5004. niuph
Lexical Summary
niuph: To wave, to brandish, to swing

Original Word: נִאֻף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ni'uph
Pronunciation: nee-oof
Phonetic Spelling: (nee-oof')
KJV: adultery
NASB: adulteries
Word Origin: [from H5003 (נָאַף - commit adultery)]

1. adultery

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
adultery

From na'aph; adultery -- adultery.

see HEBREW na'aph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from naaph
Definition
adultery
NASB Translation
adulteries (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[נִאֻף] noun [masculine] adultery; — only plural נִאֻפִים Ezekiel 23:43 (but ᵐ5 ᵑ6 Co נִאֲפוּ, compare Berthol); suffix נִאֻפַ֫יִךְ Jeremiah 13:27 (Köi. 151); figurative of idolatrous worship.

Topical Lexicon
Summary of Significance

The noun נִאֻף speaks of “adulteries” in the plural, a term the prophets use to expose covenant-breaking immorality, whether physical or spiritual. While it surfaces only twice in the Old Testament, each occurrence unfolds a broad theology of faithfulness: Yahweh confronts both literal sexual sin and the deeper betrayal of idolatry that it symbolizes.

Old Testament Usage

Jeremiah 13:27 lays bare the moral rot of Judah: “Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields—I have seen your detestable acts”. The imagery links Judah’s sexual misconduct with her pursuit of foreign gods, underscoring that idolatry is marital unfaithfulness to the covenant LORD.

In Ezekiel 23:43, the prophetic allegory of the two sisters climaxes with the charge, “Now let them continue with their adulteries.” The prophet pictures the nation so hardened in promiscuous alliances that her moral sense is numbed. Here נִאֻף depicts habitual, almost institutionalized apostasy.

Covenant and Marriage Analogy

From Genesis onward, Scripture frames marriage as a covenant reflecting God’s bond with His people. Thus adultery violates both human and divine covenants (Exodus 20:14; Malachi 2:14). When the prophets invoke נִאֻף, they are not merely condemning social vice but indicting spiritual treason. The severity of the term reminds hearers that covenant infidelity is ultimately directed against God Himself (Psalm 51:4).

Historical Background

Ancient Near Eastern law codes (e.g., Code of Hammurabi) treated adultery as a capital offense because it destabilized family, inheritance, and social order. Israel’s Torah shares that gravity but adds a theological dimension: sexual boundaries protect the holiness of the nation (Leviticus 18:20, 20:10). Prophetic use of נִאֻף assumes this shared cultural repugnance while elevating the concept to covenant significance.

The Prophets’ Rhetorical Strategy

By pluralizing the noun (“adulteries”), Jeremiah and Ezekiel accumulate the guilt of repeated offenses. They combine lurid imagery—prostitution, animalistic desire, public shame—to shock the conscience and drive home the call to repentance (Jeremiah 3:1–3; Ezekiel 16:30-34). The prophets do not merely lament societal decay; they summon the people to renewed exclusivity toward Yahweh.

New Testament Echoes

While נִאֻף itself is Hebrew, its theological thread runs into the Greek term μοιχεία (moicheia). Jesus intensifies the command against adultery by tracing it to the heart (Matthew 5:27-28) and exposes a “wicked and adulterous generation” that seeks signs but refuses covenant loyalty (Matthew 12:39). James likewise labels friendship with the world as spiritual adultery (James 4:4). These parallels confirm that the prophetic indictment remains relevant under the new covenant.

Pastoral and Ministry Application

1. Guarding Marriage: Because adultery fractures the marital covenant and mars the gospel picture of Christ’s love for the church (Ephesians 5:25-32), faith communities must cultivate marital faithfulness, proactive discipleship, and restorative discipline.
2. Spiritual Fidelity: Idolatry today may appear as materialism, careerism, or syncretism. The prophets’ warnings press believers to examine loyalties and repent where “other loves” compete with devotion to Christ.
3. Preaching and Teaching: Exposition of Jeremiah 13:27 and Ezekiel 23:43 should couple historical explanation with Christ-centered fulfillment, showing how Jesus is the faithful bridegroom who sanctifies an adulterous people (John 4:16-18; Revelation 19:7-9).
4. Restoration Ministry: Both passages end implicitly or explicitly with hope for cleansing (Jeremiah 13:27b; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Gospel ministry offers such cleansing through repentance and faith, illustrating God’s initiative to reclaim the wayward.

Theological Reflection

נִאֻף exposes the depth of sin as personal betrayal against a covenant partner. By marrying legal, relational, and spiritual dimensions, Scripture presents adultery not as an isolated act but as emblematic of every form of unfaithfulness. The remedy is not mere behavioral reform but covenant renewal grounded in divine grace—a theme consummated in the new covenant ratified by Christ’s blood.

Forms and Transliterations
נִֽאֻפַ֤יִךְ נִֽאוּפִ֑ים נאופים נאפיך ni’up̄ayiḵ ni’ūp̄îm ni·’u·p̄a·yiḵ ni·’ū·p̄îm niuFayich niuFim
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 13:27
HEB: נִֽאֻפַ֤יִךְ וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ זִמַּ֣ת
NAS: As for your adulteries and your [lustful] neighings,
KJV: I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings,
INT: your adulteries and your neighings the lewdness

Ezekiel 23:43
HEB: וָאֹמַ֕ר לַבָּלָ֖ה נִֽאוּפִ֑ים [עַתָּ כ]
NAS: concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, Will they now
KJV: I unto [her that was] old in adulteries, Will they now commit
INT: said was worn adulteries commit fornication whoredoms

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5004
2 Occurrences


ni·’u·p̄a·yiḵ — 1 Occ.
ni·’ū·p̄îm — 1 Occ.

5003
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