Sons of Japheth – Tubal
Tubal is the hardest of all Noah’s grandsons to identify. Ezekiel mentions him along with Gog and Meshech (Ezek. 39:1). In Ezekiel 27:13, they are mentioned together as exporters of slaves and copper and were a warlike people (32:26) in the army of Gog (38:2-ff; 39:1). Since they lived to the North of Israel, it is probable that Tubal did too.
Josephus identifies them with the Iberians and Cappadocians. The Spanish people claim to be descended from Tubal, and their ancient name Iberia is claimed to be derived from Tubal. Others suggest the possibility that they are the same people that Herodotus refers to as the Tibarenoi and Moschoi as belonging to the 19th satrapy of Darius. Horace Wolf claims that Tubal and Meshech are identified with the Assyrian monuments that have the names, “Tabali” and “Muski,” both powerful military states. Some, like Winckler and Jeremias, believe that they are the remnants of the old Hittite populations driven out by the Cimmerian invasion and settled in the mountainous district southeast of the Black Sea. This appears to be a view held by others that carry some merit.
However, several other ancient people are claimed as the descendants of Tubal, but none of the arguments are convincing, and since we cannot come up with any convincing evidence, it is probably best to leave it until further evidence is forthcoming.