נָאַף

נָאַף (naaf) is the verb used in the seventh commandment: do not commit adultery. It names the violation of a marriage covenant through prohibited sexual relations involving a married person. The verb is narrower than a general term for every form of sexual immorality, but the exact legal responsibilities and parties must be read from each passage rather than reduced to the marital status of only one actor.

Leviticus 20:10 addresses adultery with another man's wife and assigns covenant-law penalties to both participants. Proverbs 6:32 emphasizes the adulterer's destructive lack of sense, and Malachi 3:5 places adulterers among those against whom the Lord testifies in judgment. These texts treat adultery as a serious wrong against spouse, household, neighbor, community, and God's command.

Prophets can use adultery as a metaphor for covenant betrayal and idolatry, as in Jeremiah 3 and Ezekiel 16. Other prophetic occurrences may accuse people of literal sexual adultery alongside falsehood, violence, or corrupt worship. Teachers must not automatically spiritualize every occurrence, nor should they use the metaphor in ways that minimize the harm of literal betrayal or shame innocent spouses.

Naaf begins with literal marriage-covenant violation in law and wisdom. Prophets extend that moral vocabulary to portray Israel or Judah's unfaithfulness to the Lord, while also retaining accusations of literal adultery in some settings.