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Abel

Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)· Public Domain

the name of several places in Palestine, probably signifies a meadow .

(i.e., breath, vapor, transitoriness, probably so called from the shortness of his life), the second son of Adam, murdered by his brother Cain, (Genesis 4:1-16) he was a keeper or feeder of sheep. Our Lord spoke of Abel as the first martyr, (Matthew 23:35) so did the early Church subsequently. The traditional site of his murder and his grave are pointed out near Damascus.

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Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Abel

The second son (twin ?) of Adam and Eve, by occupation a herdsman (Gn 4"), offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (He U'), and out of jealousy was slain by his elder brother (Gn 4'. See Cain). The current etymolo'iy (Sjn breath, vanity) has been disputed by tVie Assyriologists, who connect the name with ablu, abal, 'son' (cf. Asurbanipal) ; but while this may well be the root, it does not follow that it gives the etymology in the mind of the writer. There would have been no jjoint in naming the younger brother 'son' (Kranz Delitzsch), and it is better to suppose that the proper name was here designed to suggest the idea of tlie short-lived or possibly the shepherd (cf. Sj;). The representation of A. as a slieplierd coincides with the OT tradition of the superiority of the pastoral life. The ground of the aeceptiince of A. 's offering (Gn 4*) is not its conformity to a revealed command, nor its character of blood, but the spirit of true piety which was expressed in his iving to God his beat, viz. the tirsll ngs of the ock, and of these the fattest portions. Cain's knowled…

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
  3. Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
  4. Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
  5. Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
  6. Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia

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