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| − | [[File:Abel.jpg|thumb|Abel]]Abel, was the son of Adam and Eve, was a righteous man. Matt 23:35 By FAITH '''Abel''' offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Hebr 11:4. This means his righteousness was BY FAITH. Faith comes by hearing, so Abel obeyed God´s instructions for sacrifice: the LAMB, speaking of the LAMB of GOD.Cain did not obey. He thought his own work sufficient. The blood(s) of Abel speaks to God as he is the first martyr,(Gen 4:10) but the blood of Jesus speaks better things. Hebr 12:24. God introduced substitution by giving Seth insted of Abel. Meaning: a breath, vapor, or vanity / Hebrew: "Hebel" (Hebhel). |
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| + | {{Person |
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| + | |name = Abel |
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| + | |image = Abel.jpg |
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| + | |Life-span = c. 4002 - c. 3972 BC |
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| + | |Sibling(s) = *[[Cain]] |
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| + | *[[Seth]] |
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| + | *Unknown number of brothers and sisters<!--According to an endnote in Josephus' "The Antiquities of the Jews", Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters. (Ant 1:2:3, endnote 8)--> |
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| + | |Parents = *[[Adam]] |
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| + | *[[Eve]] |
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| + | |Social class = |
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| + | |Occupation = *Shepherd |
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| + | *[[Prophet]] (Symbolically, if not literal- implied by Jesus) |
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| + | }} |
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| + | '''Abel''' (meaning: "Breath, vapor, meadow"), was one of the sons of [[Adam]] and [[Eve]], being the first human to be killed, by his older brother [[Cain]]. |
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| + | == Biography == |
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| + | Abel, a child of Adam and Eve, was born some time after Cain.<ref>Genesis 4:1-2</ref> Due to [[The Creation#Fall of Man|the sin]] of his parents, manual labor was required.<ref>Genesis 1:17-18</ref> Therefore Abel had his share of labor which was to tend the flocks.<ref name=":0">Genesis 4:2</ref> |
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| + | Both Cain and Abel made a sacrifice to [[God]], from their respective area of labor. Cain offered <!-- some leftover [an assumption] --> fruits of the field, while Abel sacrificed the representative firstborn animal from the livestock.<ref>Genesis 4:3-4</ref> God accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's. In anger, Cain lured Abel to the field and slaughtered him there.<ref>Genesis 4:4-10</ref> |
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| − | In the Bible, this was the name of one man and two places: |
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| + | ==Etymology== |
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| + | The name Abel, or Hebel, means "vapor, or breath" and is used elsewhere exclusively to describe the emptiness of vanity.<ref>Job 7:16; Psalm 39:5, 78:33, 144:4; Ecclesiastes 3:19, 6:2</ref> In context, it is hard to see why Adam or Eve would have given a newborn child this name. It is to be noted that there is no mention of either parent naming him, so the name may have been attached to him by those telling his story as the antediluvian society grew. |
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| + | The story of Abel was a cautionary tale of the brevity of life in a time when long ages had become common. While it can be assumed he had a family, Eve saw the need to have a child when she was 130 years old to replace him.<ref>Genesis 4:25</ref> He was always known by this name, so it remains a reminder throughout time of a hero to faith. |
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| − | 1.This was the name of the second son of Adam and Eve. He was put to death by his brother Cain (Gen. 4:1-16). |
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| + | == Legacy == |
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| + | Abel was the first on record to take care of livestock. This required a skill in understanding the ways of the animals. As the first shepherd (keeper)<ref name=":0" /> he was a friend to the sheep, and probably cattle, that Adam had taken under his care outside of the garden. He would have displayed the characteristics of a good shepherd as found in Psalm 23.<ref>Psalm 23:1-6</ref> |
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| + | He is noted for both being a prophet, and a martyr to his faith in God.<ref>Hebrews 11:4</ref> Having learned of the animals skinned to cover his parents in the garden, he had continued this "in the process of time" ("the end of days," probably the Sabbath) as an act of worship of the Creator. He is commended for his faith and his righteousness.<ref>Matthew 23:35; Hebrews 11:4</ref> |
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| − | Guided by the instruction of their father, the two brothers were trained in the duty of worshipping God. On the Sabbath, each of them offered up to God from the first-fruits of his labors. Cain, as a tiller of the ground, offered the fruits of the field; Abel, as a shepherd, offered from the best of his flock. "The LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering." (Gen. 4:3-5). For this reason, Cain was angry with his brother, and eventually killed him (Gen. 4:8-9. Compare 1 John 3:12) |
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| + | ==Verses== |
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| + | <references /> |
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| − | Why was Abel a shepherd if animals were not given to people to eat until the Flood (Genesis 9:3)? |
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| + | [[Category:Old Testament People]] |
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| − | Answer: The purpose of raising the sheep was for sacrifice and probably clothing (see Gen. 3:21). |
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| − | There are several references to Abel in the New Testament. Our Savior speaks of him as "righteous" (Matt. 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 a symbol. 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. |
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| − | It is also said that "Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4). 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 symbolized by the sacrifices which were offered from the days of Adam downward. Because of that "faith" which looked forward to the great atoning sacrifice, Abel's offering was accepted by God. Cain's offering had no such reference, and therefore was rejected. |
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| − | Abel was the first martyr, and the first person in the human race to die. |
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[[Category:People]] |
[[Category:People]] |
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+ | [[Category:Persons]] |
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+ | [[Category:Prophets]] |
| + | [[Category:Men]] |
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| + | [[Category:Old Testament Men]] |
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| + | [[Category:Old Testament]] |
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| + | [[Category:Book of Genesis]] |
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Revision as of 00:01, 25 July 2020
Abel (meaning: "Breath, vapor, meadow"), was one of the sons of Adam and Eve, being the first human to be killed, by his older brother Cain.
Biography
Abel, a child of Adam and Eve, was born some time after Cain.[1] Due to the sin of his parents, manual labor was required.[2] Therefore Abel had his share of labor which was to tend the flocks.[3]
Both Cain and Abel made a sacrifice to God, from their respective area of labor. Cain offered fruits of the field, while Abel sacrificed the representative firstborn animal from the livestock.[4] God accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's. In anger, Cain lured Abel to the field and slaughtered him there.[5]
Etymology
The name Abel, or Hebel, means "vapor, or breath" and is used elsewhere exclusively to describe the emptiness of vanity.[6] In context, it is hard to see why Adam or Eve would have given a newborn child this name. It is to be noted that there is no mention of either parent naming him, so the name may have been attached to him by those telling his story as the antediluvian society grew.
The story of Abel was a cautionary tale of the brevity of life in a time when long ages had become common. While it can be assumed he had a family, Eve saw the need to have a child when she was 130 years old to replace him.[7] He was always known by this name, so it remains a reminder throughout time of a hero to faith.
Legacy
Abel was the first on record to take care of livestock. This required a skill in understanding the ways of the animals. As the first shepherd (keeper)[3] he was a friend to the sheep, and probably cattle, that Adam had taken under his care outside of the garden. He would have displayed the characteristics of a good shepherd as found in Psalm 23.[8]
He is noted for both being a prophet, and a martyr to his faith in God.[9] Having learned of the animals skinned to cover his parents in the garden, he had continued this "in the process of time" ("the end of days," probably the Sabbath) as an act of worship of the Creator. He is commended for his faith and his righteousness.[10]