Original Word: ὁμολογέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: homologeó
Pronunciation: ho-mo-lo-GEH-o
Phonetic Spelling: (hom-ol-og-eh'-o)
KJV: con-(pro-)fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise
NASB: confess, confesses, confessed, acknowledge, admit, assured, confessing
Word Origin: [from a compound of the base of G3674 (ὁμοῦ - together) and G3056 (λόγος - word)]

1. to assent, i.e. covenant, acknowledge

to confess, profess

From a compound of the base of homou and logos; to assent, i.e. Covenant, acknowledge -- con- (pro-)fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise.

see GREEK homou

see GREEK logos

3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse).

[3670 /homologéō ("confess") means to speak the same thing, i.e. "assent, agree with, confess, declare, admit" (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 120).]

Word Origin
from homologos (of one mind)
Definition
to speak the same, to agree
NASB Translation
acknowledge (2), admit (1), assured (1), confess (6), confessed (4), confesses (6), confessing (1), declare (1), give thanks (1), made (1), profess (1), promised (1).

STRONGS NT 3670: ὁμολογέω

ὁμολογέω, ὁμολογῶ; imperfect ὡμολόγουν; future ὁμολογήσω; 1 aorist ὡμολόγησα; present passive 3 person singular ὁμολογεῖται; (from ὁμόλογος, and this from ὁμον and λέγω); from (Sophocles and) Herodotus down;

1. properly, to say the same thing as another, i. e. to agree with, assent, both absolutely and with a dative of the person; often so in Greek writings from Herodotus down; hence,

2. universally, to concede; i. e.

a. not to refuse, i. e. to promise: τίνι τήν ἐπαγγελίαν, Acts 7:17 L T Tr WH (here R. V. vouchsafe); followed by an object. infinitive, Matthew 14:7 (Plato, Demosthenes, Plutarch, others).

b. not to deny, i. e. to confess; declare: joined with οὐκ ἀρνεῖσθαι, followed by direct discourse with recitative ὅτι, John 1:20; followed by ὅτι, Hebrews 11:13; τίνι τί, ὅτι, Acts 24:14; to confess, i. e. to admit or declare oneself guilty of what one is accused of: τάς ἁμαρτίας, 1 John 1:9 (Sir. 4:26).

3. to profess (the difference between the Latin profiteor (`to declare openly and voluntarily') and confiteor (`to declare fully,' implying the yielding or change of one's conviction; cf.pro fessio fidei, confessio peccatorum) is exhibited in Cicero, pro Sest. 51, 109), i. e. to declare openly, speak out freely (A. V. generally confess; on its construction see Buttmann, § 133, 7): (followed by an infinitive, εἰδέναι Θεόν, Titus 1:16); τίνι (cf. Buttmann, as above; Winer's Grammar, § 31, 1 f.) followed by direct discourse with ὅτι recitative, Matthew 7:23; one is said ὁμολογεῖν that of which he is convinced and which he holds to be true (hence, ὁμολογεῖν is distinguished from πιστεύειν in John 12:42; Romans 10:9f): the passive absolute, with στόματι (dative of instrum.) added, Romans 10:10; τί, Acts 23:8; τινα with a predicate accusative (Buttmann, as above), αὐτόν Χριστόν, John 9:22; κύριον (predicate accusative) λησουν, Romans 10:9 (here WH τό ῤῆμα ... ὅτι κύριος etc., L marginal reading Tr marginal reading simply ὅτι etc.; again with ὅτι in 1 John 4:15); Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἐν σαρκί ἐληλυθότα (Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading ἐληλυθεναι), 1 John 4:2 and Rec. also in 3 (see below); ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί, 2 John 1:7 (cf. Buttmann, as above; Winer's Grammar, 346 (324)); τινα, to profess oneself the worshipper of one, 1 John 4:3 (here WH marginal reading λύει, cf. Westcott, Epistles of John, p. 156ff) and G L T Tr WH in ; ἐν with a dative of the person (see ἐν, I. 8 c.), Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8; with cognate accusative giving the substance of the profession (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 5; Winer's Grammar, § 32, 2), ὁμολογίαν, 1 Timothy 6:12 (also followed by περί τίνος, Philo de mut. nom. § 8); τό ὄνομα τίνος, to declare the name (written in the book of life) to be the name of a follower of me, Revelation 3:5 G L T Tr WH.

4. According to a usage unknown to Greek writers to praise, celebrate (see ἐξομολογέω, 2; (Buttmann, § 133, 7)): τίνι, Hebrews 13:15. (Compare: ἀνθομολογέω (ἀνθομολογοῦμαι), ἐξομολογέω.)

Overview

The verb ὁμολογέω (Strong’s 3670) denotes an open, authoritative declaration that aligns the speaker with a stated reality. Its twenty-six New Testament appearances cluster around five themes: salvation-confession, discipleship under pressure, divine acknowledgment, worshipful agreement, and the exposure of hollow profession. Each usage reinforces the biblical pattern that genuine faith speaks in harmony with God’s revealed truth and bears visible fruit.

Confession of Faith unto Salvation

Romans 10:9–10 frames ὁμολογέω as the human response that accompanies heart-belief: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Here confession is not a meritorious work but the outward articulation of an inward persuasion; mouth and heart act in concert. The same dynamic appears in 1 John 4:15: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” Such verses underline that saving faith is never mute; it must voice allegiance to the crucified and risen Christ.

Public Witness and Endurance under Persecution

Ὁμολογέω surfaces in contexts of societal hostility. John 9:22 records that the parents of the man born blind feared to “confess Him” lest they be expelled from the synagogue. Nevertheless, Luke 12:8 and Matthew 10:32 contain Christ’s promise: “Everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God”. The term thus calls believers to courage, assuring heavenly vindication for earthly testimony. In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul reminds Timothy of the “good confession” he made “in the presence of many witnesses,” urging continuance in the fight of faith. Hebrews 11:13 commemorates patriarchs who “confessed” that they were strangers on earth, linking verbal witness to pilgrim identity.

Divine Confession Over the Believer

Revelation 3:5 portrays the exalted Christ reciprocating the believer’s confession: “I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.” The same verb applied to Christ’s utterance highlights the covenantal exchange—those who confess Him on earth are confessed by Him in heaven, a judicial affirmation guaranteeing eternal security.

Agreement with God in Worship

Hebrews 13:15 exhorts, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” In this liturgical setting ὁμολογέω describes ongoing doxology, stressing that praise is an articulate acknowledgment of God’s character and works. Likewise Acts 24:14 shows Paul “confessing” his adherence to the Way while worshiping “the God of our fathers,” demonstrating how confession integrates orthodoxy with worshipful practice.

Apostolic Confession Safeguards Doctrine

The Johannine Epistles employ ὁμολογέω against early Christological error. 1 John 4:2–3 measures spirits by whether they “confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh”; 2 John 7 warns of deceivers “who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” Here confession functions as a doctrinal line of demarcation, preserving the apostolic message of the incarnate Son.

False or Empty Confession

Not every use is positive. Titus 1:16 rebukes those who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.” Matthew 7:23 records the solemn reversal where Jesus will “declare to them, ‘I never knew you.’” In both passages the vocabulary of confession is present to expose lips divorced from life. Genuine ὁμολογέω must be matched by obedience.

Historical and Liturgical Legacy

From the earliest creedal formulas (“Jesus is Lord”) to baptismal interrogations and corporate worship, ὁμολογέω has shaped the Church’s verbal identity. The word energizes confessions like the Apostles’ Creed and undergirds pastoral practices of testimony before baptism, membership vows, and public reading of Scripture.

Pastoral Application

1. Equip believers to articulate the gospel clearly, encouraging public confession in everyday settings.
2. Comfort persecuted saints with Christ’s promise of reciprocal confession in glory.
3. Guard the flock by measuring teaching against the apostolic confession of Jesus Christ come in the flesh.
4. Cultivate worship that intentionally names God’s attributes and works, offering “the fruit of lips that confess His name.”

Interrelated Terms

Ὁμολογία (3671) pinpoints the resulting “confession” or “profession” (Hebrews 4:14), while ἐξομολογέω (1843) intensifies the notion of confession, often of sin (1 John 1:9). Together they depict a fully-orbed practice: turning from sin, affirming truth, and praising God.

In every occurrence ὁμολογέω summons the believer to vocal, steadfast agreement with the sovereign Lord, integrating belief, identity, and mission into a single, courageous word.

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