Who was Abel in the Bible?
Lived before the flood
Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve, born after his brother Cain. He was a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. Abel appears in 9 verses across 4 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Abel?
Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve, born after his brother Cain. He was a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. Both brothers brought offerings to God, but God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. This led to Cain's jealousy and anger, and he killed Abel in a field. God confronted Cain about Abel's murder, and as a result, Cain was cursed to be a wanderer on the earth. The New Testament references Abel as an example of faith (Heb.11.4) and as a righteous man whose blood cried out for justice (Mat.23.35; Luk.11.51). Abel's blood is also contrasted with the blood of Jesus, which speaks of better things (Heb.12.24). After Abel's death, Adam and Eve had another son named Seth.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Abel appear in the Bible?
Abel is referenced in 9 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Genesis 4:2
- Genesis 4:4
- Genesis 4:8
- Genesis 4:9
- Genesis 4:25
- Hebrews 11:4
- Hebrews 12:24
- Luke 11:51
- Matthew 23:35
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Abel.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Abel?
Abel appears in 9 verses across 4 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 5 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Abel?
Genesis, Hebrews, Luke, Matthew.
Where can I read every verse about Abel?
This page lists 9 of them. Protos carries all 9, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
