Translation
As for Zillah, she also bore [a son] TUBAL-CAIN,
Go to footnote numberthe one who sharpened
Go to footnote numberall the craftsmen of bronze
Go to footnote numberand iron that can pierce.
Go to footnote numberAnd the sister of TUBAL-CAIN was NAAMAH.
Paraphrase
As for Zillah (meaning unknown), she also bore a son who was given the name FLOW [OF STRENGTH] ACQUIRED [FROM REBELLION]. He became the one who instructed all the craftsmen who worked with bronze and iron (especially weapons). He had a sister named PLEASURE.
Footnotes
1
I see three different ways the name Tubal Cain can be interpreted, each of which can be expressed in several ways. The simplest way would be to render it “brought forth from Cain.” However, that does not make use of the meaning of Cain, which is “acquired,” and it points only to the time before his birth, not to the life he would live after his birth, as his two brother’s names seem to do. Therefore, an improved rendering would be “Flow of acquired strength.” While that includes more nuances of meaning than the first option, it fails to include the reputation of Cain, who acted rebelliously against God. I believe Lamech included the name Cain in his son’s name because he wanted a son who would be like Cain and emulate Cain’s rebellion. Therefore I think the best paraphrase for this name is “flow of strength acquired from rebellion.” Lamech was shaking his fist at God and shouting, “I’ll show you that I can become powerful without submitting to you.”
2
This word means “to hammer, to sharpen, or to whet.” It has a secondary meaning of “to shape or instruct.” Tubal Cain probably did not discover Iron and bronze, but he probably took their uses to a whole new level and was given leadership over those who worked in metallurgy.
3
This word was used of either bronze or copper.
4
This word means “iron” and it comes from a root that apparently means “to pierce.” This seems to indicate that from its invention, iron was most often used to make weapons.