Bible Word Study
נַאֲפוּף
naʼăphûwph · adultery
נַאֲפוּף
adultery
Definition
נַאֲפוּף (naʼăphûwph) is a noun meaning 'adultery,' specifically referring to the act of marital infidelity. It denotes a breach of the marriage covenant through sexual relations with someone other than one's spouse. The word appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Hosea 2:2, where it is used metaphorically to describe Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God by pursuing other gods. This singular usage highlights its role as a powerful image for covenant betrayal.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only in Hosea 2:2. In this prophetic context, the prophet Hosea employs the literal concept of adultery as a metaphor for Israel's idolatry and breaking of its covenant with Yahweh. The usage is not about a specific physical act but serves as a central, repeated metaphor throughout the book of Hosea to dramatize the seriousness of spiritual unfaithfulness.
Etymology
The noun נַאֲפוּף is derived from the root verb נָאַף (naʼaph, H5003), which means 'to commit adultery.' This root verb is used in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18) and other legal texts (e.g., Leviticus 20:10). The noun form intensifies the concept, focusing on the act or state of adultery itself.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it bridges the moral and covenantal realms. In Hosea, physical adultery becomes a vivid metaphor for idolatry, teaching that turning to other gods is a profound betrayal of the exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh, akin to marital unfaithfulness. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by revealing how the Bible uses human covenant relationships (marriage) to explain the gravity of the divine-human covenant. In ancient Israelite culture, adultery was not merely a private moral failing but a severe social and religious offense that violated family integrity and threatened social order. It was punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10). Hosea's audience would have immediately grasped the shame, betrayal, and legal consequences associated with the term, making the metaphor for idolatry shockingly powerful. נָאַף (naʼaph, H5003) — the verb 'to commit adultery.' זְנוּנִים (zenunim, H2184) — often translated 'whoredoms' or 'fornication'; a broader term for sexual immorality and idolatry, frequently paired with נַאֲפוּף/נָאַף in prophetic texts (e.g., Jeremiah 3:9, Ezekiel 23:43).
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]