H5004 H5004
adulteries; unfaithfulness, used figuratively for idolatry
This plural noun appears in prophetic denunciations of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel employ it in extended metaphors comparing idolatry to sexual adultery. The prophets saw Israel's worship of other gods as spiritual adultery against Yahweh, the faithful husband. The term carries moral weight—not merely religious error but betrayal of the most intimate covenant bond, a violation of exclusive loyalty.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Found in Jeremiah 13:27 and Ezekiel 23:43, both in passages condemning Israel's idolatrous practices. The multilingual glosses consistently render this as 'adulteries' or similar terms (English 'adulteries', Spanish 'adulterios', French 'blasphème'), though some versions recognize the metaphorical dimension, connecting sexual unfaithfulness with covenant violation and idolatry. 2×
AR["بِالزِّنَا", "زِنَاكِ"]·ben["ব্যভিচার-তোমার", "ব্যভিচারগুলির"]·DE["[נאופים]", "[נאפיך]"]·EN["adulteries", "your-adulteries"]·FR["[נאפיך]", "blasphème"]·heb["ניאופיך", "ניאופים"]·HI["तेरे-व्यभिचार", "व्यभिचार"]·ID["perzinahan-mu", "perzinahannya"]·IT["[נאופים]", "[נאפיך]"]·jav["bandrek-bandrekan", "laku-jina-panjenengan"]·KO["간음들로", "네-간음들이라"]·PT["Teus-adultérios", "adultérios"]·RU["прелюбодеяния-твои", "прелюбодеяниями"]·ES["Adulterios-tuyos", "adulterios"]·SW["uzinzi", "uzinzi-wako"]·TR["zinalarla", "zinan"]·urd["تیرے-زنا", "زناکاریوں-میں"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [נִאֻף] n.[m.] adultery;—only pl. נִאֻפִים Ez 23:43 (but 𝔊 𝔖 Co נִאֲפוּ, cf. Berthol); sf. נִאֻפַ֫יִךְ Je 13:27 (Köi. 151); fig. of idolatrous worship.