Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, Genesis 5:4: but Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest. Cain signifies possession; for Eve, when she bare him, said, with joy, and thankfulness, and expectation, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Abel signifies vanity. The name given to this son is put upon the whole race, Psalms 39:5, “Every man is, at his best estate, Abel, vanity.” Abel was a keeper of sheep He chose that employment which did most befriend contemplation and devotion, for that hath been looked upon as the advantage of a pastoral life. Moses and David kept sheep, and in their solitudes conversed with God.
Related Commentaries of Genesis 4:1
Genesis 4:1-2
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain,a and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel.b And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.