In the biblical account of Noah's Ark, Shem is listed first among Noah's three sons. Genesis 6:10 names Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Genesis 7:13 repeats the family order when describing their entry into the ark.
The three sons are central to the post-flood genealogy in Genesis. After the flood, Genesis 9 describes an incident involving Noah, Ham, and Ham's son Canaan. Genesis 10 then presents a table of nations associated with the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The order of names is not always treated as a simple statement of birth order in every passage or interpretation. Genesis 10:21, for example, uses wording that has led translators and commentators to discuss whether Shem was the eldest or whether the phrase means “older brother” in another sense.
Shem is also traditionally connected with the line leading to Abraham in the Genesis genealogies. The English word “Semitic” ultimately derives from his name.