Tubal

Tubal was the fifth son of Japheth in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:2), named alongside Meshech as an ancestor of northern peoples. The name is associated in biblical prophecy with a nation or tribal grouping in the far north or north-east. Isaiah 66:19 lists Tubal among the distant nations to whom God will send survivors to declare his glory. Ezekiel repeatedly pairs Tubal with Meshech as a trading partner of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:13) and as part of the coalition assembled under Gog for the great eschatological invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38:2–3; 39:1). Ancient inscriptions identify Tubal (Assyrian Tabal) with a region in eastern Anatolia (modern Turkey), corresponding to the territory south of the Black Sea. The pairing of Meshech-Tubal in prophecy likely reflects their geographical proximity and military cooperation in the ancient world. In later prophetic interpretation they have sometimes been identified with more northern peoples, including Russia and Turkey.