Home › Glossary › Letter N

Naphtali

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Naphtali is the sixth son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible, progenitor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, often symbolizing swiftness or blessing.

Detailed Definition
Son of Bilhah, Naphtali’s name means “wrestling.” His tribe settled in Galilee. In poetry, Naphtali represents agility, the beauty of northern landscapes, and the role of peripheral tribes in Israel’s mosaic identity.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Genesis 49:21, Jacob blesses Naphtali as “a doe let loose”—a metaphor used in nature poetry; Deuteronomy 33:23 depicts Naphtali’s land as “full of the blessing of the Lord,” inspiring agricultural verse; Contemporary minimalist poems list Naphtali among tribes to evoke Israel’s unity; In poems about freedom, Naphtali’s agility symbolizes spiritual responsiveness; Some liturgical works include Naphtali in tribal blessings; Educational poems cite Naphtali to teach about inheritance and geography.
Additional Notes
Naphtali, Jacob’s sixth son (by Bilhah), is blessed in Genesis 49 as a “doe set free”; his tribe later inhabited fertile Galilean lands; though minor individually, Naphtali contributes to the symbolic geography of Israel and may appear in poetry invoking tribal identity or natural imagery.
Also Known As
Naphtali son of Jacob Naphtali the Hind
Skip to main content