Nephtali (region)
Description
Having frequently traveled through Galilee, Jesus naturally crosses the territory of Nephtali. This is the case, for example, when coming from Gherghesa, and going with the Apostles to Giscala, He answers the question of Gamaliel: « May I ask you where you are going? “It pleases me to answer you. I come from Nephtali and I am going to Giscala.” “On foot? But the road is long and difficult through these mountains"[2].
Nephtali is also mentioned in biblical references, such as this one taken from Isaiah[3]: « Rejoice, O people of the Auranitide! Rejoice in the joy of knowledge. Indeed it is also said of you, and the peoples around you, when the Prophet sings that your camels and your dromedaries will hurry along the roads of Nephtali and Zebulun to bring Adoration to the true God »[4].
Its name
"Nephtali" (or "Nephthali" in English) is one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name comes from the Hebrew נַפְתָּלִי (Naphtali), which means "my struggle" or "I struggle". This name is derived from the biblical story in the Book of Genesis[5], where Rachel, Jacob’s wife, in rivalry with her sister Leah, gave birth to a son whom she named Naphtali.
Where is it mentioned in the work?
EMV 160 EMV 293.
Learn more about this place
Nephtali was the sixth of the twelve tribes of Israel[6]. A strip of land about 80 km long and 20 km wide was assigned to it, practically corresponding to Galilee, bounded on the east by the Jordan River, and on the west by the territory of the tribe of Asher.
Explore
- 33° 03’ 29’’ N / 35° 31’ 58’’ E /
- -200m/+850m
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
- ↑ Article partially written based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, J.-F. LAVÈRE.
- ↑ EMV 160.2. Let us emphasize, notes Jean-François Lavère, that according to several authors, Giscala belonged to the tribe of Asher, therefore outside Nephtali, which sheds light on Jesus' words to Gamaliel.
- ↑ See Isaiah 8,23 and Isaiah 60,6-7.
- ↑ EMV 293.5.
- ↑ Genesis 30,8.
- ↑ Joshua 19,32-39.