In Genesis, Shem is named first in the list of Noah’s sons who entered the Ark.
Genesis 7:13 says Noah entered the Ark with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, followed by their wives. This order is also familiar from Genesis 5:32 and Genesis 6:10, where Noah’s sons are listed as Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The order of names does not always settle questions about age or birth order. Genesis 10:21 contains wording that has led to differing interpretations about Shem’s relationship to Japheth, and biblical commentators have debated the chronology. The safe, specific fact is that Shem appears first in the Ark-entry list.
Shem later becomes the ancestor associated with the “Semitic” peoples in traditional biblical genealogy. Genesis also presents him as the father of Arpachshad after the Flood, continuing the family line that the text traces through later generations.