Jabal or Yabal ( he, יָבָל – ''Yabal'') is an individual mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
, in .
Family
Jabal (a descendant of
Cain
Cain ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl/Qāyīn is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He wa ...
) was the son of
Lamech and
Adah, and the brother of
Jubal, half-brother of
Tubal-cain
Tubal-cain or Tubalcain ( he, תּוּבַל קַיִן – ''Tūḇal Qayīn'') is a person mentioned in the Bible, in , known for being the first blacksmith. He is stated as the "forger of all instruments of bronze and iron". A descendant of C ...
and
Naamah. He is described as the "ancestor of all who live in tents and raise livestock."
Theories
Francis Nigel Lee
Francis Nigel Lee (5 December 1934 – 23 December 2011) was a British-born Christian theologian and minister. Lee was particularly known for the large number of academic degrees he earned from a variety of institutions. He obtained BA, LLB ...
interprets Genesis 4:20 to mean that Jabal was both the "father of all cattle ranchers" ''and'' the "father of all tent-dwellers", and as such as the "pioneer of all livestock and agricultural technology" as well as the "pioneer of all architecture." Lee notes that Jabal was probably also a weaver, and thus "the pioneer of the clothing industry."
Francis Nigel Lee
Francis Nigel Lee (5 December 1934 – 23 December 2011) was a British-born Christian theologian and minister. Lee was particularly known for the large number of academic degrees he earned from a variety of institutions. He obtained BA, LLB ...
, ''The Central Significance of Culture'' (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1976), 29.
Gordon Wenham, on the other hand, understands the verse to indicate Jabal was the first "dweller with herds." That is, he was the "father of the
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
lifestyle." He notes that whereas
Abel
Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...
"merely lived off his flocks," Jabal could "trade with his beasts of burden," and that this "represents cultural advance."
[ Gordon Wenham, Genesis 1-15 (Word, 1987), 113.]
Family tree
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jabal
Book of Genesis people