Zebulun and Naphtali were northern tribes in Israel (Judges 6:35). The Assyrian invaders, led by Tiglath-pileser III, humbled them in 734 and 732 BC. During the lifetime of Jesus, people connected this prophecy to his coming out from Galilee (Matthew 4:14–16).
Galilee of the Gentiles was the area of Israel between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. The surrounding Gentile nations heavily influenced it culturally, religiously, and politically.