Shem

Shem (meaning: name or renown) was the firstborn son of Noah and one of the three patriarchal figures from whom all post-flood humanity descends (Genesis 5:32; 6:10). He entered the ark with his parents and brothers and emerged with them after the flood. When his father Noah lay drunk and uncovered in his tent, Shem and Japheth covered him with a garment without looking at him, an act of filial respect for which Noah prophesied blessing upon both (Genesis 9:23–26).

Shem received the specific blessing: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem (Genesis 9:26), marking his line as the custodian of the covenant relationship with God. Through Shem descended the Semitic peoples — including Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram — and ultimately Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the line of David and Jesus (Genesis 11:10–26; Luke 3:36). The name Semite, used for the linguistic and ethnic family to which Hebrew belongs, derives from his name. Shem lived to the extraordinary age of 600 years, long enough to have been contemporary with Abraham.