נַפְתָּלִי (H5321) — Hebrew Lexicon

נַפְתָּלִי

𐤍𐤐𐤕𐤋𐤉

Nafetali

H5321 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פתל to twist, to struggle, to wrestle

Definition

Naphtali: (a) a personal name referring to one of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel, specifically the sixth son, born to Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant; (b) by extension, the Israelite tribe descended from Naphtali; (c) the territory assigned to this tribe in the northern region of ancient Israel. The name itself is a theophoric personal name interpreted as 'my struggle' or 'my wrestling,' echoing Rachel's statement upon his birth. Used exclusively as a proper noun, referring to the individual, tribal group, or their allotted region.

Semantic Range

Naphtali as a personal name, eponymous ancestor, tribal designation, territorial referent; in origin, carrying a sense of struggle or wrestling

Root / Etymology

From the root פתל (ptl), meaning 'to twist, wrestle, struggle.' The form נַפְתָּלִי (Naphtali) includes the 1st person singular pronominal suffix ('my'), thus likely meaning 'my struggle' or 'my wrestling.' The root itself occurs rarely in Hebrew and more frequently in early poetic or narrative contexts; see esp. Genesis 30:8 for its explanation as a wordplay.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Naphtali's name is explained in Genesis 30:8 as an allusion to Rachel's struggle with Leah; it reflects a personal or poetic etymology rather than a straightforward objective meaning. In historic Israel, the tribe of Naphtali occupied Galilean territory north of the tribal allotments of Ephraim and Manasseh. The term is used in genealogical passages, territorial enumerations, and poetic references (Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Psalms). Later translations, particularly in English, substitute the name without change, though Christian tradition sometimes treats 'Naphtali' as symbolic of broader themes of struggle and perseverance; this symbolism is not present in the Hebrew Bible itself. In Second Temple literature and onward, Naphtali continues to be referenced as one of the original tribes of ancient Israel but loses specific geographic significance after the Assyrian campaigns. English versions transliterate the proper name; its personal and ethnic significance should be maintained rather than expanded to later 'Jew' or 'Jewish' meanings, which are anachronistic for this context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּתַל; my wrestling; Naphtali, a son of Jacob, with the tribe descended from him, and its territory; Naphtali.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פתל (p-t-l) — twisting, struggling, wrestling

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H5319	נַפְתּוּל	wrestlings of
H6616	פָּתִיל	with a twisted cord of
H6617	פָּתַל	twisted one
H6618	פְּתַלְתֹּל	twisted

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H5321-04`	נַפְתָּלִֽי	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle	39
`H5321-08`	וְ/נַפְתָּלִֽי	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali	and My-Wrestling	5
`H5321-02`	לְ/נַ֨פְתָּלִ֔י	lenafetali	`HR/Np`	of Naphtali	to My-Wrestling	2
`H5321-01`	בְּ/נַפְתָּלִ֑י	benafetali	`HR/Np`	in Naphtali	in My-Wrestling	1
`H5321-06`	וּ/מִ/נַּפְתָּלִ֖י	uminafetali	`HC/R/Np`	and from Naphtali	and from My-Struggle	1
`H5321-03`	מִ/נַּפְתָּלִ֥י	minafetali	`HR/Np`	from Naphtali	from My-Wrestling	1
`H5321-05`	וּ/לְ/נַפְתָּלִ֣י	ulenafetali	`HC/R/Np`	And to Naphtali	and to My-Struggle	1
`H5321-07`	וּ/בְ/נַפְתָּלִ֔י	uvenafetali	`HC/R/Np`	and to Naphtali	and in My-Wrestling	1

Occurrences in Scripture

51 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H5321-04`	Genesis 30:8	נַפְתָּלִֽי	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-08`	Genesis 35:25	וְ/נַפְתָּלִֽי	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali	and My-Wrestling
`H5321-04`	Genesis 46:24	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Genesis 49:21	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-08`	Exodus 1:4	וְ/נַפְתָּלִ֖י	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali,	and My-Wrestling
`H5321-02`	Numbers 1:15	לְ/נַ֨פְתָּלִ֔י	lenafetali	`HR/Np`	of Naphtali	to My-Wrestling
`H5321-04`	Numbers 1:42	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 1:43	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 2:29	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 2:29	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali-2	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 7:78	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 10:27	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 13:14	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 26:48	נַפְתָּלִי֙	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 26:50	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Numbers 34:28	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-08`	Deuteronomy 27:13	וְ/נַפְתָּלִֽי	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali	and My-Wrestling
`H5321-05`	Deuteronomy 33:23	וּ/לְ/נַפְתָּלִ֣י	ulenafetali	`HC/R/Np`	And to Naphtali	and to My-Struggle
`H5321-04`	Deuteronomy 33:23	נַפְתָּלִי֙	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Deuteronomy 34:2	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 19:32	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 19:32	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali-2	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 19:39	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 20:7	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 21:6	נַפְתָּלִ֜י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Joshua 21:32	נַפְתָּלִ֜י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Judges 1:33	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Judges 4:6	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	in Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Judges 4:6	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali-2	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Judges 4:10	נַפְתָּלִי֙	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-08`	Judges 5:18	וְ/נַפְתָּלִ֑י	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali	and My-Wrestling
`H5321-07`	Judges 6:35	וּ/בְ/נַפְתָּלִ֔י	uvenafetali	`HC/R/Np`	and to Naphtali	and in My-Wrestling
`H5321-03`	Judges 7:23	מִ/נַּפְתָּלִ֥י	minafetali	`HR/Np`	from Naphtali	from My-Wrestling
`H5321-01`	1 Kings 4:15	בְּ/נַפְתָּלִ֑י	benafetali	`HR/Np`	in Naphtali	in My-Wrestling
`H5321-04`	1 Kings 7:14	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	1 Kings 15:20	נַפְתָּלִֽי	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	2 Kings 15:29	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Isaiah 8:23	נַפְתָּלִ֔י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Ezekiel 48:3	נַפְתָּלִ֥י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Ezekiel 48:4	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Ezekiel 48:34	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	Psalms 68:28	נַפְתָּלִֽי	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	1 Chronicles 2:2	נַפְתָּלִ֖י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	1 Chronicles 6:47	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	1 Chronicles 6:61	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	1 Chronicles 7:13	נַפְתָּלִ֗י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-06`	1 Chronicles 12:35	וּ/מִ/נַּפְתָּלִ֖י	uminafetali	`HC/R/Np`	and from Naphtali	and from My-Struggle
`H5321-08`	1 Chronicles 12:41	וְ/נַפְתָּלִ֗י	venafetali	`HC/Np`	and Naphtali	and My-Wrestling
`H5321-02`	1 Chronicles 27:19	לְ/נַ֨פְתָּלִ֔י	lenafetali	`HR/Np`	over Naphtali	to My-Wrestling
`H5321-04`	2 Chronicles 16:4	נַפְתָּלִֽי	nafetali	`HNp`	of Naphtali	My Struggle
`H5321-04`	2 Chronicles 34:6	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	nafetali	`HNp`	Naphtali	My Struggle

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