How many times is Naphtali mentioned in the Bible?
The word Naphtali appears 51 times in the King James Version, in 47 verses. It is found in 13 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Naphtali 54 times.
Naphtali in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Naphtali counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Naphtali | 51 | 54 |
| Total | 51 | 54 |
What the name Naphtali means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Naphtali as "that struggles or fights".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Naphtali most
Naphtali appears in 13 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (11), then Judges (7) and 1 Chronicles (7).
First and last mention of Naphtali
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 2:29, 2 times (tied with Deuteronomy 33:23, Joshua 19:32, Judges 4:6):
Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Matthew 4:13: counted in the World English Bible only
And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Matthew 4:15: counted in the World English Bible only
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
Common questions
How many times is Naphtali in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 51 of the 51 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Naphtali appears in 13 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (11), then Judges (7) and 1 Chronicles (7).
Where is Naphtali first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 30:8: "And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali." The last is Ezekiel 48:34.
What does the name Naphtali mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Naphtali as "that struggles or fights".
More word counts: Simeon, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, Joab, Hezekiah, Jonathan, Absalom, or all 484 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.