Bible Encyclopedias
Abel

The Catholic Encyclopedia

("Meadow")

Name of several places distinguished by additional words:

(1) Abel-Beth-Maacha (meadow of the house, or family, of Maacha). In the Vulgate also "Abeldomus and Maacha," "Abeldomus Mancha", "Abela and Maacha"; identical with Abel-Maim (meadow of water), 2 Chronicles 16:4. It was a city in Upper Galilee, a little west of Dan. — 2 Samuel 20:14-19; 1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:29; 2 Chronicles 16:4.

(2) Abel-Keramim (meadow of vineyards), a village of the Ammonites, about six miles from Philadelphia. Judges 11:33.

(3) Abelmehula, Abelmeula (Abelmechola, "a meadow of the dance"), in the Jordan valley near Bethsan. — Judges 7:23; 1 Kings 4:12 and 19:16.

(4) Abel-Misraim (Vulgate, "the mourning of Egypt"), according to St. Jerome identical with the "threshing floor of Atad." Genesis 50:10 ff.

(5) Abelsatim, Settim, Setim, Hebrew abhel hashshittim (meadow of acacias) is a place in the plains of Moab. Numbers 25:1, 33:49, 34, 35 and 36; Joshua 2:1 and 3:1; Micah 6:5.

(6) The great Abel in 1 Samuel 6:18, is a misreading for the great ebhen (stone).

Sources

Vigouroux, in Dict. de la Bible (Paris, 1895) HAGEN, Lex. Bibl. (Paris, 1905); HOLZAMMER, in Kirchenlex. (Freiburg, 1882); CONDER, in Dict. of the Bible (New York, 1903).

Bibliography Information
Obstat, Nihil. Lafort, Remy, Censor. Entry for 'Abel'. The Catholic Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/​encyclopedias/​eng/​tce/​a/abel.html. Robert Appleton Company. New York. 1914.