Full Name Jabal Occupation shepherd Parents Lamech, Adah Grandparent Methusael | Other names Yabal Other name Yabal Siblings Jubal Great-grandparent Mehujael | |
 | ||
Known for forefather of all shepherds Title "the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock" Relatives Jubal (brother)
Tubal-cain (half-brother)
Naamah (half-sister) Similar Jubal, Tubal‑cain, Lamech, Naamah | ||
Jabal (or Yabal) is an individual mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis 4:20.
Contents
Family
Jabal (a descendant of Cain) was the son of Lamech and Adah, and the brother of Jubal, half-brother of Tubal-cain and Naamah. He is described as the "ancestor of all who live in tents and raise livestock."
Theories
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." Or he may have just been the first nomadic herder of livestock such as cattle.
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 lifestyle." He notes that whereas Abel "merely lived off his flocks," Jabal could "trade with his beasts of burden," and that this "represents cultural advance."