Word Study for H5004 (נִאֻף) | Strong's Concordance

niʼuph /nee-oof'/ Ask about this word

Meaningadultery

KJV usageadultery.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of niʼuph — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word niʼuph, represented by H5004, refers to adultery. It appears only 2 times in 2 unique verses, making it a specific and potent term used in prophetic warnings. Its base definition is simply adultery.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The term H5004 is found exclusively in prophetic condemnations of Israel's unfaithfulness. In Jeremiah, God declares, "I have seen thine adulteries" Jeremiah 13:27, grouping this sin with neighings, lewdness, and abominations committed on the hills. Similarly, Ezekiel employs the term when describing a woman "old in adulteries" Ezekiel 23:43, highlighting a state of persistent and aged corruption. Both instances use the word to describe a visible and offensive state of spiritual infidelity.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words appear alongside H5004, creating a picture of comprehensive corruption:

H2154 zimmâh (heinous crime, lewdness): This term denotes not just an act, but a wicked plan or purpose, and is used to describe the lewdness of Jerusalem's whoredom Jeremiah 13:27.
H2184 zᵉnûwth (whoredom): Often appearing with H5004, this word points to figurative infidelity and idolatry, as seen in the phrase "the lewdness of thy whoredom" Jeremiah 13:27.
H4684 matshâlâh (neighing): Used metaphorically to describe lustful cries, this word is paired with adulteries to illustrate the shameless and animalistic nature of Israel's sin Jeremiah 13:27.
H8251 shiqqûwts (abominable filth, detestable thing): This word signifies something disgusting and idolatrous, listed as one of the abominations God has witnessed Jeremiah 13:27.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5004 is tied to its use as a powerful metaphor for spiritual betrayal.

Symbol of Covenant Breaking: Adultery serves as the primary symbol for Israel's violation of its covenant with God. The sin is presented not merely as a moral failing but as profound infidelity against their divine partner.
A Visible and Public Offense: God is portrayed as having directly seen H7200 these acts, which are committed openly "on the hills in the fields" Jeremiah 13:27. This highlights that the sin is not hidden but is a public and shameless display of rebellion.
Habitual Corruption: The description of being "old in adulteries" Ezekiel 23:43 suggests a deep-rooted, long-practiced unfaithfulness that has become a defining characteristic, making cleansing difficult.

Summary

In summary, H5004 is a highly specific term for adultery used by the prophets to condemn Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. Though used only twice, its context alongside terms for lewdness, whoredom, and abominations paints a stark picture of a covenant relationship broken by persistent and flagrant sin. It powerfully illustrates how personal betrayal is used as a metaphor for the nation's rejection of God.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

נִאוּפִים
נִאֻפַיִ

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.