Confess
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words [1]
Yâdâh ( יָדָה , Strong'S #3034), “to confess, praise, give thanks.” The root, translated “confess” or “confession” about twenty times in the KJV, is also frequently rendered “praise” or “give thanks.” At first glance, the meanings may appear unrelated. But upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that each sense profoundly illumines and interprets the other.
Yâdâh overlaps in meaning with a number of other Hebrew words implying “praise,” such as halal (whence halleluyah ). Man is occasionally the object of yâdâh ; but far more commonly, God is the object.
The usual context seems to be public worship, where the worshipers affirm and renew their relationship with God. The subject is not primarily the isolated individual, but the congregation. Especially in the hymns and thanksgivings of the Psalter, it is evident that yâdâh is a recital of, and thanksgiving for, Yahweh’s mighty acts of salvation.
An affirmation or confession of God’s undeserved kindness throws man’s unworthiness into sharp relief. Hence, a confession of sin may be articulated in the same breath as a confession of faith or praise and thanksgiving. The confession is not a moralistic, autobiographical catalogue of sins—individual infractions of a legal code— but a confession of the underlying sinfulness that engulfs all mankind and separates us from the holy God. God is even to be praised for His judgments, by which He awakens repentance (e.g., Ps. 51:4). So one is not surprised to find praises in penitential contexts, and vice versa (1 Kings 8:33ff.; Neh. 9:2ff.; Dan. 9:4ff.). If praise inevitably entails confession of sin, the reverse is also true: The sure word of forgiveness elicits praise and thanksgiving on the confessor’s part. This wells up almost automatically from the new being of the repentant person.
Often the direct object of yâdâh is the “name” of Yahweh (e.g., Ps. 105:1; Isa. 12:4; 1 Chron. 16:8). In one sense, this idiom is simply synonymous with praising Yahweh. In another sense, however, it introduces the entire dimension evoked by the “name” in biblical usage. It reminds us that the holy God cannot be directly approached by fallen man, but only through His “name”—i.e., His Word and reputation, an anticipation of the incarnation. God reveals Himself only in His “name,” especially in the sanctuary where He “causes His name to dwell” (a phrase especially frequent in Deuteronomy).
The vista of yâdâh expands both vertically and horizontally—vertically to include all creation, and horizontally stretching forward to that day when praise and thanksgiving shall be eternal (e.g., Ps. 29; 95:10; 96:7-9; 103:19-22).
King James Dictionary [2]
CONFESS', to own or acknowledge.
1. To own, acknowledge or avow, as a crime, a fault, a charge, a debt, or something that is against one's interest, or reputation.
Human faults with human grief confess.
I confess the argument against me is good and not easily refuted.
let us frankly confess our sins.
"Confess thee freely of thy sins," used by Shakespeare, is not legitimate, unless in the sense of Catholics.
2. In the Catholic Church, to acknowledge sins and faults to a priest to disclose the state of the conscience to a priest, in private, with a view to absolution sometimes with the reciprocal pronoun.
The beautiful votary confessed herself to this celebrated father.
3. To own, avow or acknowledge publicly to declare a belief in and adherence to.
Whoever shall confess me before men. Matthew 10 .
4. To own and acknowledge, as true disciples, friends or children.
Him will I confess before my father who is heaven.
5. To own to acknowledge to declare to be true, or to admit or assent to in words opposed to deny.
Then will I confess to thee, that thine own right hand can save thee. Job 11 .
These-- confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth. Hebrews 11 .
6. To show by the effect to prove to attest.
Tall thriving trees confessed the fruitful mold.
7. To hear or receive the confession of another as, the priest confessed the nuns.
CONFESS', To make confession to disclose faults, or the state of the conscience as, this man went to the priest to confess.
Webster's Dictionary [3]
(1): (v. t.) To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
(2): (v. t.) To make known or acknowledge, as one's sins to a priest, in order to receive absolution; - sometimes followed by the reflexive pronoun.
(3): (v. t.) To hear or receive such confession; - said of a priest.
(4): (v. t.) To admit as true; to assent to; to acknowledge, as after a previous doubt, denial, or concealment.
(5): (v. t.) To make acknowledgment or avowal in a matter pertaining to one's self; to acknowledge, own, or admit, as a crime, a fault, a debt.
(6): (v. i.) To acknowledge; to admit; to concede.
(7): (v. t.) To disclose or reveal, as an effect discloses its cause; to prove; to attest.
(8): (v. i.) To make confession; to disclose sins or faults, or the state of the conscience.
