In the Genesis story, Shem is named first among Noah’s three sons. Genesis introduces Noah’s sons as Shem, Ham, and Japheth before describing the Flood and the Ark’s occupants.
Shem is especially important in the later genealogical material of Genesis. He is presented as an ancestor of several peoples, and the line from Shem leads toward Abram, later known as Abraham. The term “Semitic” was subsequently formed from Shem’s name, although modern linguistic classification is more complex than a simple descent from one biblical figure.
Readers sometimes confuse the order of the names with their ages or with the order of later narratives. Genesis identifies Shem, Ham, and Japheth together, but different passages discuss them in different ways. The first-listed son is Shem, while all three are associated with surviving the Flood aboard the Ark.