The tribe of Naphtali was one of the 12 tribes of Israel. They moved from Egypt to Canaan and settled in the northern part of Canaan, in the hills of Galilee.
During the Exodus
The Bible mentions Naphtali's tribe briefly during the exodus (the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt). Ahira was the leader of the tribe and helped with the census of Naphtali as Israel prepared for possible battles (Numbers 1:15; 2:29; 7:28). The initial census recorded 53,400 men ready for war, but a later count showed 45,400 (1:42–43; 26:48). When Moses sent spies to explore Canaan, Nahbi, from Naphtali, was one of the twelve (13:14). The tribe was also involved in the arrangement of the camp around the tabernacle, and the land distribution process (2:29). Pedahel represented Naphtali in the land allocation ceremony (34:28). Naphtali was also involved in the approval of the covenant at Shechem (Deuteronomy 27:13). Naphtali, like the other tribes, received a blessing from Moses (33:23).
Settling in Canaan
The tribe of Naphtali received land in the eastern part of upper Galilee. Their land was next to Zebulun in the south and Asher in the west (Joshua 19:34). Several cities for the Levites were in Naphtali's land (Joshua 21:6; 1 Chronicles 6:62). One of these cities, Kedesh, was a city of refuge (a safe place for people who accidentally killed someone, Joshua 20:7; 1 Chronicles 6:76).
Naphtali successfully settled in their land, but they did not drive out all the Canaanites (the people who lived there before) at first (Judges 1:33). However, they made the people of two Canaanite cities, Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath, work for them. Because of where they lived, Naphtali was involved in several big fights with the local people and foreign attackers. The most important of these was the war with Jabin, the king of Hazor. Barak, who was from Kedesh in Naphtali, joined Deborah the prophetess (a woman who spoke for God). Together, they led the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to fight against the Canaanites (Judges 4–5). Later, Gideon called the tribe of Naphtali, along with Asher, Zebulun, and Manasseh, to fight against the Midianites (another group of enemies) (Judges 6:35).
During Israel's United Kingdom
When Israel was united under one king, Naphtali showed their support for David. They sent soldiers to Hebron to help make David king over all of Israel (1 Chronicles 12:34). Naphtali continued to support David's family even after he died. They helped Solomon, David's son, run the country. Ahimaaz, a man from Naphtali, was one of 12 officers who managed different parts of the land for King Solomon. This same Ahimaaz also married Basemath, Solomon's daughter (1 Kings 4:15).
During Israel's Divided Kingdom
After Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms. We do not know much about Naphtali during this time, but we hear about them in some wars.
During the rule of King Asa in Judah (the southern kingdom), King Baasha of Israel (the northern kingdom) tried to build a fort at Ramah. This worried Asa, so he asked Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, to attack Israel. Ben-hadad agreed, and his attack hit Naphtali's land very hard (1 Kings 15:16–24). Baasha had to stop building the fort and fight the Syrian army instead. This shows how Naphtali often got caught in the middle of fights between other countries.
Later, another foreign power, Assyria, became strong in the area where Naphtali lived. This happened when Tiglath-pileser III was the king of Assyria. In 732 BC, while Pekah was ruling Israel and Rezon was ruling Syria, Tiglath-pileser III came and captured Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali (2 Kings 15:29).
Prophecy and Future
The prophet Isaiah spoke about Naphtali's land. He said that even though God had made Naphtali's land seem unimportant, God would make it great again (Isaiah 9:1). Many years later, Matthew, who wrote about Jesus' life, saw this prophecy come true. He said that Jesus brought God's message to the Jewish people living in the area that used to belong to Naphtali (Matthew 4:13–15). In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, Naphtali is mentioned again. It says that 12,000 people from Naphtali's tribe are included in a large group of Israelites chosen by God (Revelation 7:6).