The Tribe of Naphtali
Naphtali is the sixth son of Jacob, the second son of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel.
Jacob was the second son of Rebekah and Isaac. Jacob loved Rachel, the youngest daughter of Laban. Jacob promised to serve Laban seven years for Rachel. Completing the seven years, Jacob expected to marry Rachel, but was tricked by Laban to marry Leah, the older daughter. Zilpah was the hand maid sent with Leah.
Jacob worked another seven years to marry Rachel. Bilah was the handmaid oh Rachel. (Genesis 29:15-30). When Rachel saw she didn’t give Jacob children, Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob to go in unto. Bilhah bore Naphtali upon the knees of Rachel so she might have children for Jacob. (Genesis 30:1-4).
Bilhah conceived and bare Jacob a son. Leah gave Jacob four sons before Rachel gave Jacob her handmaid Bilhah to conceive for her. (Genesis 29:28-30).
Rachel said, “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed : and she called his name Naphtali.” (Genesis 30:7-8)
The LORD changed Jacob’s name to Israel after he wrestled with God. Jacob was called Israel because he was a prince and has power with God and with men, and prevailed. (Genesis 32:24-32).
Jacob had taken his family to dwell in the land of Canaan. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob (Israel). Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors. The brothers of Joseph saw their father loved Joseph more that all of them and they hated him. They plotted against Joseph. The brothers were feeding their father’s flock in Shechem (some 60 miles from Hebron where they lived) when Jacob (Israel) sent Joseph to check on them. Joseph couldn’t find his brothers in Shechem and was found by a man wandering in the fields. The man sent Joseph to Dothan to find his brothers. When the brothers saw him coming, they conspired against him to slay him.
Reuben, his oldest brother, delivered Joseph out of the hands of his brothers and suggested not to kill him but to let him be cast into a pit in the wilderness. The brothers stripped Joseph out of his coat of many colors and cast Joseph into a pit without water. There was a company of Ishmaelites that came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh on their way to Egypt. It was Judah who suggested selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. It was the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, and captain of the guard. The brothers took Joseph’s coat of many colors, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. They then returned to their father. Jacob, Israel, knew his beloved son had been devoured by an evil beast. Jacob, Israel, rented his clothes and put on sack clothes and mourned for Joseph for many days and could not be comforted. (Genesis 37:1-36).
There were then seven years of famine in all the land of Egypt and over all the face of the earth. Joseph was the governor over the land, and it was his to sell to all the people of the land. When the famine was over all the face of the earth, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians and the other countries that came into Egypt to buy corn. Joseph gathered up all the money that was in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought. All the cattle and all the land, and at last the Egyptians themselves, became the property of Pharaoh.
Jacob (Israel) sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy corn. Benjamin was kept behind to protect him from harm. The brothers came from Canaan to buy corn. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him. He remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of his brothers, and said unto them, they were spies. Three days later to prove they were not spies Joseph directed his brethren to return to their home and bring the youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for their way Simeon was left behind to make sure they came back.
Once they all returned with Benjamin, Joseph made himself known to all his brothers telling them he was Joseph who they sold into Egypt. Joseph asked if his father was alive and told them to bring him to Egypt. They were afraid but were told to hurry and get his father and tell him his son Joseph is alive. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
Jacob (Israel) could hardly believe Joseph was alive, and governor over all the land of Egypt. Jacob, Israel went to Egypt to see his son Joseph. Judah was sent ahead to inform Joseph to meet the father at Goshen. Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Jacob, Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. Joseph told Pharaoh, his father, brothers, and their flocks, and herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. Joseph presented his family to the Pharaoh and Jacob, Israel, blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses. That is how the Israelites came into the land of Egypt. (Genesis 39-48).
The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. (Genesis 46:24)
Jacob’s last words to Naphtali were “Naphtali is a hind let loose he giveth goodly words.” (Genesis 49:21).
When the forty-year wandering in the wilderness was over the tribes divided the land. Naphtali was the sixth lot to be decided. The children of Naphtali were given the coast from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum, and the outgoings were at Jordan. The coast turned westward to Aznothtabor, and goes out from there to Hukkok, and reaches to Zebulun on the south side, reaches to Asher on the west side, to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising. The fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor,Iron, Migdalel, Horem, Bethanath, Bethshemesh, nineteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages. (Joshua 19:32-39).
Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. The blessing given to Naphtali was “23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.” (Deuteronomy 33:23).
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. “The Tribe of Naphtali.” Becker Bible Studies Library March 2022. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5172. Retrieved [dateMLA].
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022). “The Tribe of Naphtali.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5172. Retrieved: [dateAPA].
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022) “The Tribe of Naphtali.” Becker Bible Studies Library (March), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/? =5172 (accessed [dateChi]).
