same thing as, with dative, λέγουσι Κορίνθιοι, ὁμολογέουσι δέ σφι Λέσβιοι…