King James Bible Dictionary

(Heb. Hebhel), a breath, or vanity, the second son of Adam and Eve. He was put to death by his brother Cain (Genesis 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" (Genesis 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 (Genesis 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" (Matthew 23:35). "The blood of sprinkling" is said to speak "better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 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 (Hebrews 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 Samuel 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-

a city; mourning; vanity; breath; vapor

1. Son of Adam

History of
Genesis 4:1-15; Genesis 4:25

References to the death of
Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51; Hebrews 11:4; Hebrews 12:24; 1 John 3:12

2. A stone
1 Samuel 6:18

1. (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.
2. the name of several places in Palestine, probably signifies a meadow .

(the great abel), the place where the ark rested in the field of Joshua at Beth-shemesh. (1 Samuel 6:18)

Meadow of the house of Maachah, a city in the north of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Dan and Ijon, in the tribe of Naphtali. It was a place of considerable strength and importance. It is called a "mother in Israel", i.e., a metropolis (2 Samuel 20:19). It was besieged by Joab (2 Samuel 20:14), by Benhadad (1 Kings 15:20), and by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29) about B.C. 734. It is elsewhere called Abel-maim, meadow of the waters, (2 Chronicles 16:4). Its site is occupied by the modern Abil or Abil-el-kamh, on a rising ground to the east of the brook Derdarah, which flows through the plain of Huleh into the Jordan, about 6 miles to the west-north-west of Dan.

(meadow of the house of oppression), a town of some importance, (2 Samuel 20:15) in the extreme north of Palestine, which fell an early prey to the invading kings of Syria, (1 Kings 15:20) and Assyria. (2 Kings 15:29)

mourning to the house of Maachah

Called also Abel-Maim. A city in the north of Palestine.

Sheba slain in
2 Samuel 20:14-22

Taken by Ben-Hadad
1 Kings 15:20; 2 Chronicles 16:4

Taken by Tiglath
2 Kings 15:29

(Judges 11:33, R.V.; A. V., "plain of the vineyards"), a village of the Ammonites, whither Jephthah pursued their forces.

ABE'LE or ABEL-TREE, noun An obsolete name of the while poplar. [See Poplar.]

ABE'LIANS, ABELO'NIANS or A'BELITES, in Church history, a sect in Africa which arose in the reign of Areadius; they married, but lived in continence after the manner, as they pretended, of Abel, and attempted to maintain the sect by adopting the children of others.

ABE'LIANS, ABELO'NIANS or A'BELITES, in Church history, a sect in Africa which arose in the reign of Areadius; they married, but lived in continence after the manner, as they pretended, of Abel, and attempted to maintain the sect by adopting the children of others.

(Abel on the waters), also called simply Abel, (2 Samuel 20:14,18) another name for Abel-bethmaachah. (2 Chronicles 16:4)

mourning of waters

Meadow of dancing, or the dancing-meadow, the birth-place and residence of the prophet Elisha, not far from Beth-shean (1 Kings 4:12), in the tribe of Issachar, near where the Wady el-Maleh emerges into the valley of the Jordan, "the rich meadow-land which extends about 4 miles south of Beth-shean; moist and luxuriant." Here Elisha was found at his plough by Elijah on his return up the Jordan valley from Horeb (1 Kings 19:16). It is now called Ain Helweh.

(meadow of the dance), in the northern pat of the Jordan valley, (1 Kings 4:12) to which the routed Bedouin host fled from Gideon, (Judges 7:22) Here Elisha was found at his plough by Elijah returning up the valley from Horeb. (1 Kings 19:16-19)

mourning of sickness

A city near the Jordan
Judges 7:22; 1 Kings 4:12

Elisha's birthplace
1 Kings 19:16

Meadow of Egypt, or mourning of Egypt, a place "beyond," i.e., on the west of Jordan, at the "threshing-floor of Atad." Here the Egyptians mourned seventy days for Jacob (Genesis 50:4-11). Its site is unknown.

(meadow of Egypt), the name given by the Canaanites to the floor of Atad, at which Joseph, his brothers and the Egyptians made their mourning for Jacob. (Genesis 50:11) It was beyond (on the east of) Jordan. See ATAD. (Schaff and others say it was on the west bank, for the writer was on the east of Jordan. It was near Jericho, or perhaps Hebron.)

the mourning of Egyptians

Place where the Israelites mourned for Jacob.
Genesis 50:11

A'BELMOSK, noun A trivial name of a species of hibiscus, or Syrian mallow. The plant rises on a herbacceous stalk, three or four feet, sending out two or three side branches. The seeds have a musky odor, for which reason the Arabians mix them with coffee.

ABE'LIANS, ABELO'NIANS or A'BELITES, in Church history, a sect in Africa which arose in the reign of Areadius; they married, but lived in continence after the manner, as they pretended, of Abel, and attempted to maintain the sect by adopting the children of others.

Meadow of the acacias, frequently called simply "Shittim" (Numbers 25:1; Joshua 2:1; Micah 6:5), a place on the east of Jordan, in the plain of Moab, nearly opposite Jericho. It was the forty-second encampment of the Israelites, their last resting-place before they crossed the Jordan (Numbers 33:49; 22:1; 26:3; 31:12; comp. 25:1; 31:16).

(the meadow of the acacias), in the "plains" of Moab, on the low level of the Jordan valley, opposite Jericho. The last resting-place of Isr'l before crossing the Jordan. (Numbers 33:49) The place is most frequently mentioned by its shorter name of Shittim. See SHITTAH TREE, SHITTIM, SHITTIM.

mourning of thorns

See Shittim
Shittim

ABE'LE or ABEL-TREE noun An obsolete name of the while poplar. [See Poplar.]