Exploring the Meaning of Anthomologeomai in Greek

ἀνθομολογέομαι means “to praise” and is attested in the New Testament in Luke’s infancy narrative. Its single occurrence appears in the scene where an aged worshiper responds to the arrival of the child by voicing grateful acknowledgment before God and speaking to others in Jerusalem.

Root and Related Words

ἀνθομολογέομαι is connected with ὁμολογέω (homologeō), “to confess/profess” (Strong’s G3670), and with ἀντί (anti), “for” (Strong’s G473). These relationships place the verb within a family of terms that can describe spoken acknowledgment in relation to someone or something.

Occurrences

“Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38)

In Luke 2:38, ἀνθομολογέομαι is situated at a decisive moment marked by immediacy: “at that very hour.” The action is presented as a response to what has just taken place in the temple precincts, and the verb belongs to a cluster of outward, audible acts. The verse describes a sequence: she approaches, she directs grateful acknowledgement Godward (“to the Lord”), and she then turns toward people (“spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem”). Within this flow, the verb contributes the element of praise as a verbal act that rises from recognition—an expressed response rather than a private feeling.

The wording “to the Lord” anchors the act of praise in worship. It is not mere admiration at a distance; it is praise rendered in the presence of God and addressed to him. At the same time, Luke places the act in a public setting, because her praise is closely paired with speech “to all those” who share a particular hope. The praise, therefore, is not described as isolated devotion but as something that fits a communal and expectant environment: Jerusalem is populated with people “looking for redemption,” and her voice joins that watchfulness with a response of thanksgiving.

The verse also shows praise functioning alongside testimony. Her praising gratitude does not terminate in the act itself; it is immediately adjacent to proclamation about “him,” directed to a defined audience. Luke’s sentence structure ties these together so that her praise to God and her speech to others are two coordinated expressions of the same recognition. In this context, ἀνθομολογέομαι contributes an audible, worshipful acknowledgment that accompanies and reinforces what she then says about the child to those who are waiting.

Sense and Usage

The sense “to praise” in this passage operates as a concrete speech-act: a voiced response offered in a moment of encounter. Luke frames it as something that happens “coming up” and “at that very hour,” which gives the verb the feel of spontaneous readiness; praise is depicted as an immediate fitting reaction when what is long awaited becomes present.

The surrounding verbs and phrases clarify how this praising is experienced in the narrative. It is paired with giving thanks, which situates praise within gratitude rather than, for example, mere formal acclamation. It is also paired with speaking to others, which places praise within the shared life of a community that has expectations (“looking for redemption in Jerusalem”). Within the verse’s own boundaries, this allows the reader to see praise as both vertical and horizontal in its effects: it is directed “to the Lord,” and it spills outward in speech “to all those” who are eager for redemption. The praise itself remains praise—addressed to God—but it stands at the head of a chain of communication that reaches people.

Because the verb is used in a temple setting and in connection with a group defined by hope, the act of praising here carries a public clarity. It is not described as inward meditation, nor as silent reverence; it is something that can be reported as a distinct event, located in time (“at that very hour”) and recognized by its outward expression. Luke’s depiction thus presents praise as a fitting, timely, and communicative response to God’s work that has become visible in the city where redemption is longed for.

Imagery

The imagery attached to ἀνθομολογέομαι in Luke 2:38 is the image of praise rising in the moment: an aged worshiper stepping forward at an appointed hour, voicing gratitude “to the Lord,” and then letting that same recognition overflow into speech among the waiting people of Jerusalem. Praise is pictured as something that meets expectancy with thanksgiving and turns recognition into public words.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).