---
title: הֶבֶל — Abel · The Tanakh dictionary
description: הֶבֶל (1893), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 8 times: Abel. BDB 1906: n.pr.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# הֶבֶל

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«הֶבֶל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **Abel** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 8 times · **Key:** 1893 · **BDB:** הֶ֫בֶל²

### Glosses

Abel (7); \[is\].Abel (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

Abel [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1893/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.pr.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1893/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.pr.m. (perhaps i.q. Assyrian ablu, son, COTGloss. cf. also WeSkizzen iii. 70: der. from I. הֶבֶל not prob.) second son of Adam Gn 4:2(×2), 4(×2), 8(×2), 9, 25.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 5 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 0 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «הֶבֶל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1893/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 4:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.4.9/)

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וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־קַ֔יִן אֵ֖י הֶ֣בֶל אָחִ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי׃

*Word for word:* and he.said Yahweh to Cain where? \[is\].Abel brother your and he.said not I.know the keeper? my.brother my \[am\].I

*JPS 1917:* And the LORD said unto Cain: 'Where is Abel thy brother?' And he said: 'I know not; am I my brother's keeper?'

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[Genesis 4:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.4.2/)

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וַתֹּ֣סֶף לָלֶ֔דֶת אֶת־אָחִ֖יו אֶת־הָ֑בֶל וַֽיְהִי־הֶ֙בֶל֙ רֹ֣עֵה צֹ֔אן וְקַ֕יִן הָיָ֖ה עֹבֵ֥ד אֲדָמָֽה׃

*Word for word:* and she.repeated to give.birth.to (et) brother his (et) Abel and he.was Abel a.herdsman of.sheep and Cain he.was \[one.who\].tilled \[the\].ground

*JPS 1917:* And again she bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

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