Naftali
נַפְתָּלִי אַיָּלָה שְׁלֻחָה
A hind let loose
‘A hind let loose’: the tribe of swiftness and grace, giving ‘goodly words’. Moses blessed Naftali as ‘satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD’, and the Sea of Kinneret fell within its portion.
- Meaning of the name
- From the word for wrestling: Rachel said, ‘With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.’
- Mother
- Bilhah
- Stone on the Choshen (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7)
- Achlamah, amethyst
- Flag colour
- like clear wine, not deeply red
- Emblem on the flag
- doe (hind)
- Place in the camp
- North — under the banner (degel) of the camp of Dan, alongside Asher.
Verses
נַפְתָּלִי אַיָּלָה שְׁלֻחָה הַנֹּתֵן אִמְרֵי־שָׁפֶר
Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.
Genesis 49:21
וּלְנַפְתָּלִי אָמַר נַפְתָּלִי שְׂבַע רָצוֹן וּמָלֵא בִּרְכַּת ה׳ יָם וְדָרוֹם יְרָשָׁה
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.
Deuteronomy 33:23
וַתֹּאמֶר רָחֵל נַפְתּוּלֵי אֱלֹהִים נִפְתַּלְתִּי עִם־אֲחֹתִי גַּם־יָכֹלְתִּי וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ נַפְתָּלִי
And Rachel said: ‘With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.’ And she called his name Naphtali.
Genesis 30:8