נִאֻף (ni.uph)
ni.uph
adultery
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun niuph literally denotes adultery, yet its single biblical occurrence in Jeremiah 3:9 reveals a deeper layer. Here, the word describes Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness through idolatry. The text uses marital infidelity as a metaphor for breaking the covenant with God, equating the worship of other gods with cheating on a spouse.
This figurative usage is not unique to Jeremiah but reflects a common prophetic pattern where religious apostasy is framed as sexual immorality. By applying niuph to idolatry, the prophet emphasizes the intimacy and betrayal involved in turning away from Yahweh. The word carries the weight of a broken trust rather than just a legal violation.
While rare in the Hebrew Bible, this specific instance highlights how ancient Israelites understood loyalty to God. It was not merely about following rules but maintaining a faithful relationship. The metaphor makes the abstract concept of spiritual wandering concrete and emotionally resonant for the audience.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word niuph appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, found in Jeremiah 3:9. It describes adultery, but here it points to Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness through idolatry. The prophet uses marital infidelity as a metaphor for breaking the covenant with God. This imagery equates worshiping other gods with cheating on a spouse.
By applying niuph to idolatry, the text emphasizes the intimacy and betrayal involved in turning away from Yahweh. It carries the weight of broken trust rather than just a legal violation. While rare, this instance highlights how ancient Israelites understood loyalty to God as maintaining a faithful relationship, not merely following rules.
This metaphor makes spiritual wandering concrete and emotionally resonant. It reminds us that our connection with God is personal and covenantal. When we stray, it is a rupture in trust. Yet, the very use of this strong language shows how deeply God values our faithfulness.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- adulteri<es>/ your1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִֽאֻפַ֤יִ/ךְ1×