Naphtali

The sixth son of Jacob, by Bilhah, Rachel's servant, and eponym of one of the twelve tribes. The child's name is derived from the folk etymology meaning "my struggle" and reflects Rachel's rivalry with Leah for bearing children to Jacob (Gen 30:1-8).

Naphtali was the second son that Bilhah bore to Jacob, the first being Dan (Gen 30:2-6). When the sons of Jacob are listed, Naphtali and Dan are usually grouped together with Gad and Asher, the sons of Leah's servant Zilpah (Gen 49:16-21; Ex 1:4; Deut 27:13; 33:20-25). The tribe of Naphtali's geographical relationship with the rest of the Rachel tribes who were in the south was very weak, being separated by the territories of Zebulun and Issachar. Some scholars think that Naphtali's wandering tendencies were being alluded to in the phrase of Jacob's blessing, "a deer, let loose" (Gen 49:21). Naphtali also appears in the list of Levitical cities (Josh 21:6; I Chr 6:62) and the cities of refuge (Josh 20:7).

The Naphtalities played an important part in the two conflicts led by Deborah and Gideon (Judg 4:6, 10; 5:18; 6:35; 7:23). Barak, the son of Abinoam, who commanded the armies under Deborah's direction, was from Naphtali (Judg 4:6). The song of Deborah praises Zebulun and Naphtali for their bravery in defeating Sisera and the Canaanites (Judg 5:18). When David became ruler over all of Israel after Saul's death, the tribe of Naphtali joined the new king at Hebron with a large army. They also brought food and provisions for the armies (I Chr 12:34, 39-40).

In the Blessing of Moses, Naphtali is mentioned as possessing "the west and the south" (Deut 33:23). This phrase describes the territory adjacent to the western shore of Galilee and extending northward (Josh 19:32-39). The western and southern borders were facing the lands of Asher and Zebulun. When Solomon divided the land into districts, he kept the area of Naphtali as one of the districts (I Kgs 4:15). Joshua 19:35 shows that there were many fortified cities in Naphtali.

Since Naphtali lay far in the north, and even though it had fortifications, it was easy prey for the invading Syrians during Baasha's reign (I Kgs 15:20). Later it was also conquered by Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria and many of its inhabitants were taken captive (II Kgs 15:29).

Isaiah alludes to the sufferings of Naphtali in his prophecies, and promises that they will once again see light and receive comfort (Is 9:1-7). An interpretation of this prophecy is later given in the NT, when Jesus initiates his ministry in the region of Galilee and calls his first disciples from its shores (Matt 4:13-22).

In the list of the sealed in Revelation (7:5-8), Naphtali appears in the fifth position.

Concordance
Gen 30:8; 35:25; 46:24; 49:21. Ex 1:4. Num 1:15, 42-43; 2:29; 7:78; 10:27; 13:14; 26:48, 50; 34:28. Deut 27:13; 33:23; 34:2. Josh 19:32, 39; 20:7; 21:6, 32. Judg 1:33; 4:6,10; 5:18; 6:35; 7:23. I Kgs 4:15; 7:14; 15:20. II Kgs 15:29. I Chr 2:2; 6:62, 76; 7:13; 12:34,40; 27:19. II Chr 16:4; 34:6. Ps 68:27. Is 9:1. Ezek 48:3-4, 34. Matt 4:13, 15. Rev 7:6

Naphtali (pronounced /ˈnæftəˌlaɪ/) (Hebrew: נַפְתָּלִי, Modern Naftali Tiberian Nap̄tālî ; "My struggle") was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Jacob and Bilhah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Naphtali; however some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation^[1]. The text of the Torah argues that the name of Naphtali refers to the struggle between Rachel and Leah for the favours of Jacob; Bilhah was the handmaid of Rachel, who had thought herself to be infertile, and had persuaded Jacob to have a child with Bilhah as a proxy for having one with herself.

In the Biblical account, Bilhah's status as a handmaid, rather than an actual wife of Jacob, is regarded by biblical scholars as indicating that the authors saw the tribe of Naphtali as being not of entirely Israelite origin;^[2] this may have been the result of a typographic error, as the names of Naphtali and Issachar appear to have changed places elsewhere in the text^[3], and the birth narrative of Naphtali and Issachar is regarded by textual scholars as having been spliced together from its sources in a manner which has highly corrupted the narrative.^[1][4]

According to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Naphtali was a swift runner, though this appears to have been inferred from the Blessing of Jacob, which equates Naphtali to a hind.^[2] However, Biblical scholars believe this to actually be a description of the tribe of Naphtali, particularly since textual scholars regard the Blessing of Jacob as having been written long after the tribe settled permanently in Canaan.^[1][2] The Torah states that Naphtali had four sons, who migrated with him to Egypt,^[5] with their descendants remaining there until the Exodus.^[6]

According to the apocryphal Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, he died aged 137 and was buried in Egypt.^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Peake's commentary on the Bible
2. ^ ^{a b c} Jewish Encyclopedia
3. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia: Tribe of Issachar
4. ^ Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?
5. ^ Genesis 46:24
6. ^ Book of Exodus
7. ^  "Nephtali". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Nephtali. 

This article incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.

Children of Jacob by wife in order of birth (D = Daughter)

Leah

Reuben (1)

Simeon (2)

Levi (3)

Judah (4)

Issachar (9)

Zebulun (10)

Dinah (D)

Rachel

Joseph (11)

Benjamin (12)

Bilhah (Rachel's servant)

Dan (5)

Naphtali (6)

Zilpah (Leah's servant)

Gad (7)

Asher (8)

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