Tubal-cain

Tubal-cain
Tubal-cain in his forge. Tapestry in the Musée de Cluny
Born	Tubal-cain
Other names	Tubal-Cain, Tubalcain, Tubal (simplified name)
Occupation	smith
Known for	forefather of smiths
Title	"an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron"
Parent(s)	Lamech and Zillah
Relatives	Jabal (half-brother) Jubal (half-brother) Naamah (sister)

Tubal-cain is a person mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis 4:22. He was a descendant of Cain, the son of Lamech (not the other Lamech, father of Noah) and Zillah. He was the brother of Naamah and half-brother of Jabal and Jubal.

In Hebrew his name is תובל קין (Tūḇal Qayin). In the King James Version this is rendered as Tubalcain. In the New International Version and the English Standard Version it is Tubal-cain. Rashi interprets the name to mean "he who spices the craft of Cain."

It is not clear why he has a double-barreled first name. Gordon Wenham suggests that the name "Cain" means "smith" (which would anticipate the remarks about his metal-working skill), or that he is called "Tubal Cain" in order to distinguish him from the other Tubal, the son of Japheth.

Coggins suggests it "may be a variant of the same tradition which lists Tubal in the table of nations" at Gen 10, as a land well known for metalwork.

Genesis 4:22 says that Tubal-cain was the "forger of all instruments of bronze and iron" (ESV) or an "instructor of every artificer in brass and iron" (KJV). Although this may mean he was a metalsmith, a comparison with verses 20 and 21 suggests that he may have been the very first in brass and iron. T. C. Mitchell suggests that he "discovered the possibilities of cold forging native copper and meteoric iron." Tubal-cain has even been described as the first chemist.