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Abel
Historical Article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
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Catholic Encyclopedia
Historical Context
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Article Text
(“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 sq.
(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).
Source Record
- Author
- Maas, Anthony
- Publication
- The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1907.
- Nihil Obstat
- Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.
- Imprimatur
- Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.