Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 30:8/אבן עזרא על בראשית ל׳:ח׳

אנפתולי. שם מבנין נפעל, וטעמו כאדם שיאבק עם אחר ויפתל לנצח אותו כדי להפילו, וכן "תתפל" (ש"ב כב כז), וטעם זכר אלהים כי לכבוד השם נתתי שפחתי, או השם עזרני בהאבקי:

1WRESTLINGS. Naftule (wrestlings) is a noun in the nifal.⁴ following a nifal paradigm. From this root we get the verb niftalti (I wrestled). The same is the case with the proper name Naphtali (Weiser). Krinsky and Cherez maintain that what I.E. means is that naphtali is an infinitive. Its meaning is I strove, as a man who, when wrestling⁵ thus means twistings of (Weiser). I.E. uses twistings in a specific sense, twisting while fighting. with another, twists (yiftol) in his effort to overpower his opponent in order to throw him to the ground.⁶ is twistings (wrestlings). The word tittappal (Thou dost deal tortuously) (II Sam. 22:27) is similar.⁷ (ikkesh) Thou dost deal tortuously (tittappal). In the latter verse tittappal (tortuously) is parallel to ikkesh (twisted). Hence tittappal implies crookedness or twisting. Tittappal is a variation of titpattal (Kimchi), and Ps. 18:27 which has the identical theme reads titpattal. Thus it seems that the root peh, tav, lamed and its variation tav, peh, lamed mean to twist (Weiser). The reason Rachel mentioned God, (naftule Elohim),⁸, wrestlings of God. is either that out of respect for the Lord she had given her handmaiden to her husband,⁹ (with mighty wrestlings) is to be rendered: Godly wrestlings. or that God helped her in her struggle.¹⁰ means wrestlings with God’s help.