(Heb. Hebhel), a breath, or vanity, the second son of Adam and

Eve. He was put to death by his brother Cain (Gen. 4:1-16).

Guided by the instruction of their father, the two brothers were

trained in the duty of worshipping God. "And in process of time"

(marg. "at the end of days", i.e., on the Sabbath) each of them

offered up to God of the first-fruits of his labours. Cain, as a

husbandman, offered the fruits of the field; Abel, as a

shepherd, of the firstlings of his flock. "The Lord had respect

unto Abel and his offering; but unto Cain and his offering he

had not respect" (Gen. 4:3-5). On this account Cain was angry

with his brother, and formed the design of putting him to death;

a design which he at length found an opportunity of carrying

into effect (Gen. 4:8,9. Comp. 1 John 3:12). There are several

references to Abel in the New Testament. Our Saviour speaks of

him as "righteous" (Matt. 23:35). "The blood of sprinkling" is

said to speak "better things than that of Abel" (Heb. 12:24);

i.e., the blood of Jesus is the reality of which the blood of

the offering made by Abel was only the type. The comparison here

is between the sacrifice offered by Christ and that offered by

Abel, and not between the blood of Christ calling for mercy and

the blood of the murdered Abel calling for vengeance, as has

sometimes been supposed. It is also said (Heb. 11:4) that "Abel

offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." This

sacrifice was made "by faith;" this faith rested in God, not

only as the Creator and the God of providence, but especially in

God as the great Redeemer, whose sacrifice was typified by the

sacrifices which, no doubt by the divine institution, were

offered from the days of Adam downward. On account of that

"faith" which looked forward to the great atoning sacrifice,

Abel's offering was accepted of God. Cain's offering had no such

reference, and therefore was rejected. Abel was the first

martyr, as he was the first of our race to die.



Abel (Heb. 'abhel), lamentation (1 Sam. 6:18), the name given

to the great stone in Joshua's field whereon the ark was "set

down." The Revised Version, however, following the Targum and

the LXX., reads in the Hebrew text _'ebhen_ (= a stone), and

accordingly translates "unto the great stone, whereon they set

down the ark." This reading is to be preferred.



Abel (Heb. 'abhel), a grassy place, a meadow. This word enters

into the composition of the following words: