A'bel. ( that is, breath, vapor, transitoriness, probably, so called, from the shortness of his life).

1. The second son of Adam, murdered by his brother Cain, Genesis 4:1-16, he was a keeper or feeder of sheep. Our Lord spoke of Abel as the first martyr, Matthew 23:35, so did the early Church subsequently. The traditional site of his murder and his grave are pointed out near Damascus.

2. The name of several places in Palestine, probably signifies a meadow.