Tabeal, whose name is of Hebrew origin, is mentioned briefly in a strategic context during the time of Ahaz, king of Judah. Tabeal’s son, known only in the historical record as “the son of Tabeal,” was at the center of a political conspiracy orchestrated by foreign powers looking to place a puppet ruler on the throne of Judah. The conspirators were Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the king of Israel, who plotted to destabilize Judah by supplanting its Davidic king with Tabeal’s son.
The plan to install “the son of Tabeal” as a vassal king reflects the political machinations common in the ancient Near East, where surrounding nations often sought to exert influence over weaker states through the installation of loyal or controllable rulers. This external plot highlighted the vulnerability of Judah amid regional power struggles and the divine protection promised to the House of David. Isaiah’s prophecy and the text of the Book of Mormon do not provide further details regarding Tabeal or his son beyond this brief mention, leaving their backgrounds, characters, and ultimate fates unrecorded in scripture (2 Nephi 17:6).