Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 19:32
The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, [even] for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
32 39. The Territory of the Tribe of Naphtali
32. The sixth lot ] fell out to the tribe descended from Naphtali, the fifth son of the patriarch Jacob, which, during the march through the wilderness, occupied a position north of the Tabernacle, side by side with Dan and Asher (Num 2:25-31), and at the census taken at Mount Sinai numbered upwards of 53400 fighting men (Num 1:43; Num 2:30).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
32-39. the sixth lot came out to thechildren of NaphtaliAlthough the cities mentioned have notbeen discovered, it is evident, from Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh,that is, on the northwest of Lake Merom (Jud4:11), that the boundary described (Jos19:34) ran from the southwest towards the northeast, up to thesources of the Jordan.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali,…. The tribe of Naphtali, and directed what should be the inheritance of this tribe:
[even] for the children of Naphtali, according to their families; which was to be divided among them, according to the number of their, families.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Inheritance of Naphtali. – This fell between Asher and the upper Jordan. It reached northwards to the northern boundary of Canaan, and touched Zebulun and Issachar on the south. In Jos 19:33 and Jos 19:34 the boundary lines are given: viz., in Jos 19:33 the western boundary towards Asher, with the northern and eastern boundaries: in Jos 19:34 the southern boundary; but with the uncertainty which exists as to several of the places named, it cannot be traced with certainty.
Jos 19:33 “ Its boundary was (its territory reached) from Heleph, from the oak-forest at Zaanannim, and Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum; and its outgoings were the Jordan.” Heleph is unknown, though in all probability it was to the south of Zaanannim, and not very far distant. According to Jdg 4:11, the oak-forest ( allon: see the remarks on Gen 12:6) at Zaanannim was near Kedesh, on the north-west of Lake Huleh. There are still many oaks in that neighbourhood ( Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 386); and on the south of Bint Jebail Robinson crossed a low mountain-range which was covered with small oak trees (Pal. iii. p. 372). Adami hannekeb, i.e., Adami of the pass ( Nekeb, judging from the analogy of the Arabic, signifying foramen, via inter montes ), is supposed by Knobel to be Deir-el-ahmar, i.e., red cloister, a place which is still inhabited, three hours to the north-west of Baalbek, on the pass from the cedars to Baalbek ( Seetzen, i. pp. 181, 185; Burckhardt, Syr. p. 60; and Ritter, Erdk. xvii. p. 150), so called from the reddish colour of the soil in the neighbourhood, which would explain the name Adami. Knobel also connects Jabneel with the lake Jemun, Jemuni, or Jammune, some hours to the north-west of Baalbek, on the eastern side of the western Lebanon range ( Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 548; Ritter, xvii. pp. 304ff.), where there are still considerable ruins of a very early date to be found, especially the ruins of an ancient temple and a celebrated place of pilgrimage, with which the name “god’s building” agrees. And lastly, he associates Lakkum with the mountains of Lokham, as the northern part of Lebanon on the Syrian mountains, from the latitude of Laodicea to that of Antioch on the western side of the Orontes, is called by the Arabian geographers Isztachri, Abulfeda, and others. So far as the names are concerned, these combinations seem appropriate enough, but they are hardly tenable. The resemblance between the names Lakkum and Lokham is only in appearance, as the Hebrew name is written with and the Arabic with . Moreover, the mountains of Lokham are much too far north for the name to be adduced as an explanation of Lakkum. The interpretation of Adami Nekeb and Jabneel is also irreconcilable with the circumstance that the lake Jamun was two hours to the west of the red convent, so that the boundary, which starts from the west, and is drawn first of all towards the north, and then to the north-east and east, must have run last of all from the red convent, and not from the Jamun lake to the Jordan. As Jabneel is mentioned after Adami Nekeb, it must be sought for to the east of Adami Nekeb, whereas the Jamun lake lies in the very opposite direction, namely, directly to the west of the red convent. The three places mentioned, therefore, cannot be precisely determined at present. The Jordan, where the boundary of Asher terminated, was no doubt the upper Jordan, or rather the Nahr Hasbany, one of the sources of the Jordan, which formed, together with the Huleh lake and the Jordan itself, between Lake Huleh and the Sea of Tiberias, and down to the point where it issues from the latter, the eastern boundary of Asher.
Jos 19:34 From the Jordan below the Lake of Tiberias, or speaking more exactly, from the point at which the Wady Bessum enters the Jordan, “ the boundary (of Asher) turned westwards to Asnoth-tabor, and went thence out to Hukkok.” This boundary, i.e., the southern boundary of Asher, probably followed the course of the Wady Bessum from the Jordan, which wady was the boundary of Issachar on the north-east, and then ran most likely from Kefr Sabt (see at Jos 19:22) to Asnoth-tabor, i.e., according to the Onom. ( s. v. Azanoth), a vicus ad regionem Diocaesareae pertinens in campestribus , probably on the south-east of Diocaesarea, i.e., Sepphoris, not far from Tabor, to which the boundary of Issachar extended (Jos 19:22). Hukkok has not yet been traced. Robinson (Bibl. Res. p. 82) and Van de Velde (Mem. p. 322) are inclined to follow Rabbi Parchi of the fourteenth century, and identify this place with the village of Yakk, on the north-west of the Lake of Gennesareth; but this village is too far to the north-east to have formed the terminal point of the southern boundary of Naphtali, as it ran westwards from the Jordan. After this Naphtali touched “Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah by the Jordan toward the sun-rising or east.” “The Jordan” is in apposition to “Judah,” in the sense of “Judah of the Jordan,” like “Jordan of Jericho” in Num 22:1; Num 26:3, etc. The Masoretic pointing, which separates these two words, was founded upon some false notion respecting this definition of the boundary, and caused the commentators great perplexity, until C. v. Raumer succeeded in removing the difficulty, by showing that the district of the sixty towns of Jair, which was upon the eastern side of the Jordan, is called Judah here, or reckoned as belonging to Judah, because Jair, the possessor of these towns, was a descendant of Judah on the father’s side through Hezron (1Ch 2:5, 1Ch 2:21-22); whereas in Jos 13:30, and Num 32:41, he is reckoned contra morem , i.e., against the rule laid down in Num 36:7, as a descendant of Manasseh, on account of his descent from Machir the Manassite, on his mother’s side.
(Note: See C. v. Raumer ‘s article on “Judaea on the east of Jordan,” in Tholuck’s litt. Anz. 1834, Nos. 1 and 2, and his Palstina, pp. 233ff. ed. 4; and for the arbitrary attempts that had been made to explain the passage by alterations of the text and in other ways, see Rosenmller ‘s Bibl. Alterthk. ii. 1, pp. 301-2; and Keil’s Comm. on Joshua, pp. 438-9.)
Jos 19:35 The fortified towns of Naphtali were the following. Ziddim: unknown, though Knobel suggests that “it may possibly be preserved in Chirbet es Saudeh, to the west of the southern extremity of the Lake of Tiberias ( Rob. iii. App.);” but this place is to the west of the Wady Bessum, i.e., in the territory of Issachar. Zer is also unknown. As the lxx and Syriac give the name as Zor, Knobel connects it with Kerak, which signifies fortress as well as Zor (= ), a heap of ruins at the southern end of the lake ( Rob. iii. p. 263), the place which Josephus calls Taricheae (see Reland, p. 1026), – a very doubtful combination! Hammath (i.e., thermae), a Levitical town called Hammaoth-dor in Jos 21:32, and Hammon in 1Ch 6:61, was situated, according to statements in the Talmud, somewhere near the later city of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Lake of Gennesareth, and was no doubt identical with the in the neighbourhood of Tiberias, a place with warm baths ( Jos. Ant. xviii. 2, 3; Bell. Judg. iv. 1, 3). There are warm springs still to be found half an hour to the south of Tabaria, which are used as baths ( Burckhardt, Syr. pp. 573-4; Rob. iii. pp. 258ff.). Rakkath (according to the Talm. and Rabb. ripa littus) was situated, according to rabbinical accounts, in the immediate neighbourhood of Hammath, and was the same place as Tiberias; but the account given by Josephus (Ant. xviii. 2, 3; cf. Bell. Judg. ii. 9, 1) respecting the founding of Tiberias by Herod the tetrarch is at variance with this; so that the rabbinical statements appear to have no other foundation than the etymology of the name Rakkath. Chinnereth is given in the Targums as , , , i.e., . According to Josephus (Bell. Jud. iii. 10, 8), this name was given to a strip of land on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which was distinguished for its natural beauty, its climate, and its fertility, namely the long plain, about twenty minutes broad and an hour long, which stretches along the western shore of this lake, from el-Mejdel on the south to Khan Minyeh on the north ( Burckhardt, Syr. pp. 558-9; Rob. iii. pp. 279, 290). It must have been in this plain that the town of Chinnereth stood, from which the plain and lake together derived the name of Chinnereth (Deu 3:17) or Chinneroth (Jos 11:2), and the lake alone the name of “Sea of Chinnereth,” or “Sea of Chinneroth” (Jos 12:3; Jos 13:27; Num 34:11).
Jos 19:36 Adamah is unknown. Knobel is of opinion, that as Adamah signifies red, the place referred to may possibly be Ras el Ahmar, i.e., red-head, on the north of Safed ( Rob. iii. p. 370; Bibl. Res. p. 69). Ramah is the present Rameh ( Ramea), a large well-built village, inhabited by Christians and Druses, surrounded by extensive olive plantations, and provided with an excellent well. It stands upon the slope of a mountain, in a beautiful plain on the south-west of Safed, but without any relics of antiquity (see Seetzen, ii. p. 129; Rob. Bibl. Res. pp. 78-9). Hazor has not yet been traced with certainty (see at Jos 11:1).
Jos 19:37 Kedesh (see at Jos 12:2). Edrei, a different place from the town of the same name in Bashan (Jos 1:2, Jos 1:4), is still unknown. En-hazor is probably to be sought for in Bell Hazur and Ain Hazur, which is not very far distant, on the south-west of Rameh, though the ruins upon Tell Hazur are merely the ruins of an ordinary village, with one single cistern that has fallen to pieces ( Rob. Bibl. Res. pp. 80, 81).
Jos 19:38-39 Jireon ( Iron) is probably the present village of Jarn, an hour to the south-east of Bint-Jebeil, with the ruins of an ancient Christian church ( Seetzen, ii. pp. 123-4; Van de Velde, R. i. p. 133). Migdal-el, so far as the name is concerned, might be Magdala (Mat 15:39), on the western shore of the Lake of Gennesareth, between Capernaum and Tiberias ( Rob. iii. pp. 279ff.); the only difficulty is, that the towns upon this lake have already been mentioned in Jos 19:35. Knobel connects Migdal-el with Chorem, so as to form one name, and finds Migdal el Chorem in the present Mejdel Kerum, on the west of Rameh ( Seetzen, ii. p. 130; Van de Velde, i. p. 215), a common Mahometan village. But there is nothing to favour this combination, except the similarity in sound between the two names; whereas it has against it not only the situation of the village, which was so far to the west, being not more than three hours from Acca, that the territory of Naphtali can hardly have reached so far, but also the very small resemblance between Chorem and Kerum, not to mention the fact that the accents separate Chorem from Migdal-el, whilst the omission of the copula ( vav) before Chorem cannot have any weight, as the copula is also wanting before Zer and Rakkath. Chorem and Beth-anath have not yet been discovered. From the latter place Naphtali was unable to expel the Canaanites (Jdg 1:33). Beth-shemesh, a different place from the town of the same name in Issachar (Jos 19:22), is also still unknown. The total number of towns is given as nineteen, whereas only sixteen are mentioned by name. It is hardly correct to seek for the missing places among the border towns mentioned in Jos 19:33 and Jos 19:34, as the enumeration of the towns themselves is introduced by in Jos 19:35, and in this way the list of towns is separated from the description of the boundaries. To this we may add, that the town of Karthan or Kirjathaim, which Naphtali gave up to the Levites (Jos 21:32; 1Ch 6:61), does not occur either among the border towns or in the list of towns, from which we may see that the list of towns is an imperfect one.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Lot of Naphtali. | B. C. 1444. |
32 The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 33 And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan: 34 And then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising. 35 And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth, 36 And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor, 37 And Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor, 38 And Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.
Naphtali lay furthest north of all the tribes, bordering on Mount Libanus. The city of Leshem, or Liash, lay on the utmost edge of it to the north, and therefore when the Danites had made themselves masters of it, and called it Dan, the length of Canaan from north to south was reckoned from Dan to Beersheba. It had Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah upon Jordan, probably a city of that name, and so distinguished from the tribe of Judah on the east. It was in the lot of this tribe, near the waters of Merom, that Joshua fought and routed Jabin, ch. xi. 1. c. In this tribe stood Capernaum and Bethsaida, on the north end of the sea of Tiberias, in which Christ did so many mighty works and the mountain (as is supposed) on which Christ preached, Matt. v. 1.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Naphtali’s Lot, vs. 32-39
The last lot out of the territory of the northern conquest was given to the tribe of Naphtali. The starting point of his possession was Heleph on the northern border of Zebulun. From there the boundary traced northeastward to Zaanannim, skirting the northwestern shore of Chinnereth, after which it followed the Jordan River northward to the vicinity of mount Hermon. The south border followed the north boundary of Zebulun to its juncture with the eastern boundary of Asher. From here the boundary of Naphtali was common with the eastern boundary of Asher northward. Two of the old Canaanite cities remained prominent throughout Naphtali’s possession, Kedesh and Hazor, but Kedesh seems to have been the chief city of the tribe.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The next lot mentioned is that of Naphtali, and it seems to correspond with the disposition and manners of that tribe. For Jacob had testified, Naphtali is a hind let loose; he gave goodly words. For this reason they seem to have been contiguous on one side to the children of Judah, and to have been surrounded on other sides by the enclosures of their brethren. (171) Indeed, in its being said that the tribe of Dan took Lesen, there seems to be a tacit comparison, because the children of Naphtali did not employ arms to force their way into their inheritance, but kept themselves quietly in a subdued territory, and thus enjoyed safety and tranquillity under the faith, and, as it were, protection of Judah and the other tribes. The capture of Lesen by the children of Dan, in accordance with the divine grant which they had received of it, did not take place till after the death of Joshua. But the fact which is more fully detailed in the book of Judges is here mentioned in passing, because praise was due to them for their boldness and activity in thus embracing the right which God had bestowed upon them, and so trusting in him as to go down bravely and defeat the enemy.
(171) The tribe of Naphtali, as marked out by Joshua, Eleazar, and the heads of the tribes, harmonizes well with the figurative description of it given by Jacob, for both in scenery and fertility it is one of the fairest in the Promised Land, but the locality assigned to it in the Commentary is singularly inaccurate. In the Latin it is said that the children of Naphtali “ Videntur contigui ab una parte fuisse filiis Juda: alibi autem cincti coste ils estoyent contigus aux enfans de Juda; et d’autrepart qu’ils estoyent environnez du secours de leurs freres;” “It seems that on one side that they were surrounded by the help of their brethren.” The fact, however, is that Judah and Naphtali are at the opposite extremities of the country, and so far from being contiguous to each other, are widely separated by the intervention of no fewer than five tribes, which commencing on the frontiers of Judah, and proceeding northwards, are, in succession, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun. Then, as it stretched from the shores of the lake of Gennesaret, north to the roots of Lebanon, it cannot well be said to have been surrounded on all sides by the enclosures of other tribes. It certainly had Zebulun on the south-west, and Asher on the west, but on the north and east, it formed the extreme frontiers of the Promised Land, and, of course, bounded with foreign and hostile settlements. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
The Inheritance of Naphtali Jos. 19:32-39
32 The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
33 And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan:
34 And then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sun-rising.
35 And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,
36 And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor,
37 And Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor,
38 And Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.
13.
Who was Naphtali? Jos. 19:32
Naphtali was the son of Bilhah, Rachels handmaid, and Jacob. His birth is recorded in Gen. 30:8; and his name is from a Hebrew word, naftal, meaning to wrestle. Rachel and Leah were wrestling with each other in an attempt to gain the favor of their husband, Jacob. Jacob gave a blessing to Naphtali (Gen. 49:21); and at the first census, he had 53,400 warriors (Numbers 1). He decreased in numbers until there were only 45,400 when the second census was taken (Numbers 26).
14.
Where was the terirtory of Naphtali? Jos. 19:32-39
The territory given to the children of Naphtali lay immediately east of the territory given to Asher. On the south the land touched the territory of Issachar and Zebulun. On the east border were the streams which ran together to form the Jordan River, flowing through the waters of Merom, and finally into the Sea of Galilee. This tribe also reached to the northern extremities of the Promised Land, and its north border was the Syrian territory which lay beyond the Leontes River.
15.
How many cities were given to Naphtali? Jos. 19:38
Nineteen cities and their villages were within the borders of the territory given to Naphtali. Judah upon Jordan is a very unusual reference and caused a great deal of controversy until it was noticed that the sixty towns of Jair, which were upon the eastern side of the Jordan, were called Judah. These cities were reckoned as pertaining to Judah; because Jair, the possessor of these towns, was a descendant of Judah on the fathers side through Hezron (1Ch. 2:5; 1Ch. 2:21-22). Manasseh East had received this territory on the other side of the Jordan opposite the land given to Naphtali. Barak was from this tribe (Jdg. 4:6).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
NAPHTALI’S LOT, Jos 19:32-39.
[The territory of Naphtali was bounded on the east by the Jordan and sea of Galilee, on the south by Zebulun, on the west and north by Asher. The northern limit probably ran into the splendid valley of the Litany, which separates the two great ranges of Lebanon. The excellence of Naphtali’s portion is indicated in Moses’ song, where he speaks of him as “satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord, possessing the west and the south.” Deu 33:23. The latter part should be rendered, “Possess thou the sea and the sunny clime.” “Naphtali possessed,” says J.L. Porter, “a greater variety of soil, scenery, and climate than any of the other tribes. Its northern portions are the highlands of Palestine. The sublime ravine of the Leontes separates its mountains from the chain of Lebanon, of which, however, they may be regarded as a prolongation. The scenery is here rich and beautiful. In the centre of this park-like region lie the ruins of the sanctuary of the tribe, the northern city of refuge, Kadesh-Naphtali.
The ridge rises gradually towards the south, and culminates at Safed, which has an elevation of nearly three thousand feet.
“The southern section of Naphtali was the garden of Palestine. The little plains along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and the vales that run up into the mountains are of unrivalled fertility. Josephus describes the plain on the shore of the lake as an earthly paradise, where the choicest fruits grew luxuriantly, and where eternal spring reigned. His words were not much exaggerated, for now, though more a wilderness than a paradise, its surpassing richness is apparent.”
Jacob spoke of Naphtali as “a hind let loose.” Gen 49:21. The tribe had many a noble and fleet warrior. but, like the timid hind, they shrunk from aggressive war, and left several of their cities in the hands of the Canaanites. Jdg 1:33. The valiant Barak lacked confidence to venture alone against the hosts of Sisera, (Jos 4:8,) but when fully roused, like a hind brought to bay, he scorned his soul to death on the high places of the battlefield. Jdg 5:18, note.] From his exposed position on the northern frontier Naphtali was the first to fall into the hands of the Assyrian invaders, (2Ki 15:29,) but after the captivity the Israelites largely settled again in thin territory. His lot included the scene of the great victory of Joshua over the northern confederacy, and also many places where the Greater Joshua, by his mighty miracles and wondrous teachings, confounded his foes and laid the foundation of his everlasting kingdom. This region is Galilee of the Gentiles, whose “people, which sat in darkness, saw great light.” Isa 9:1; Mat 4:16.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ For the children of Naphtali came out the sixth lot, for the children of Naphtali, according to their families.’
Note the slight differences in the opening formulae – Jos 18:11; Jos 19:1; Jos 19:10; Jos 19:17; Jos 19:24; Jos 19:32; Jos 19:40. These are clearly deliberate variations to prevent exact repetition and monotony. Benjamin, Simeon, Asher, and Dan (as was Judah (Jos 15:1) and Reuben (Jos 13:15)) are called ‘the tribe (matteh) of the children of –’. Zebulun, Issachar and Naphtali only ‘the children of –’ (as was Joseph (Jos 16:1) and Gad (Jos 13:24), although the latter was first called in context ‘the tribe (matteh) of Gad’). Levi was called ‘the tribe (shebet) of Levi’ (Jos 13:14; Jos 13:33) and ‘the Levites’ (Jos 14:3-4). But as Benjamin is also called ‘the children of –’ (Jos 18:28) and Issachar and Naphtali ‘the tribe of the children of –’ (Jos 19:23; Jos 19:39) and there are changes in the order of words it seems simply to be a matter of scribal variation.
Simeon and Issachar also have the patriarch’s name by itself. Naphtali alone has ‘the children of –’ repeated, but there is no obvious reason for it. Note also that the lot ‘came up’ for Benjamin and Zebulun, and ‘came out’ for the remainder. This would suggest that they were drawn from a container.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Napthali’s portion is also rendered memorable, in having so much of the presence of the Lord Jesus. Capernaum and Bethsaida being within it. Possessing the opening both of south and north, it had a favourable aspect. But principally being according to Moses’ prediction, satisfied with divine favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord. Deu 33:23 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED TEXT): Jos 19:32-39
32The sixth lot fell to the sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families. 33Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim and Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. 34Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and proceeded from there to Hukkok; and it reached to Zebulun on the south and touched Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the east. 35The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer and Hammath, Rakkath and Chinnereth, 36and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor, 37and Kedesh and Edrei and En-hazor, 38and Yiron and Migdal-el, Horem and Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. 39This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.
Jos 19:33 from the oak Trees often were associated with holy sites (cf. Gen 13:18; Gen 14:13; Gen 18:1; Gen 21:33; Gen 35:4; Jdg 4:5; Jdg 4:11; Jdg 6:11; Jdg 6:19; Jdg 9:6; Jdg 9:37; 1Sa 10:3), possibly because of the presence of underground water which was so valuable to desert and semi-desert peoples.
Jos 19:38 Beth-anath This name means temple of Anath (BDB 112, cf. Jdg 1:32). Anath was a fertility goddess.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Reciprocal: Gen 49:21 – General Num 26:55 – by lot Deu 33:23 – possess Jdg 1:33 – Naphtali Jdg 4:6 – Kedeshnaphtali 1Ki 4:15 – Naphtali Eze 48:3 – Naphtali Mat 4:13 – Nephthalim
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 19:32-33. The sixth lot came out, &c. Here the younger son of Bilhah, the hand-maid of Rachel, is preferred before the elder, who was Dan, (Gen 30:6; Gen 30:8,) as Zebulun was before Issachar. Such was the method of Divine Providence in that nation, to convince them that they ought not to value themselves too highly, as they were apt to do, upon their external privileges. Their coast Their northern border, drawn from west to east, as appears; because, when the coast is described and brought to its end, it is said to turn from the east westward, Jos 19:34. The out- goings The end of that coast.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The inheritance of Naphtali 19:32-39
The Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) and the Jordan River north of that sea formed Naphtali’s eastern border. It extended north to Phoenician territory. Naphtali shared borders on the west with Asher, on the southwest with Zebulun, and on the south with Issachar. Nineteen fortified cities belonged to this tribe (Jos 19:35-38).