Tuval (Tubal), Tuval Kayin (Tubal-Cain)

תובל/תובל קין


Genesis 10:2 et al; reckoned by most scholars to be the Tibareni of Asia Minor, neighbours of the Moschi, or Meshech (מֶ֤שֶׁךְ) according to Ezekiel 32:26.

Are Tuval and Tuval-Kayin the same people, but with one as their full, or perhaps their later name? I think most likely the latter, because Kayin (Cain) was not himself obviously of Anatolian origins; so likely a marriage or a tribal merger.

In Greek Tuval = Tabali = Tibareni, Anatolian tribesmen described by Herodotus as neighbours of the iron-working Chalybes; and Tuval Kayin is said in the Genesis text to be the ancestor of metal-workers.

If Kayin is to be considered as the founder of the Keynim (Kenites)
, Tuval-Kayin may reasonably be considered as an off-shoot of that tribe. As with his half-brothers, the explanation of the name as founder of brass and iron smithing seems to be popular folk-lore rather than etymology - and as such much more credible.

Genesis 4:22: "As for Tsilah (צִלָּה), she also gave birth to Tuval-Kayin, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tuval-Kayin was Na'amah."

However, we can never ignore the roots of words in Yehudit, as this is how the language functions. So, first, see my notes on his root-namesake YUVAL, but especially follow my notes there to Psalms 90:2 and 93:1.



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