Abel

Lore & Background

Abel was a keeper of sheep, while his brother Cain was a tiller of the ground. In the course of time, Abel brought to the Lord an offering of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions, and the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering. Cain, however, brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, and the Lord had no regard for Cain or his offering. This caused Cain to be very angry. Later, Cain said to Abel, 'Let us go out to the field,' and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. The Lord then confronted Cain, saying, 'Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground!' and cursed Cain to be a fugitive and a wanderer. Abel thus became the first murder victim, sometimes seen as the first martyr. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is written: 'By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks.' In 1 John 3:12, it says: 'Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.' In the Qur'an (5:27–31), the story is told: each of Adam's two sons offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one and not the other. The one whose sacrifice was not accepted said, 'I will kill you,' but the other replied, 'God only accepts the sacrifice of those who are mindful of Him.' His soul prompted him to kill his brother, and he became one of the losers. God sent a raven to show him how to cover his brother's corpse, and he became remorseful. In Islamic tradition, some scholars believed Cain's motives were jealousy and lust, as both desired to marry their sister Aclima. Abel, a generous shepherd, offered the fattest of his sheep, and God accepted his offering, indicating he was more righteous. After the murder, Cain married and had children, but they died in Noah's flood among tyrants and unbelievers. In the Sethian Apocryphon of John, Cain and Abel are Archons, children of the Demiurge Yaldabaoth, named Yahweh and Elohim but called Cain and Abel to deceive.

In Their Own Story

Abel's story begins in Genesis 4:1–18. After Eve bore Cain, she next bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. When they brought offerings, Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions, and the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering. But for Cain and his offering, the Lord had no regard. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord spoke to Cain, warning him, but Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out to the field.' And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. The Lord then asked Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' Cain replied, 'I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' The Lord declared, 'Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.' Cain feared being killed, so the Lord put a mark on him to protect him. Cain then went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:4 states: 'By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks.' In the Qur'an (5:27–31), the story is recounted: each of Adam's two sons offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one and not the other. The one who was not accepted said, 'I will kill you,' but the other replied, 'God only accepts the sacrifice of those who are mindful of Him. If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother, and he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse, and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful. In Islamic tradition, some scholars believed that Abel was to marry Aclima, Adam's beautiful daughter, because his offering was accepted, but Cain, blinded by anger and lust, killed him. Another tradition says the devil appeared to Cain and instructed him to hit Abel's head with a stone. After the murder, the devil told Eve, 'Cain has murdered Abel!' and when Eve asked what murder was, the devil said, 'He does not eat. He does not drink. He does not move.' Eve burst into tears and wailed, and since then, women wail when a loved one dies. After burying Abel, Cain escaped, married, and had children, but they died in Noah's flood.

Reader's Guide

Abel is a biblical figure whose story is confined to the Book of Genesis, with interpretations in the New Testament, the Qur'an, and the Sethian Apocryphon of John. In Genesis, he is the second son of Adam and Eve, a shepherd, and the first murder victim. His defining moment is his offering to God, which was accepted, leading to his brother Cain's jealousy and murder. The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes that Abel's sacrifice was offered in faith, earning him approval as righteous. In the Qur'an, Abel (Hābīl) is the righteous brother who refuses to fight back, saying, 'I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds.' He is killed by his brother, and his body is covered by a raven sent by God. In Islamic tradition, some scholars identify the brothers as Israelites rather than Cain and Abel, due to the mention of offerings. In the Sethian Apocryphon of John, Abel is an Archon, a child of the Demiurge Yaldabaoth, named Elohim but called Abel to deceive. Abel has no magical powers or immortality in the source; his story ends with his death. He is a symbol of fratricide and sibling conflict, referenced across art, literature, theater, music, and film from medieval times to modern popular culture.

Did You Know?

• Abel is the first person to die in the Bible, as stated in Genesis 4:8.
• The name Abel (Hebrew, Hevel) means 'empty,' 'vain,' or 'transitory.'
• In the Qur'an, Abel is known as Hābīl (Arabic: هابيل).
• In the Sethian Apocryphon of John, Abel is an Archon named Elohim, called Abel to deceive.
• The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews says Abel 'still speaks' through his faith, even after death.