Greek word · G3671

ὁμολογία

homologia

confession

From 'say the same thing'. It means agreement or contract, then a public acknowledgment or avowal, and in early Christian use the community's declared confession of faith in Jesus. The LXX sometimes uses it for vows or vowed offerings.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

ὁμολογία, -ας, ἡ

(όμολογέω), [in LXX: Deuteronomy 12:6, 17. Amos 4:5, Ezekiel 46:12 (נְדָבָה), Leviticus 22:18, Jeremiah 44:25 (נֶדֶר), I Esther 9:8 * ;]

1. in cl., an agreement assent, compact (in π., of a contract; Deiss., BS, 249).

2. confession (prob. always in an objective sense): 2 Corinthians 9:13, 1 Timothy 6:12-13 Hebrews 3:1 4:14 10:13.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 3:1

Range of meaning: From 'say the same thing'. It means agreement or contract, then a public acknowledgment or avowal, and in early Christian use the community's declared confession of faith in Jesus. The LXX sometimes uses it for vows or vowed offerings.
Against the English: KJV/YLT 'profession' meant 'public avowal' in 1611 but now sounds like 'occupation'. 'Confession' (WEB, ESV, NASB) is right but can be heard as admitting sin. BSB 'whom we confess' and NIV 'whom we acknowledge' turn it into a verb, which loses the idea of a fixed, shared confession that can be 'held fast' (4:14; 10:23).
How it drifted: 'Profession' narrowed in English to mean an occupation. 'Confession' became tied to admitting sin through the medieval and later penitential system.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the papyri it is used of written agreements and acknowledgments (Moulton–Milligan). In the LXX it appears for vows or freewill offerings, e.g. Deut 12:6, 17 and Jer 51:25 LXX (44:25 Eng.). In the New Testament: 2 Cor 9:13; 1 Tim 6:12–13 ('the good confession' before Pontius Pilate); Heb 4:14; 10:23. The verb appears in Rom 10:9 and Heb 13:15.

From the study of 1 Timothy 6:12

Range of meaning: Literally 'saying the same thing', so agreeing. From there: acknowledging, admitting (sometimes in court), making a binding agreement, and declaring publicly. In the papyri, homologia can mean a written contract or acknowledgment. In the NT it is the public declaration of allegiance to God and to Jesus as Lord.
Against the English: KJV: 'hast professed a good profession'. BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB, NIV: '(made/confessed) the good confession'. NIV's 'your good confession' makes it personal and hides the 'the' that links it to Jesus' confession in v13. NLT drops the noun ('which you have declared so well').
How it drifted: In modern English 'confession' mostly means admitting wrongdoing, whether in the sacrament of penance or to the police. 'Profession' now mostly means an occupation. The Greek meant neither. It was a public statement of whose side you are on, and it bound you to that.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rom 10:9–10 ('if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord'); 2 Cor 9:13 ('your confession of the gospel'); Heb 3:1; 4:14; 10:23 ('let us hold fast the confession'). 1 Tim 6:13: Christ Jesus 'testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate'.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 9:13

Range of meaning: Agreement, a compact. Then a public acknowledgment or declaration, an open profession of allegiance. Related to homologeō, 'to say the same thing, agree, declare openly.'
Against the English: KJV 'professed', BSB/WEB/NASB 'confession'. Modern readers may hear 'confession' as admitting sin, or 'professed' as claimed but perhaps not real.
How it drifted: In church usage 'confession' came to mean mainly the confession of sins (the confessional) or a formal doctrinal statement (a 'Confession of Faith'). 'Professed' now often implies doubt.
Used elsewhere in the period: In legal papyri homologia is a formal agreement or acknowledgment. In the NT: 1 Tim 6:12–13 ('the good confession' before witnesses), Heb 3:1; 4:14; 10:23. In Rom 10:9–10 the verb is used for publicly declaring 'Jesus is Lord.'

Similar words

Where it appears

2 Corinthians · 1

2 Corinthians 9:13 ὁμολογίας of confession

Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others.

Here: Their open, public declaration of allegiance to Christ. The genitive ties it to the submission: obedience that belongs with, and comes out of, what they confess.

1 Timothy · 2

1 Timothy 6:12 ὁμολογίαν confession

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.

Here: The noun from the same root as the verb ('declared the declaration'). It is a public, binding statement of loyalty, with the feel of a formal undertaking.
1 Timothy 6:13 ὁμολογίαν confession

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:

Here: A public, binding declaration of where one stands. It is the opposite of denial, not an admission of guilt. Jesus stood by his claim before Rome's representative, and Timothy has made the same kind of declaration.

Hebrews · 3

Hebrews 3:1 ὁμολογίας confession

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Here: The community's public, shared declaration of what it holds about Jesus. It is a pledge of allegiance, not an admission of sins. Jesus is the one this confession names and is about.
Hebrews 4:14 ὁμολογίας. to [our] confession.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.

Here: The community's public, spoken statement of allegiance about Jesus. 'Homo-logia' is literally 'saying the same thing,' agreeing out loud. It is not the confessing of sins, and not a private belief.
Hebrews 10:23 ὁμολογίαν confession

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

Here: The confession the community has openly and jointly declared. The word is built from "same" + "word": saying the same thing, publicly agreeing. In Hebrews it is the shared confession about Jesus as Son and high priest (3:1; 4:14).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.