(Heb. Abel' Keramnim', כְּרָמַים אָבֵל , meadow of vineyards; Sept. Ἀβὲλ ἀμπελώνων; Vulg. Abel quas est vineis consita; Auth. Vers. "plain of the vineyards"), a village of the Ammonites whither the victorious Jephthah pursued their invading forces with great slaughter; situate, apparently, between Aroer and Minnith (Judges 11:33). According to Eusebins (Onomast. ῎Αβελ ), it was still a place rich in vineyards, 6 (Jerome 7) Roman miles from Philadelphia or Rabbath-Ammon; probably in a south- westerly direction, and perhaps at the present ruins Merj (meadow) Ekkeh. The other "wine-bearing" village Abel mentioned by Eusebius, 12 R. miles E. of Gadara, is probably the modern Abil (Ritter, Erdk. 15:1058); but cannot be the place in question, as it lies north of Gilead, which Jephthah passed through on his way south from Manasseh by the way of the Upper Jordan. (See ABILA).
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More