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.)