Jabal | |
|---|---|
 Jabal, son ofLamech, with his sheep and a dog depicted byAndrea Pisano | |
| Born | Jabal |
| Other names | Yabal |
| Occupation | shepherd |
| Known for | forefather of all shepherds |
| Title | "the father of those whodwell in tents and have livestock" |
| Parent(s) | Lamech andAdah |
| Relatives | Jubal (brother) Tubal-cain (half-brother) Naamah (half-sister) Zillah (step-mother) Methushael (grandfather) Mehujael (great-grandfather) Irad (great-great-grandfather) Enoch (great-great-great-grandfather) Cain (great-great-great-great-grandfather) Adam and Eve (great-great-great-great-great-grandparents) Abel (great-great-great-great-granduncle) Seth (great-great-great-great-granduncle) Enoch (fifth cousin) |
Jabal orYabal (Hebrew:יָבָל –Yāḇāl) is an individual mentioned in theHebrew Bible, inGenesis4:20. He is traditionally regarded as thearchetypal nomadic herder and is associated with the origins ofpastoral life.[1][2]
Jabal (a descendant ofCain) was the son ofLamech andAdah, and the brother ofJubal, half-brother ofTubal-cain andNaamah. He is described as the "ancestor of all who live in tents and raise livestock."
Francis Nigel Lee 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."[3]
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 theBedouin lifestyle." He notes that whereasAbel "merely lived off his flocks," Jabal could "trade with his beasts of burden," and that this "represents cultural advance."[4]
Of his three sons, Jabal-or "Increase"-was "the father of such as dwell in tents and of such as have cattle." He had originality enough to step beyond all traditional habits and to invent a new mode of life.
In Gen 4:20 … he is called 'the father of those who dwell in tents and (with) herds.' So Gunkel … says that … the corresponding word in Arabic means 'the herdsman who tends the camels.'
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