Naphtali (sources)

Survey of sources on Naphtali

Mosaic Torah (Masoretic Text / Septuagint / Targums)

Gen 30: 7, 8

MT (RSV) – And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said: 'With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.' And she called his name Naphtali.

LXX - 7 And Balla, Rachel’s maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan - And Bilhah the handmaid of Leah conceived again and bare a second son to Jakob. And Rahel said, With affliction afflicted was I before the Lord in prayer; therefore He hath received my request that I might have a son as my sister, and hath given me two. Even so are my children to be redeemed from the hand of their enemies when they shall afflict themselves in prayer before the Lord; and she called his name Naphtali.

Targum Onkelos - And Bilhah the handmaid of Rahel conceived again, and bare a second son to Jakob. And Rahel said, The Lord hath received my request: when I entreated in my prayer, I desired that I might have offspring as my sister, and also it is given me. And she called his name Naphtali.

Gen 31

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan - But he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jakob hath taken all that was our father's; and from that which was our father's he hath made himself all the glory of these riches. And Jakob observed the looks of Laban and, behold, they were not peaceful toward him as yesterday and as before it. And the Lord said to Jakob, Return to the land of thy fathers, and to thy native place; and My Word shall be for thy help. And Jakob sent Naphtali, who was a swift mes-senger, and he called Rahel and Leah, and they came into the field unto his flock.

Gen 35:25

MT (RSV) - 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali;

LXX - And the sons of Balla, the hand-maid of Rachel; Dan and Nephthalim.

Gen 46:24

MT (RSV) - 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

LXX 24 And the sons of Nephthalim; Asiel, and Goni, and Issaar, and Sollem.

Gen 49:21 (Jacob’s Blessing)

MT (RSV) - Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

LXX - Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.

Tg Pseudo-Jonathan - Naphatalis a swift messenger, like a hind that runneth on the tops of the mountains, bringing good tidings: he it was who announced that Joseph was living; he it was who hasteneth to go into Mizraim, and bring the contract of the double field in which Esau had no portion;[6] and when he shall open his mouth in the congregation of Israel to give praise, he shall be the chosen of all tongues.

Tg Onkelos – In a good land will the lot of Naphtali be cast, and his inheritance be fruitful; over them will they give praise and benediction.

Genesis 50

Tg Pseudo-Jonathan - But when his sons had brought him into the land of Kenaan, and the thing was heard by Esau the Wicked, he journeyed from the mountain of Gebala with many legions, and came to Hebron, and would not suffer Joseph to bury his father in the Double Cave. Then forthwith went Naphtali and ran, and went down to Mizraim, and came in that day, and brought the Instrument that Esau had written for Jakob his brother in the controversy of the Double Cave.

Exd 1:2

MT (RSV) - 1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

LXX - These are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family. 2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas, 3 Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin, 4 Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser.

Deu 27:13

13 and these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

Deu 33:12

RSV - 23 And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the sea and the south.

LXX - And to Nephthali he said, Nephthali has the fulness of good things; and let him be filled with blessing from the Lord: he shall inherit the west and the south.

1Ch 2:1-2

RSV - These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Is'sachar, Zeb'ulun, Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher

LXX - These are the names of the sons of Israel; 2 Ruben, Symeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, Zabulon, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Nephthali, Gad, Aser.

Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testament of Judah

T. Judah 25:2 -- And the Lord will bless Levi; and the Angel of the presence, me; the powers of glory, Simeon; the heaven, Reuben; the earth, Issachar; the sea, Zebulon; the mountains, Joseph; the tabernacle, Benjamin; the stars, Dan; indulgence, Naphtali; the sun, Gad; the olive tree, Asher.

Joseph and Aseneth

25:5 -- And Naphtali and Asher said to Dan and Gad: "Why must you plot again against our father Israel and against our brother Joseph? For God looks after him as if he were the apple of his eye.

Jubilees

33:22 -- And these were the names of the sons of Jacob: the first-born Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, the sons of Leah; and the sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Gad and Asher; and Dinah, the daughter of Leah, the only daughter of Jacob.

38:5 -- And Judah went forth in front, and Naphtali and Gad with him and fifty servants with him on the south side of the tower, and they slew all they found before them, and not one individual of them escaped.

44:26 -- And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, whom she bare to Jacob, were Dan and Naphtali.

44:30 -- And these are the names of the sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, and 'Îv. 31 And 'Îv, who was born after the years of famine, died in Egypt.

Philo

Som. 2:36 -- Napthali is a symbol of peace, for all things are opened and extended by peace, as on the other hand they are closed by war; and his name being interpreted means, "widening," or "that which is opened."

Josephus

Ant. 2:181 -- He [Joseph] had, besides, by Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, Dan and Naphtali; which last had four sons that followed him--Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

New Testament Texts

Rev 7:6 RSV - from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

Hippolytus

Fragment on Genesis

Gen. 49:21-26 -- Nephthalim is a slender thing, showing beauty in the shoot... And he (Naphtali) is adopted as a figure of things pertaining to us, as the Gospel shows: “The land of Zabulun, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan,” etc.; and, “To them that sat in darkness light has arisen.” And what other light was this but the calling of the Gentiles, which is the trunk, i.e., the tree of the Lord, in whom engrafted it bears fruit?