🔼The name Naphish in the Bible
The name Naphish belongs to one of the twelve sons of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 25:15, 1 Chronicles 1:31). The descendants of Naphish settled close enough to the tribes of Gad and Reuben, on the east side of the Jordan, that they could be attacked and displaced (or destroyed) by them (1 Chronicles 5:19).
🔼Etymology of the name Naphish
Scholars don't agree on which language the name Naphish comes from, but it's clear that it derives from a root that exists all over the Semitic spectrum:
In Hebrew, the name Naphish would mean something like Refresh or Desire(d), but it's possible that it was derived from the Arabic usage of this root, which apparently also may mean to enlarge (and possibly also in Hebrew, as reflected in Isaiah's statement "Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure"; Isaiah 5:14).
NOBSE Study Bible Name List appears to go with the Arabic secondary meaning and translates Naphish with Numerous. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Refreshment "after the Syriac usage" and Increase "after the Chaldee and Arabic". BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer an interpretation of our name but does list it under the verb נפש (napash).