ὁμολογέω

G3670 is a verb for acknowledging, confessing, professing, declaring, admitting, or promising. Its twenty-six governed forms occur in twenty-three verses across eleven books. Matthew 14:7 uses it for Herod's promise, Acts 7:17 for God's promised word to Abraham, Acts 23:8 for what Pharisees acknowledge, Acts 24:14 for Paul's admission concerning the Way, and Hebrews 11:13 for the patriarchs' acknowledgment that they were strangers and exiles. These uses prevent confession language from being reduced to one religious formula or to an etymological slogan about saying the same thing.

The Gospels also use the verb for open declaration about identity and allegiance. John the Baptist twice declares that he is not the Christ in John 1:20. Matthew 7:23 records Jesus declaring that He never knew false claimants. Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8 speak of acknowledging Jesus before people and Jesus acknowledging that person before the Father or angels. John 9:22 and 12:42 describe people who feared openly acknowledging Jesus because of exclusion from the synagogue. These Johannine conflicts require local historical and narrative care and must not be generalized against Jewish people.

Romans 10:9-10 joins confessing Jesus as Lord with believing that God raised Him from the dead. First Timothy 6:12 recalls Timothy's good confession before many witnesses. Titus 1:16 contrasts professed knowledge of God with denying deeds. First John uses the verb for confessing sins, acknowledging the Son, and confessing Jesus Christ come in the flesh; Second John 7 warns about those who do not make that Christological confession. Revelation 3:5 promises that Christ will acknowledge the conqueror's name before His Father and angels. The object, speaker, audience, and surrounding argument determine whether the act is confession of sin, profession of faith, doctrinal acknowledgment, promise, or declaration.

Confession must be truthful and voluntary rather than manufactured through coercion, public humiliation, surveillance, or threats. Acknowledging wrongdoing does not erase restitution, safeguarding, legal duties, or consequences. A profession of faith is not a mechanical incantation, and pastoral care must not force unsafe disclosure or expose private information beyond what protection, accountability, and law require.

The twenty-six direct forms cover promise, acknowledgment, admission, open declaration, profession of faith, confession of sin, Christological confession, and Christ's future acknowledgment. The broad range is governed by the content confessed and the relationship in which the speech occurs.