Shem
Also called Sem
2445–1845 BC, 600 years traditional (Jones)
A name; renown, the first mentioned of the sons of Noah (Gen. 5:32; 6:10). He was probably the eldest of Noah’s sons.
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897).
- The 11th generation from Adam, counting Adam as the first.
- Born in the era of Creation to the Flood, 4004–2349 BC.
- Alive at the same time as Eber for 435 years, Salah for 433 years, Peleg for 239 years, Reu for 239 years, Serug for 230 years, Terah for 205 years, Abraham for 150 years, and Nahor for 148 years.
- Named in the same verses as Japheth, Noah, Arphaxad, Ham, Canaan, Aram, Asshur, and Elam.
Computed from the data. Years are traditional (Jones).
Family
Two generations up and the children; a button shows the grandchildren. Gold lines join partners; grey lines run from parent to child; a dotted line marks a parent named in the text but not by descent.
The tree is wider than the screen; scroll it sideways.
Stories
10 events in which Shem takes part, in order of the traditional chronology. Years are traditional (Jones).
- 2445 BCBirth of ShemGen 5:32
- 2445 BCLifetime of ShemGen 11:10-11
- 2347 BCThe Great FloodGen 7:6–8:19
- 2347 BCThe Great Flood beginsGen 7:6-17
- 2347 BCWater covers the earthGen 7:18-24
- 2346 BCThe flood subsidesGen 8:1-14
- 2346 BCLeaving the ArkGen 8:15-19
- 2345 BCNoah gets drunk and Canaan is cursedGen 9:20-27
- 2345 BCBirth of ArphaxadGen 11:10
- 1845 BCDeath of ShemGen 11:11
Timeline
The strip runs from Creation to AD 100; the shaded part, 2595–1695 BC, is drawn below at a larger scale around this life, with 6 contemporaries. Years are traditional (Jones), shown as recorded, not as settled fact.
Mentions
17 tagged verses in 3 books. Select a book to read its verses.
The name in each translation
| Text | Occurrences of each name |
|---|---|
| BSB | Shem 20Sem 0 |
| KJV | Shem 17Sem 1 |
| ASV | Shem 18Sem 0 |
Whole-word, case-sensitive count of the name string (regex \bName\b, so possessives like "Abraham's" count) across the whole Bible text of each translation; this counts the string, not the person, so other people who share the name are included and pronoun references are not. How Begat counts
Every verse
All 17 tagged verses, by book, in canonical order. The Berean Standard Bible is shown; switch to the King James or American Standard Version.
Genesis13 verses
- 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
- 6:10
And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
- 7:13
On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons—
- 9:18
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
- 9:23
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
- 9:26
He also declared: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
- 9:27
May God expand the territory of Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
- 10:1
This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
- 10:21
And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
- 10:22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
- 10:31
These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
- 11:10
This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
- 11:11
And after he had become the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
1 Chronicles3 verses
Luke1 verse
- 3:36
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
The full entry, public domain, as printed in 1897.
A name; renown, the first mentioned of the sons of Noah (Gen. 5:32; 6:10). He was probably the eldest of Noah’s sons. The words “brother of Japheth the elder” in Gen. 10:21 are more correctly rendered “the elder brother of Japheth,” as in the Revised Version. Shem’s name is generally mentioned first in the list of Noah’s sons. He and his wife were saved in the ark (7:13). Noah foretold his preeminence over Canaan (9:23-27). He died at the age of six hundred years, having been for many years contemporary with Abraham, according to the usual chronology. The Israelitish nation sprang from him (Gen. 11:10-26; 1 Chr. 1:24-27).