Abel a righteous man

Hebrews 11:4 and Genesis 4:1-17. UNDATED PAST – The story of Abel is told in Genesis 4:2-12.

Abel, the younger and possibly twin brother of Cain, was called righteous as he did things God’s way.

He was a shepherd and looked after animals.

Abel did well in God’s sight but was murdered by his older brother because of envy and jealousy.

Abel (hebel in Hebrew) means: Transitoriness, grassy meadow, breath.

Background Reading:

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and by faith he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith he continues to speak, even though he is dead.
Hebrews 11:4

and

Cain and Abel

4:1 Later, Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have given birth to a male child—the LORD.” 2 And she did it again, giving birth to his brother Abel. Abel shepherded flocks and Cain became a farmer.

3 Later, after a while, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit that he had harvested, 4 while Abel brought the best parts of some of the firstborn from his flock. The LORD looked favorably upon Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not look favorably upon Cain and his offering.

When Cain became very upset and depressed, 6 the LORD asked Cain, “Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed? 7 If you do what is appropriate, you’ll be accepted, won’t you? But if you don’t do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?”

8 Instead, Cain told his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the wilderness.” When they were outside in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Later, the LORD asked Cain, “Where’s your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

10 “What did you do?” God asked. “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you’re more cursed than the ground, which has opened to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 Whenever you work the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you, and you’ll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive.”

13 “My punishment is too great to bear,” Cain told the LORD. 14 “You’re driving me from the soil today. I’ll be hidden from you, and I’ll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive. In the future, whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 The LORD told him, “This won’t happen, because whoever kills you will suffer seven times the vengeance.” Then the LORD placed a sign on Cain so that no one finding him would kill him. 16 After this, Cain left the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:1-16

More Information:

Abel did good in God’s sight. The justified shall live by faith.
Abel means in Hebrew vanity.


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