Meshech (מֶשֶׁךְ, meshekh). A region possibly named after Meshech, son of Japheth or his lineage.

The name Meshech appears regularly in association with the names Javan and Tubal (1 Chr 1:5; Ezek 27:13). The Table of Nations in Gen 10, in which names often represent both people and places, lists Javan, Tubal, and Meshech among the sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2). According to Block, Meshech was a region in central Anatolia (Asia Minor), located to the west of Tubal (Block, The Book of Ezekiel, 72–73). His identification of Meshech and Tubal with kingdoms in the interior of Anatolia is based on references in Assyrian sources recording their various conflicts in the region. Ezekiel 27 lists Javan, Meshech, and Tubal among Tyre’s trading partners. These regions were apparently a source of human slaves for the Phoenician traders (Ezek 27:13).

The place name “Meshech” also appears five times in relationship with the region of Tubal (Ezek 27:13; 32:26; 38:2–3; 39:1). The two appear to be vassal nations of Magog (see Ezek 38:2–3; 39:1), who also is listed among the names of Japheth’s sons (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5). Meshech and Tubal are also linked with Javan again in Ezek 27:13. Given these multiple connections between the regions of Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and Magog, an etymological connection is probable. It is likely that the inhabitants of these regions were thought to be the respective descendants of the sons of Japheth, son of Noah.

The reference to Meshech in Psa 120:5 also suggests an association of the place with the descendants of Meshech, son of Japheth. In this lament, Meshech appears in parallel construction with “the tents of Kedar” (Psa 120:5) and with “those who hate peace” (Psa 120:6 ESV). The composer of the Psalm is uncomfortable being a peaceful foreigner in Meshech while those around him “are for war” (Psa 120:5–7). The text does not make it clear whether the inhabitants who share the region with Kedar are from the lineage of Japheth, but the characteristics are nonetheless compatible with those of Meshech’s descendants described in the book of Ezekiel.