Tubal-Cain [To̅o̅'bal-cāin]—production of forged work or flowing forth of cain. The son of Zillah, one of Lamech’s wives, of the race of Cain (Gen. 4:22).

The Man Who Invented Metal Tools

Tubal (or the Tibureni, noted for production of bronze articles, Ezek. 27:13) and Cain meaning “smith” marks Tubal-cain as “the father of every forger of copper and iron.” In Ezekiel 27:13, Tubal is found bringing brass to the market of Tyre, and in Persian the word means copper. The alloy we call brass was absolutely unknown to the ancients. From the world’s first coppersmith we learn that “metals and their use were kept a guarded secret in the possession of a single family, or clan, for many generations.”