Shem is the son of Noah traditionally associated with the ancestor of the Israelites.
Genesis 10 places the Israelites within the line of Shem through Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, and later Abraham. The term “Semitic” was formed from Shem's name in older biblical and linguistic classifications, although modern linguistics uses “Semitic” for a language family rather than as a straightforward biological category.
Noah's three sons are Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 10 presents a genealogy often called the Table of Nations, linking each son to peoples and regions known to the biblical authors. The genealogical framework is theological and literary as well as ancestral.
A common mix-up is identifying Shem with one of the better-known later patriarchs. Shem is Noah's son; Abraham appears several generations afterward in the genealogy. The name Shem is also related to a Hebrew word meaning “name,” creating wordplay in some interpretations.