Boys · Hebrew · Old Testament · uncommon · Primeval / Creation
Abel
/AY-bul/
הֶבֶל
"Breath; vapour; fleeting"
Genesis 4:2
RoleShepherd; first martyr
Etymology
From the Hebrew 'hevel', meaning breath, vapour, or something transient. The same word is used throughout Ecclesiastes, translated as 'vanity' or 'meaningless' — giving Abel's name a poignant undertone of fragility and brevity.
Who they were
Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve and the first person in the Bible to die. He was a keeper of sheep — a shepherd — while his brother Cain worked the soil. When both brought offerings to God, Abel's offering from the firstborn of his flock was accepted while Cain's was not. The text does not fully explain why, but Hebrews 11:4 says Abel offered his sacrifice 'by faith', suggesting something about the heart behind it mattered. Cain's jealousy consumed him, and despite God's direct warning — 'sin is crouching at your door' — Cain killed his brother in the field. Abel's blood, the Bible says, cried out from the ground. Jesus himself referred to Abel as the first of the righteous martyrs, and Hebrews calls his blood a witness that still speaks. His name — breath, vapour — turned out to be prophetic: his life was brief, but its echo has never stopped.
Family
Character qualities
- Faithfulness in worship
- Generosity with the best
- Innocence
Key verse
Genesis 4:4
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Avel · Hevel
Read their story
Abel's story begins in Genesis.
The full passage is at Genesis 4:2. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →