In Genesis, Shem is Noah’s son who became the ancestor of Abraham.
Genesis 11 traces Abraham’s ancestry through Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah. This genealogy follows the Flood account and connects Noah’s family line to the patriarch Abraham. Shem is therefore the correct answer when the question asks specifically about Abraham’s ancestry.
Noah’s other named sons are Ham and Japheth. Genesis 10 associates them with different groups and regions, but the biblical genealogy leading to Abraham runs through Shem. The term “Semitic,” used in modern historical and linguistic classification, was later formed from Shem’s name, though modern scholarship does not treat biblical genealogies as a simple scientific classification of all peoples.
Shem also appears in the New Testament genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3. These genealogical traditions helped make the three sons central figures in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic interpretation.