View source for Tribe of Naphtali

{{Short description|One of the twelve tribes of Israel}}
{{Tribes of Israel}}
[[File:Naphtali. 1852 Philip Map of Palestine - Israel - Holy Land - Geographicus - Palestine-philip-1852.jpg|thumb|Territory allotted to Naphtali (1852 map)]]
The '''Tribe of Naphtali''' ({{Hebrew Name|נַפְתָּלִי|Nap̄talī|Nap̄tālī|"My struggle"}}) was one of the northernmost of the [[twelve tribes of Israel]]. It is one of the [[ten lost tribes]].
== Biblical narratives ==
In the biblical account, following the completion of the conquest of [[Canaan]] by the [[Israelite]]s, [[Joshua]] allocated the land among the twelve tribes. [[Kenneth Kitchen]], a well-known biblical archeologist, dates this event to slightly after 1200 BCE,<ref name = "pnxthp">Kitchen, Kenneth A. (2003), ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, Michigan. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)({{ISBN|0-8028-4960-1}})</ref> whereas other scholars dispute the historicity of the [[Book of Joshua]].<ref name="BakerArnold2004">“Besides the rejection of the Albrightian ‘conquest' model, the general consensus among OT scholars is that the Book of Joshua has no value in the historical reconstruction. They see the book as an ideological retrojection from a later period — either as early as the reign of Josiah or as late as the Hasmonean period.”
{{cite book|editor1=David W. Baker|editor2=Bill T. Arnold|author=K. Lawson Younger Jr.|chapter=Early Israel in Recent Biblical Scholarship|title=The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vO8XRZyhvpMC&pg=PA200|date=1 October 2004|publisher=Baker Academic|isbn=978-0-8010-2871-7|page=200}}</ref><ref name="Congress1999">”It behooves us to ask, in spite of the fact that the overwhelming consensus of modern scholarship is that Joshua is a pious fiction composed by the deuteronomistic school, how does and how has the Jewish community dealt with these foundational narratives, saturated as they are with acts of violence against others?" {{cite book|author=Carl S. Ehrlich|title=Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Volume 1: Biblical, Rabbinical, and Medieval Studies|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZlRPQJ8Qd4C&pg=PA117|year=1999|chapter=Joshua, Judaism and Genocide|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-11554-5|page=117}}</ref><ref name="BerlinBrettler2014">”Recent decades, for example, have seen a remarkable reevaluation of evidence concerning the conquest of the land of Canaan by Joshua. As more sites have been excavated, there has been a growing consensus that the main story of Joshua, that of a speedy and complete conquest (e.g. Josh. 11.23: 'Thus Joshua conquered the whole country, just as the {{Lord}} had promised Moses') is contradicted by the archaeological record, though there are indications of ''some'' destruction and conquest at the appropriate time.{{cite book|author1=Adele Berlin|author2=Marc Zvi Brettler|title=The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yErYBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT951|date=17 October 2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-939387-9|page=951}}</ref>
Naphtali settled the eastern side of [[the Galilee]] (on the immediate west of the [[Sea of Galilee]]), in the areas now known as the [[Lower Galilee]], and [[Upper Galilee]], bordered on the west by [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], in the north by [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]], in the south by [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]], and by the [[Jordan River]] on the east.<ref>{{bibleverse||Joshua|19:32-39|HE}}</ref> The most significant city was [[Tel Hazor|Hazor]].
Bordering the Sea of Galilee, there was the highly fertile plain of [[Kinneret (archaeological site)|Gennesaret]], characterised by [[Josephus]] as the ''ambition of nature, an earthly paradise'',<ref>{{JewishEncyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=N&artid=57|article=Naphtali, Tribe of}}</ref> and with the southern portion of the region acting as a natural [[mountain pass|pass]] between the highlands of [[Canaan]], several major roads (such as those from [[Damascus]] to [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] and [[Acre, Israel|Acre]]) ran through it.<ref>G. A. Smith, "The Historical Geography of the Holy Land,"</ref> The prosperity this situation brought is seemingly [[prophecy|prophesied]] in the [[Blessing of Moses]],<ref>{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|33:23}}</ref> though [[textual criticism|textual scholars]] view this as a [[postdiction]], dating the poem to well after the tribe had been established in the land.<ref>[[Richard Elliott Friedman]], ''[[Richard Elliott Friedman#Writings|Who Wrote the Bible?]]'' (Harper San Francisco) (1987) {{ISBN|0-06-063035-3}}</ref><ref>''[[Peake's commentary on the Bible]]''</ref>
From after the conquest of the land by Joshua until the formation of the first [[Kingdom of Israel (united kingdom)|Kingdom of Israel]] in c. 1050 BC, the Tribe of Naphtali was a part of a loose confederation of Israelite tribes. No central government existed, and in times of crisis the people were led by ad hoc leaders known as [[Biblical judges|Judges]] (see the [[Book of Judges]]). With the growth of the threat from Philistine incursions, the Israelite tribes decided to form a strong centralised monarchy to meet the challenge, and the Tribe of Naphtali joined the new kingdom with [[Saul]] as the first king. After the death of Saul, all the tribes other than Judah remained loyal to the House of Saul, but after the death of [[Ish-bosheth]], Saul's son and successor to the throne of Israel, the Tribe of Naphtali joined the other northern Israelite tribes in making [[David]], who was then the king of Judah, king of a re-united Kingdom of Israel. However, on the accession of [[Rehoboam]], David's grandson, in c. 930 BC the northern tribes split from the [[Davidic line|House of David]] to reform a Kingdom of Israel as the Northern Kingdom.
In c. 732 BCE, [[Pekah]] allied with [[Rezin]], king of [[Aram (biblical region)|Aram]], threatened [[Jerusalem]], and [[Ahaz]], [[king of Judah]], appealed to [[Tiglath-Pileser III]], the king of [[Assyria]], for help. After Ahaz paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser,<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Kings|16:7-9|NIV}}</ref> Tiglath-Pileser sacked Damascus and Israel, annexing Aram<ref name=Grabbe>Lester L. Grabbe, ''Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?'' (New York: T&T Clark, 2007): 134</ref> and a large part of Israel, "including all the land of Naphtali." According to 2 Kings 16:9<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Kings|16:9|NIV}}</ref> and 15:29,<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Kings|15:29|NIV}}</ref> the population of Aram and the annexed part of Israel was deported to Assyria. Such deportation is also mentioned in the [[Deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]] [[Book of Tobit]], which attributes it to Enemessar.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Tobit|1:2}}</ref>
The Kingdom of Israel continued to exist until c. 723 BC, when it was again invaded by [[Assyria]] and the rest of the population deported.<ref>{{Bibleverse|2 Kings|17:6}}</ref> From that time, the Tribe of Naphtali has been counted as one of the [[Ten Lost Tribes]] of Israel.
==Origin==
[[File:12 Tribes of Israel Map.svg|thumb|right|250px|Map of the 12 tribes of Israel. Naphtali is located in the north.]]
According to the [[Torah]], the tribe consisted of descendants of [[Naphtali]], a son of [[Jacob]] and [[Bilhah]], from whom it took its name. However, [[Arthur Peake]] views this as a [[postdiction]], an [[eponym]]ous [[metaphor]] providing an [[aetiology]] of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.<ref name="Peake's commentary on the Bible">''Peake's Commentary on the Bible''</ref>
=== Family tree ===
{{Tree chart/start|align=center|summary=Issachar's family tree}}
{{Tree chart| | | | |NAP|y|MER|NAP=[[Naphtali]]|MER=Merimah}}
{{Tree chart| |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|.|}}
{{Tree chart|JAH| |GUN| |JEZ| |SHI|JAH=Jahziel|GUN=Guni|JEZ=Jezer|SHI=Shillem}}
{{Tree chart/end}}
==Character==
[[Militarism]] is featured in Naphtali's history. In the ancient [[Song of Deborah]], Naphtali is commended, along with Zebulun, for risking their lives in the fight against [[Sisera]];<ref>{{bibleverse||Judges|5:18|HE}}</ref> in the prose account of the event,<ref>{{bibleverse||Judges|4|HE}}</ref> which Arthur Peake regards as a much later narrative based on the poem,<ref name="Peake's commentary on the Bible"/><ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Song of Deborah'</ref> there is the addition that [[Barak]], the leader of the anti-Sisera forces, hails from the tribe of Naphtali.<ref>{{bibleverse||Judges|4:6|HE}}</ref> In the [[Gideon]] narrative Naphtali are one of the tribes which join in an attack against [[Midian]]ite invaders, though Arthur Peake regards the Gideon narrative as being spliced together from at least three earlier texts, the oldest of which describes only personal vengeance by Gideon and 300 men of his own clan, not a battle in which the rest of the northern tribes join him.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Gideon''</ref> In the [[Blessing of Jacob]], which textual scholars date to 700-600 BC - and thus a postdiction, Naphtali is compared to a ''[[deer|hind]] let loose'', and commended for giving ''goodly words''.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|49:21}}</ref>
The territory allotted to the tribe in [[Canaan]] was in the extreme north, and was bordered on the north by the [[Litani River]], on the east by the [[River Jordan]] until it was {{convert|12|mi|km}} south of the [[Sea of Galilee]], on the west by the tribes of [[Asher]] and [[Zebulun|Zabulon]]; and on the south by the tribe of [[Issachar]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Joshua|19:33-34|HE}} quoted in {{CathEncy|wstitle=Nephtali}}</ref>
The symbol of the tribe is a gazelle-a very quick animal. The people of Naftali is traditionally thought of as swift (swift runners).{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
==Fate==
{{Further|Ten Lost Tribes}}
As part of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], during one of the several wars between the Asa of the [[Kingdom of Judah|kingdoms of Judah]] and Baasha of Israel, the tribe of Naphtali was persecuted by [[Ben-Hadad I|Ben-Hadad]], the king of [[Aram-Damascus]], on behalf of [[Asa of Judah|Asa]], the king of Judah, and desolated. Again, in the reign of Pekah this tribe was among the first to feel the iron hand of Assyria and to suffer the deportation of many captives.<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Kings|15:20|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Kings|15:29|KJV}}</ref> In a reference to this incident,<ref>[[Isaiah 9:1]]–[[Isaiah 9:2|2]]</ref> the prophet Isaiah anticipates that the same region will see the dawn of the Messianic deliverance.
In c. 732 BCE, Naphtali's territory was conquered by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] and king [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] had the entire population deported.<ref>{{Bibleverse|2 Kings|15:29}}</ref> The exile led to [[Lost Ten Tribes|their further history being lost]].
One of the famous battles of the Maccabean war was fought near Kedesh-naphtali about B.C. 150, when Jonathan defeated Demetrius, King of Syria;<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Maccabees|11:63-73|KJV}}</ref> Josephus, "Ant." xiii. 5, § 6).{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
==Descendants==
Beginning in the 19th century, Biblical scholarship has largely doubted the [[Twelve Tribes of Israel#Historicity|historicity of the Twelve Tribes]], including the lost tribes.<ref name="McNutt1999">"In any case, it is now widely agreed that the so-called 'patriarchal/ancestral period' is a later 'literary' construct, not a period in the actual history of the ancient world. The same is the case for the ‘exodus’ and the 'wilderness period,' and more and more widely for the 'period of the Judges.'" {{cite book|author=Paula M. McNutt|title=Reconstructing the Society of Ancient Israel|url=https://archive.org/details/reconstructingso0000mcnu|url-access=registration|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-22265-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/reconstructingso0000mcnu/page/n59 42]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/did-israel-always-have-twelve-tribes|title=Did Israel Always Have Twelve Tribes? |website=www.thetorah.com}}</ref> However, there have still been claimants and speculation of the ancestry of these tribes. The speculative descendants of Naphtali include:
*[[Ethiopian Jews]], also known as [[Beta Israel]], claim descent from the Tribe of Dan, whose members migrated south along with members of the tribes of [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]], [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], and Naphtali, into the [[Kingdom of Kush]], now [[Ethiopia]] and [[Sudan]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sjO8JOSKDCMC "From tragedy to triumph: the politics behind the rescue of Ethiopian Jewry"], Mitchell Geoffrey Bard. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. {{ISBN|0-275-97000-0}}, {{ISBN|978-0-275-97000-0}}. p. 2</ref> during the destruction of the [[First Temple]].
*The [[Mountain Jews]] of the [[Caucasus]].
*The [[Bukharian Jews]] of [[Central Asia]].<ref>Ehrlich, M. Avrum ''Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture'' ABL-CIO October 2008 {{ISBN|978-1-85109-873-6}} p.84 [https://books.google.com/books?id=PF9_EG3VaaUC&dq=Bukharan+lost+tribe+of+naphtali&pg=PT110]</ref>
*''Nordisk Israel'' identify the Tribe of Naphtali with Norway.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stjernholm Kragh|first=Mikkel|title=Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands being the tribe of Naphtali}}</ref>
*Pacific Islanders ([[Samoan people|Samoans]], [[Hawaiian people|Hawaiians]], [[Tongan people|Tongans]], [[Fijian people|Fijians]], etc.).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The (Scattered) Hebrews: Tribe of Naphtali|url=https://medium.com/@blacksimba/the-scattered-hebrews-tribe-of-naphtali-59f36b985c6c|last=Simba|first=Black|date=2019-05-06|website=Medium|language=en|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
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{{Eastons}}
{{Jews and Judaism in Lebanon|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Jewish Lebanese history|Naphtali]]
[[Category:Jewish Syrian history|Naphtali]]
[[Category:Tribe of Naphtali]]
[[Category:Twelve Tribes of Israel|Naphtali]]