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2 August 2022 Navigate 'up to the Genesis index: index-genesis.
And again she gave birth: to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, and Cain was a worker of the ground.
The name of this son, Abel, in Hebrew hebel, is appropriate, as hebel is a Hebrew word that denotes vapor, smoke, mist. It is used, in Ecclesiastes, as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, just as Abel appears in the narrative simply to be killed.
Cain follows in his father's cursed profession: as a farmer, a worker of the ground. Abel, on the other hand, is a shepherd, like David, the patriarchs, Moses, and the attractive young man in the Song of Songs. Like Moses, David, and Jacob, Abel is not only a shepherd but also a younger brother favored by God.
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