In Genesis, Shem is the first-listed son of Noah. Genesis names Noah’s three sons as Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and the Flood narrative says that Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the Ark.
Shem is especially important in the biblical genealogies. Genesis 10 traces descendants associated with him, and Genesis 11 continues the line from Shem through Arpachshad to later patriarchs. The term “Semitic” is historically connected to the name Shem, although modern linguistic classification is more complex than a simple family descent.
The order of names does not necessarily prove every detail of birth order in all biblical passages, but Genesis 5:32 and 6:10 place Shem first in Noah’s listed family. Ham and Japheth are the other two sons named in the account.