Naphtali

Family: Israelites · Role: son of Jacob · First appears: The Wives Of The Sons Of Jacob

In the year of Joseph’s misfortune, Naphtali married Merimit, whose name is given among the wives of Jacob’s sons. When the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah were drawn into a plot against Joseph, Naphtali and Asher wanted no part in it, but Dan and Gad forced them to join. Later, at Raamses, Jacob summoned his sons from Egypt to bless them; he blessed Naphtali’s land with fruits that ripened quickly and were brought as gifts to kings.

Naphtali’s sons were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem, names associated with a partition wall, God’s protection, and devotion to God. In his account of a dream, he said, “I was born of Bilhah,” and recalled his brothers pasturing with him as Jacob told them to take the sun, moon, and stars. Levi and Judah rode the sun, while Benjamin remained true to Judah when Joseph invited the brothers to follow him. In the hundred and thirty-second year of his life, Naphtali ate and drank, covered his face, and died; he had asked that his remains be carried to Hebron and buried near his fathers.