In Genesis, Shem is listed first among Noah’s three sons in the post-Flood genealogy.
Genesis names Noah’s sons as Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In the genealogical material that follows the Flood, Shem receives particularly extensive treatment, eventually leading through a line to Abram, later called Abraham. This makes Shem especially prominent in the biblical narrative.
The order of the names can be confusing because Genesis sometimes discusses the brothers in different sequences, and the ages or birth order are not always interpreted identically by readers. The direct answer to a question asking for the first named son is Shem.
Shem’s name is also associated with the term “Semitic” in later scholarly usage, although modern language-family classification is not simply identical to the biblical genealogy. In Genesis itself, Shem is one of the three survivors’ sons whose descendants populate the post-Flood world.