Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve. Noted in scripture for his righteous character, Abel became the victim of the first recorded murder in human history. This tragic event was not simply an act of violence but a conspiracy devised by Satan himself, who influenced Cain to murder Abel in an attempt to hide the deed from the world. This nefarious plot established a pattern of secret combinations that would afflict humanity throughout its history, a pattern later exemplified by the Gadianton robbers during the time shortly before the birth of Christ, as chronicled in the Book of Mormon (Helaman 6:27).
Abel’s untimely death deprived him of posterity and the ability to make a mark upon the world with his own family and lineage. His murder had broader implications, indicating early on the stark choice between good and evil that humankind was to face. Abel’s righteousness and his role as an innocent victim became a significant motif—his blood silently testifying of the grievous consequences of sin (Moses 5:18-33). Abel’s story and its recount in the record of Helaman stands as a reminder of the perpetual conflict between the forces of righteousness and the schemes of the adversary.