A´bel (i.e., breath, vapor, transitoriness, probably so called from the shortness of his life), the second son of Adam, murdered by his brother Cain, Gen. 4:1-16; he was a keeper or feeder of sheep. Our Lord spoke of Abel as the first martyr, Matt. 23:35; so did the early Church subsequently. The traditional site of his murder and his grave are pointed out near Damascus.

A´bel, the name of several places in Palestine, probably signifies a meadow.

A´bel, Stone of (“the great abel”), the place where the ark rested in the field of Joshua at Beth-shemesh. 1 Sam. 6:18.