The Greek form Abel (transliterating Hebrew Hevel, H1893) refers to the second son of Adam and Eve, whose offering God accepted and who was murdered by his brother Cain. In the New Testament, Abel is held up as the archetype of the righteous martyr whose blood cries out for justice.
In the New Testament, Abel appears in three significant contexts: (1) Jesus identifies him as the first righteous man whose blood was shed, inaugurating the long line of prophetic martyrs culminating in Zechariah (Matthew 23:35); (2) Hebrews 11:4 declares that 'by faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did... and through his faith, though he is dead, he still speaks'; (3) Hebrews 12:24 contrasts Abel's blood, which 'cried for vengeance,' with the blood of Jesus, which 'speaks a better word.' Abel thus becomes a type of Christ: the innocent one slain by jealousy, whose death paradoxically speaks and accomplishes something beyond itself.