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Names are not just words. They have meaning. They describe things and hint at purpose.

Could there be a greater purpose to the names in the Bible? Could a message from God be hidden in the names themselves?

Joshua 19 outlines the boundaries for the inheritances of the tribes of Israel. On the surface the they seem like simple lists of names and places, but when we realize names have meaning, an incredible story begins to unfold.

The tribe that inherited the sixth lot is named Naphtali. The name Naphtali (נפתלי) means my wrestlings.

Genesis 30:8 ESV - Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

Naphtali was initially named after the struggles we have with one another, but he was also the son of Jacob, who wrestled with God. Even though Naphtali was named before that encounter, is it a coincidence that the man who wrestled with God had a son named My Wrestlings?

Naphtali was also the sixth son of Jacob, and his tribe inherited the sixth lot in the Promised Land.

Hebrew numbers have special meaning, and while I advise against going too deeply down that rabbit hole, there are some numbers that undeniably stand out. Six is universally accepted by Rabbis and Bible scholars to be the number of man.

Taken together, this story is about Naphtali the wrestler, and Naphtali the man.

Naphtali is the wrestling man.

Some sources say Naphtali means struggling, but it’s important to know the difference between struggling and wrestling. Struggling is a form of wrestling, but to struggle implies an undertone of worry, anxiety, and fear.

Wrestling can feel that way—especially if you’re on the losing end—but it doesn’t have to. Where struggling tends to be desperate, wrestling can often be fun. In fact, it can also be endearing.

Children take joy in wrestling their fathers, even though they know they could never win. Young boys can wrestle, and it’s a fierce contest; and afterwards, they smile and pat each other on the backs. Jacob himself, when wrestling with God, said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26)

We have a choice. We can wrestle out of fear and desperation, or we can wrestle as a way to measure our strength against another. We can wrestle to appreciate an opponent whose strength is greater than our own and cling tightly to their strength.

As we go through the story of Naphtali, the wrestling man, ask yourself—what kind of wrestler will you be?

What follows is the story of the wrestling man, written in the names of Naphtali’s inheritance, crafted by God over centuries.

Here is the scripture we’ll be looking at:

Joshua 19:32-39 ESV - The sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, for the people of Naphtali, according to their clans. And their boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. Then the boundary turns westward to Aznoth-tabor and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan. The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—nineteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Naphtali according to their clans—the cities with their villages.

Let’s get started.

The first boundary of Naphtali’s inheritance takes us through Heleph, Zaanannim, Adami-Nekeb, Jabneel, Lakkum, and the Jordan.

• Heleph (חלף) means change (or exchange)

• Zaanannim (צעננים) means migrations (Also a place known for a famous oak)

• Adami-Nekeb (אדמי הנקב) means the ground of the piercing

  • The noun duma (דומה) describes the silence of death.

  • The noun adam (אדם) is one of a few words for man.

  • The verb ‘adom or ‘adem (אדם) means to be red.

  • Both verbs qabab (קבב) and naqab II (נקב) mean to curse.

  • The verb naqab I (נקב) means to pierce.

  • The noun maqqebet (מקבת) means hammer (literally: thing to make holes with).

• Jabneel (יבנאל) means built of God

• Lakkum (לַקּוּם) means fortification

• Jordan (ירדן) means to descend or flow down

The first part of the story could read something like, “The wrestling man will change as he moves towards the tree that grows in the ground of piercing, where the silence of death will mark a cursed man pierced by hammer and nail. This is a fortress built of God, a fortress flowing down from heaven.”

The second boundary leads through Aznoth-Tabor, Hukkok, Zebulun, Asher, Judah, and the Jordan.

• Aznoth-Tabor (אזנות תבור) means balance of purification (also: to turn one’s ears towards purity)

• Hukkok (חוקק) means decree, loving embrace

  • “God's laws are not means to subdue to but rather to bring close. To obey someone means to comply, but to love someone means to generously give. This is the difference between falling into someone's hands and falling into someone's arms.” — Paraphrased from Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary

• Zebulun (זבלון) means instance of exaltation, glorious dwelling place

• Asher (אשר) means happy

• Judah (יהודה) means praised, let him be praised

• Jordan (ירדן) means to descend or flow down

The second part of the story could read, “Hear the decree of pure love from heaven! Be glad and sing praises for the one who descends!”

The cities Naphtali inherited are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh.

• Ziddim (צדים) means sides

• Zer (צר) means rock (or flint)

• Hammath (חמת) means hotness (or hot springs, warm baths)

• Rakkath (רקת) means thin (or only), green, or shore

• Chinnereth (כִּנֶּ֖רֶת) means harps

• Adamah (אדמה) means red ground (or earth)

• Ramah (רמה) means lofty place

• Hazor (חצור) means village, trumpet, or enclosure

• Kedesh (קדש) means holy, sacred

• Edrei (אֶדְרֶ֫עִי) means mighty

• En-Hazor (עין חצור) means fountain village

• Yiron (יראון) means place of reverence

• Migdal-El (מגדל־אל) means tower of God

  • From the noun migdal (מגדל), meaning tower

  • From the verb gadel (גדל), meaning to become strong

  • From the word 'el (אל), meaning God

• Beth-Anath (בית־ענת) means house of answer

• Beth-Shemesh (בית־שמש) means house of the sun

The third part of the story could read, “From the side of the rock a warm bath will flow. The weak will make music honoring the blood that flows from heaven. They will be a people surrounded by holiness, made strong by the fountain. They will revere the Lord and become strong in the house of the answer, the house of the sun.”

That last part is especially significant. This message is echoed in the Psalms.

Psalm 43:3-4 ESV - Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God."

All three parts of the story put together read this way:

“The wrestling man will change as he moves towards the tree that grows in the ground of piercing, where the silence of death will mark a cursed man pierced by hammer and nail. This is a fortress built of God, a fortress flowing down from heaven.

“Hear the decree of pure love from heaven! Be glad and sing praises for the one who descends!

“From the side of the rock a warm bath will flow. The weak will make music honoring the blood that flows from heaven. They will be a people surrounded by holiness, made strong by the fountain. They will revere the Lord and become strong in the house of the answer, the house of the sun.”

If we take some interpretive liberty and incorporate the themes of other scriptures, we come up with something like this:

“The man who clings to God will change as he approaches the cross, where the Son of Man was pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. In death He took our curse upon Himself in a divine exchange. He was pierced by nails and hung on a tree, and His blood flowed down.

“There is safety and security in this salvation offered by God. There is safety in the blood and blessing that flow from the cross.

“Hear the decree of pure love from heaven! Be glad and sing praises to Jesus! From His side flowed blood and water, a baptism of salvation from Heaven. Let the weak rejoice, for they will be made strong. They will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, a place of truth and light.”

Could people translate these names and verses differently? Perhaps. I love etymology (the study of the origins of words), but I don’t have any formal training in the field. But God’s word is living and active, and His word makes wise the simple.

It is incredible to me that the God of the Universe would be so meticulous in His plan for salvation that He would arrange for cities, places, and people—who were all named for different circumstances and at different moments in time—to line up in such a specific order that they tell His story.

What other mysteries could be hiding in His word, waiting to be discovered?

Here are some great references if you’d like to do more research on Hebrew names and word meanings:

• HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: A Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, written by 46 contributors and edited by R. Laird Harris, Gleason J. Archer, Jr. and Bruce K. Waltke. Published by the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago in 1980.

• BDB Theological Dictionary: The globally recognized standard dictionary of Biblical Hebrew: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Francis Brown, S. R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs. Published first in 1906 by the Oxford University Press and reprinted time and again.

• NOBSE Study Bible Name List: The New Open Bible Study Edition. Based on the 1960 New American Standard Bible and published in 1990.

• Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names: First published in 1856 by Samuel Bagster.

• Klein's Etymological dictionary of the Hebrew Language; A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary Of The Hebrew Language Ernest Klein, 1987, Carta Jerusalem, The University of Haifa.

• Botterweck's Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament in 11 volumes; 1974, William Eerdmans Publishing Company.

• Fuerst's Hebrew & Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament; 1867, Julius Fuerst, Samuel Davidson, Williams and Norgate, London.

• Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, 1825, William Gesenius, Samuel Bagster and sons, London .

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