Naphtali was the sixth son of Jacob, born to Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. His name means 'my struggle' and was given by Rachel, who felt she had struggled and prevailed over her sister Leah. Naphtali became the patriarch of one of Israel's twelve tribes, which later settled in northern Galilee.
Naphtali was born to Bilhah, Rachel's servant. Rachel named him Naphtali and said: 'I have wrestled with my sister in God's struggle, and I have prevailed.'
42The descendants of Naphtali: all the men twenty years old and upward who were fit for military service were listed by name, according to their genealogy, by clan and family.
Before his death, Moses blessed the tribes of Israel. About Naphtali he said: 'Naphtali is abounding with favor and full of the Lord's blessing. He shall possess the sea and the south.'