According to Genesis, Shem was the ancestor of Abraham.
Genesis presents Shem as one of Noah’s three sons and later traces a genealogy from Shem through several generations to Terah, the father of Abraham. Genesis 11:10–26 supplies this line after the account of the Tower of Babel. Shem therefore occupies an important place in the biblical genealogy leading to Abraham.
Ham and Japheth are also Noah’s sons, but Genesis assigns them different descendant lines. Canaan is identified as a son of Ham, not as one of Noah’s sons. These closely connected names are a frequent source of confusion when the genealogies are summarized.
The name Shem is also related to the Hebrew word for “name,” although the biblical genealogical passages primarily use him as a person in the family line. Later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions give Shem an important ancestral role, but the specific Abraham connection is stated through the Genesis genealogy.