ABEL ā’ bəl (הֶ֨בֶל, LXX ̓Αβελ, etymology uncertain; breath, vanity, fragility, vapor or son have been suggested). The second son of Adam and Eve and the brother or possibly the twin of his jealous murderer, Cain.

Since the Heb. etymology and meaning seems to be strange for a personal name, many have turned to Akkad. ablu/aplu, and Sumer. ibila, “son.” The language spoken at this time is unknown, so the problem remains.

Abel was a shepherd while Cain his brother was a “tiller of the ground.” Many point to the ancient Near E literary motif of a traditional rivalry between the nomad and the farmer. This could hardly be the interpretation of the Cain and Abel story since: (1) farming is not disparaged in this account but rather is assumed as the natural occupation of Adam in the Garden of Eden; (2) the punishment is not upon the occupation but upon Cain himself; and (3) the comparative evaluation of the two brothers is not on their vocations, but rather upon the men themselves and their offerings. (See Sarna’s work.)

The sacrifice of Abel is accepted because God first inspected the man, and then regarded the offering—note how emphatic the order and repetition of the words is in the Heb. text. Hebrews 11:4 notes that it was “by faith” that Abel offered a better sacrifice. The object or content of that faith is variously stated: Crawford holds that it had reference to the previously revealed promise of a Redeemer for our fallen race; Leupold points to the “firstlings” and the “fat pieces”; others hold the merit was in the blood.

Abel’s blood is contrasted with Christ’s in Hebrews 12:24. (See also Matt 23:35; 1 John 3:12.)

Bibliography T. Crawford, The Doctrine of the Atonement (1874), 173-182; H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, I (1942), 188-214; N. Sarna, Understanding Genesis (1966), 28-35.

ABEL ā’ bəl (אָבֵ֣ל, meadow). A name frequently found in compounds and used to describe the nature of a site or its surroundings. In 2 Samuel 20:14, Abel is the shortened form of Abel (of) Beth-maacah. In 1 Samuel 6:18 the Heb. text reads “the great meadow,” whereas the LXX reads “the great stone,” reading אֶ֫בֶן, H74, for אָבֵ֣ל, and the KJV harmonizes as “the great stone of Abel.”