1 Chronicles 1:5

5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. (NIV)

Japheth's family settled in the north, spreading out both east and west of Ararat. The people of Gomer were the Cimmerians of Russia, from Madai came the Medes and Persians. The people of Javan were the Ionian Greeks; the descendants of both Tubal and Meshech settled in Asia Minor—present-day Turkey.

The identity and location of Tiras is more of a problem. Tiras, apart from being mentioned in this family, is otherwise unknown in the Bible. The Book of Jubilees places his descendants on islands in an ocean (“The seventh portion came to Tiras: four great islands in the middle of the sea that extend to the region of Ham. Then the islands of Kamaturi fell by lot for the descendants of Arphaxad as his inheritance,” Jubilees 9:13-14), but nothing more solid than that can really be said. Other speculations about Tiras being the ancestor of the Thracians (or even the Norsemen) can't be considered definitive.

In this context, Magog is simply a territory or family descended from Japheth. These people probably lived in or near the fertile crescent, perhaps to the east in modern Iran. Later in Ezekiel 38-39 and in Revelation 20, Magog is associated with Gog: they symbolize all of the spiritual and moral evil that the world battles with. Whatever they represent in the last days, their final fate is the same as the devil’s. They are overthrown, disarmed, and thrown into hell forever.

We could add that the Jewish Targum adds to these verses. For example, to "Tiras" it adds: "And the names of their countries were Africa, Germany, Media, Macedonia, Bithynia, Mœsia and Thrace." And there are other additions like that--which is what the Targum really is. But these things aren't helpful. What this list does for us more than anything else is (1) it shows us the regions in which Japheth's descendants went to live after the Flood, and (2) how much God blessed Japheth and his family.

Let that at least be a lesson for this day: Notice how much God has blessed you and your family, and praise God for it.