Did Wikipedia remove the word "martyr" from the Cain and Abel article?

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When did the Cain and Abel article stop using the word "martyr"?

The word appeared 1 times in the opening at its peak in 2010. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

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What did Wikipedia remove from the Cain and Abel article?

The opening as it read in 2010

Detail of the Ghent Altarpiece (1432) at Saint Bavo Cathedral In the Hebrew Bible , Cain and Abel (Hebrew: קין ,הבל, Qayin , Hevel ) are two sons of Adam and Eve . The Qur'an also contains this story, with the names Qabil and Habil. In the Greek New Testament, Cain is referred to as εκ του πονηρου. In at least one translation this is rendered "from the evil one" , while others have "of the evil one." Some interpreters take this to mean that Cain was literally the son of the serpent in the Garden of Eden . A parallel idea can be found in Jewish tradition, that the serpent (Hebrew nahash נחש) from the Garden of Eden was father to firstborn Cain. In all versions, Cain is a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel is a shepherd. Cain is portrayed as sinful, committing the first murder by killing his brother, after God has rejected his offerings of produce but accepted the animal sacrifices brought by Abel. The oldest known copy of the Biblical narration is from the 1st century Dead Sea Scrolls . Cain and Abel also appear in a number of other texts, and the story is the subject of various interpretations. Abel, the first murder victim, is sometimes seen as the first martyr ; while Cain, the first murderer, is sometimes seen as an ancestor of evil . Allusions to Cain and Abel as an archetype of fratricide persist in numerous references and retellings, through medieval art and Shakespearean works up to present day fiction. Genesis 4:1-2, "And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: 'I have gotten a man with the help of the YHWH.' And again she bore his brother Abel." Jewish Publication Society Bible, 1917 (public domain) Qur'an, 5:27-32 1 John 3:12 International Standard Version New American Standard Version, Douay-Rheims Bible, English Revised Version, World English Bible, Young's Literal Translation, etc. Relevant passage quoted in text below (4QGen = 4Q242) The Dead Sea Scrolls were inspected using infra-red photography and published by Jim R Davila as part of his doctoral dissertation in 1988. PaeleoJudaica , Davila's blog post [search for 4QGenb]. Irenaeus , Adversus Haereses 1:7:5 ( c . 180) describes (unfavourably) a Gnostic interpretation. Church Fathers , Rabbinic commentators and more recent scholars have also proposed interpretations. Notably by Jesus of Nazareth as quoted by Matthew 23:35 (mid 1st century), "The blood of righteous Abel," in a reference to many martyrs. Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer 21 ( c . 833) and others.¹

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The opening as it stood in 2005

William Blake 's The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve Cain and Abel are mentioned in Genesis 4 [1] , both sons of Adam and Eve . Cain is called Kayin in Hebrew and Abel is Hevel . It is Cain who commits the first murder recorded in the Hebrew Bible by killing his brother Abel. Cain's motivation is not made explicit in the text, but the implication is that he is jealous that God favored his brother's sacrifice (the best of his flock) rather than his own (the fruits of the earth). (See related article on the role of Korbanot , the Biblical sacrifices.) Cain is subsequently cursed by God: "Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. God asked Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?' God said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is screaming to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand.'" (Genesis 4:8-11). Cain exclaims that the punishment is too much to bear, which some have interpreted as a sign of penitence. It may also have meant that Cain thought the punishment unjust, as he then expressed his fear that "whoever finds me will slay me." God promises to protect Cain, and declares that "If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." God then put a mark on Cain's forehead, warning others not to harm him.

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The opening as it stood in 2015 17 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Cain slaying Abel by Peter Paul Rubens Cain and Abel ( Qayin , Heḇel ) were, according to the Book of Genesis , two sons of Adam and Eve . Cain is described as a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel as a shepherd. Cain was the first human born and Abel was the first human to die. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother. Interpretations of Genesis 4 by ancient and modern commentators have typically assumed that the motives were jealousy and anger. In the Cain and Abel story found in the Quran , the text refers to them simply as the sons of Adam (Arabic: ابني آدم).

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The opening as it stood in 2020 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The first sons of Adam and Eve in the Bible "Abel", "Cain", and "My Brother's Keeper" redirect here. Cain slaying Abel by Peter Paul Rubens , c. 1600 In the biblical Book of Genesis , Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve . Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer , and his brother Abel was a shepherd . The brothers made sacrifices to Yahweh , each of his own produce, but Yahweh favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon Yahweh punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod ( , "wandering"), where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch . The narrative never explicitly states Cain's motive for murdering his brother , nor Yahweh's reason for rejecting Cain's sacrifice, nor details on the identity of Cain's wife. Some traditional interpretations consider Cain to be the originator of evil, violence, or greed. According to Genesis, Cain was the first human born and Abel was the first to die. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

First two sons of Adam and Eve This article is about the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. Cain slaying Abel , by Peter Paul Rubens , c. 1600 In the biblical Book of Genesis , Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve . Cain , the firstborn, was a farmer , and his brother Abel was a shepherd . The brothers made sacrifices to God , but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon God punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod ( ), where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch . In the Qur'an , Abel and Cain are known as Hābīl and Qābīl respectively. The events of the story in the Qur'an are virtually the same as the Hebrew Bible narrative: Both the brothers were asked to offer up individual sacrifices to God; God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's; out of jealousy, Cain slew Abel – the first ever case of murder committed upon the Earth. In Islam , the story of Cain and Abel serves as an admonition against murder promoting sanctity of human life . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

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The opening as it stood in 2025 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

First two sons of Adam and Eve This article is about the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. Cain slaying Abel , by Peter Paul Rubens , c. 1600 In the biblical Book of Genesis , Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve . Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer , and his brother Abel was a shepherd . The brothers made sacrifices , each from his own fields, to God . God had regard for Abel's offering, but had no regard for Cain's. Cain killed Abel and God cursed Cain, sentencing him to a life of transience. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod ( נוֹד , ' wandering ' ), where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch . The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews interprets Abel’s sacrifice as more acceptable than Cain’s because it was offered in faith, earning Abel God’s approval. In the Qur'an , Cain and Abel are known as Qābīl ( Arabic : قابيل ) and Hābīl ( هابيل ), respectively. In Islamic tradition, the story of Cain and Abel portrays Cain as the first murderer driven by jealousy and lust, guided by the devil , and punished with guilt and disgrace, with some scholars debating the identity and motives of the brothers. In the Sethian Apocryphon of John , Cain and Abel are Archons , children of the Demiurge Yaldabaoth , named Yahweh and Elohim but called Cain and Abel to deceive. The story of Cain and Abel is widely interpreted in academic biblical scholarship as a symbolic tale reflecting early agricultural society’s tensions—such as those between nomadic herders and settled farmers —and may draw from the older Mesopotamian myth Enlil Chooses the Farmer-God . Cain and Abel have become enduring cultural symbols of fratricide and sibling conflict , referenced and reinterpreted across art, literature, theater, music, and film from medieval times to modern popular culture . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

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Cain and Abel

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