What’s in a Name?: Abel

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Hebel = “morning vapor” or “vanity” or “enigma”

The etymology of some personal names in the Hebrew Bible points to a person’s nature or emphasizes themes connected with the narratives in which the person appears. The Semitic root hbl means literally “vapor that disappears quickly under the first rays of morning sun” or simply “air” or “breath.” Transcribed to English as Abel, it is the name of Adam’s second son, Hebel, in the Book of Genesis, chapter 4. His life is accordingly described as transient, with no lasting significance for future generations (because he died without heirs).

The noun hebel appears 38 times in the Book of Ecclesiastes (Hebrew: Qoheleth), where it describes the earthly life and human toils as “vanity,” “futility,” or “fleeting.” Some recent translations of Ecclesiastes render hebel as “enigma,” thus allowing a hopeful view of the Qoheleth’s notorious pessimism and nihilism: Even though our mental capacities cannot grasp the nature of this transient life, one can find meaning and happiness through God.

Interestingly, the word hebel occurs nowhere else in the ancient world as a personal name. A rival etymology, however, points to the Akkadian word for “son,” aplu, which Abel could reflect in his name, him being one of the two first sons born to humanity, and given that scholars see a strong Mesopotamian background in the early chapters of the Book of Genesis. However, one would need to account for the shift from a b sound to a p sound. In the Assyrian realm, the word aplu features in names like Tiglath-Pileser (i.e., Tukultī-apil-Ešarra), which translates “my trust is (in) the son of Esharra.”