General Notes

BIOGRAPHY: ABEL a'-bel (hebhel; Abel; Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek Habel; etymology uncertai n. Some translation "a breath," "vapor," "transitoriness," which are suggestive of his brie f existence and tragic end; others take it to be a variant of Jabal, yabhal, "shepherd" or "h erdman," Genesis 4:20. Compare Assyrian ablu and Babylonian abil, "son"):   The second son of Adam and Eve. The absence of the verb harah (Genesis 4:2; compare Genesis 4 :1) has been taken to imply, perhaps truly, that Cain and Abel were twins.   A Shepherd: "Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground," thus representing the tw o fundamental pursuits of civilized life, the two earliest subdivisions of the human race. O n the Hebrew tradition of the superiority of the pastoral over agricultural and city life, se e The Expositor T, V, 351. The narrative may possibly bear witness to the primitive idea tha t pastoral life was more pleasing to Yahweh than husbandry.   A Worshipper: "In process of time," the two brothers came in a solemn manner to sacrifice unto Yahweh, in o rder to express their gratitude to Him whose tenants they were in the land (Genesis 4:3,4. Se e SACRIFICE).  How Yahweh signified His acceptance of the one offering and rejection of the other, we are no t told. That it was due to the difference in the material of the sacrifice or in their manne r of offering was probably the belief among the early Israelites, who regarded animal offerin gs as superior to cereal offerings. Both kinds, however, were fully in accord with Hebrew la w and custom. It has been suggested that the Septuagint rendering of Genesis 4:7 makes Cain' s offense a ritual one, the offering not being "correctly" made or rightly divided, and henc e rejected as irregular. "If thou makest a proper offering, but dost not cut in pieces rightl y, art thou not in fault? Be still!" The Septuagint evidently took the rebuke to turn upon Ca in's neglect to prepare his offering according to strict ceremonial requirements. dieles (Sep tuagint in the place cited.), however, implies nathach (nattach), and would only apply to ani mal sacrifices. Compare Exodus 29:17; Leviticus 8:20; Judges 19:29; 1 Kings 18:23; and see CO UCH.    A Righteous Man: The true reason for the Divine preference is doubtless to be found in the disposition of th e brothers (see \CAIN\). Well-doing consisted not in the outward offering (Genesis 4:7) but i n the right state of mind and feeling. The acceptability depends on the inner motives and mor al characters of the offerers. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent (abundant, pl eiona) sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4). The "more abundant sacrifice," Westcott thinks, " suggests the deeper gratitude of Abel, and shows a fuller sense of the claims of God" to th e best. Cain's "works (the collective expression of his inner life) were evil, and his brothe r's righteous" (1 John 3:12). "It would be an outrage if the gods looked to gifts and sacrifi ces and not to the soul" (Alcibiades II.149E.150A). Cain's heart was no longer pure; it ha d a criminal propensity, springing from envy and jealousy, which rendered both his offering a nd person unacceptable. His evil works and hatred of his brother culminated in the act of mur der, specifically evoked by the opposite character of Abel's works and the acceptance of hi s offering. The evil man cannot endure the sight of goodness in another.   A Martyr: Abel ranks as the first martyr (Matthew 23:35), whose blood cried for vengeance (Genesis 4:10 ; compare Revelation 6:9,10) and brought despair (Genesis 4:13), whereas that of Jesus appeal s to God for forgiveness and speaks peace (Hebrews 12:24) and is preferred before Abel's.   A Type:  The first two brothers in history stand as the types and representatives of the two main an d enduring divisions of mankind, and bear witness to the absolute antithesis and eternal enmi ty between good and evil.  M. O. Evans    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Statement These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available from Crosswire Software.  Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'ABEL (1)'". "International Standard Bibl e Encyclopedia". <http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T26>. 1915.   The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T26>