Greek word · G6

Ἄβελ

abel

Abel

Abel, son of Adam and Eve, murdered by Cain (Gen 4). In Jewish tradition of the period he was the first righteous martyr, whose blood called out to God.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Ἄβελ, (WH, Ἅ-), ὁ, indecl.

(הֶבֶל),

Abel (Genesis 4:2-10): Hebrews 11:4, 12:24; αἵμα Ἄ., Matthew 23:35, Luke 11:51.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 12:24

Range of meaning

Abel, son of Adam and Eve, murdered by Cain (Gen 4). In Jewish tradition of the period he was the first righteous martyr, whose blood called out to God.

Against the English

Most translations write 'than the blood of Abel'. The Greek has 'than Abel', which keeps the link with 11:4, where Abel himself 'still speaks'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 4:10–11. In 1 Enoch 22:5–7, Abel's spirit in the realm of the dead keeps bringing a complaint against Cain until Cain's offspring are wiped out. Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 notes that Hebrew says 'bloods' (plural) in Genesis 4:10 and explains it as Abel's blood together with that of his unborn descendants. Jesus speaks of 'the blood of righteous Abel' (Matt 23:35; Luke 11:51).

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 23:35 Ἅβελ of Abel

    And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

    Here: Adam's son, murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4). He is the archetype of the innocent victim whose blood calls for justice.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 11:51 Ἅβελ of Abel

    from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

    Here: Adam's son, murdered by his brother Cain (Gen 4:8–10). He is the first person in Scripture to be killed, and the first innocent person killed for being acceptable to God.

Hebrews · 2

  1. Hebrews 11:4 Ἅβελ Abel

    By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

    Here: Adam and Eve's second son, the shepherd of Genesis 4. In Jewish and early Christian tradition he is the first righteous man to die.

  2. Hebrews 12:24 Ἅβελ.¶ Abel.

    to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

    Here: The first murdered man. Two passages stand behind him here: Genesis 4:10 ('the voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground') and Hebrews 11:4, where Abel 'though he died, still speaks'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.