In Genesis, Shem is traditionally placed first in the family listing of Noah’s sons.
Genesis commonly presents Noah’s sons in the order Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem is especially prominent in the genealogical material that follows the flood, including the line leading to Abraham. The name is also associated with the biblical term “Semitic” through later scholarly and historical usage, although modern definitions of Semitic languages concern language families rather than a simple descent claim.
The order of names does not mean every passage gives a complete biography of each son. Shem, Ham, and Japheth each have different narrative and genealogical roles. A frequent mix-up is to answer Japheth because some later passages and traditions discuss him first in a particular context; the standard Genesis family listing begins with Shem.