“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; / and let Canaan be his servant. / May God enlarge Japheth, / and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, / and let Canaan be his servant.” - Genesis 9:26-27
The territory in which his descendants lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. (Genesis 10:30) Abraham is his descendant. (Genesis 11:26) He is the progenitor of the Semitic tribes. (Literal Word app)
- Name Meaning: "Name" (Literal Word app)
- Father: Noah (Genesis 5:32)
- Siblings: Ham, Japheth (Genesis 5:32)
- Sons: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram (Genesis 10:22)
- Death: 600 years old (Genesis 11:10-11)
Shem was born to Noah
After Noah was 500 years old, he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Genesis 5:32)
Shem was preserved in the ark because of his father's righteousness
In a wicked generation, Noah found favor in the Lord's eyes, so God preserved Noah and his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives in the ark. (Genesis 6:18)
Shem leaves the ark
On the 27nd day of the 2nd month of Noah's 601st year, God told Noah, "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
(Genesis 8)
God establishes a covenant with Noah and his sons
God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to be fruitful and multiply and that the fear of them shall be upon every beast, bird, and fish. Every moving thing shall be food for them, but they shall not eat flesh with its blood. For their lifeblood, God will require a reckoning, be it from beast or man.
God also established his covenant with Noah and his offspring, as well as with every living thing from the ark. "I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
(Genesis 9)
Noah curses Canaan and blesses Shem and Japheth
From Noah's sons, Shem, Ham (father of Canaan), and Japheth, the people of the whole earth were dispersed.
Noah became a man of the soil and planted a vineyard. He became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers. Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards to cover the nakedness of their father without looking upon him.
When Noah awoke and knew what his youngest son did, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; / a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; / and let Canaan be his servant. / May God enlarge Japheth, / and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, / and let Canaan be his servant.”
(Genesis 9)
Shem fathers nations
Shem fathered all the children of Eber, Japheth's older brother. He had Arpachshad two years after the flood and lived 500 more years and had other sons and daughters.
Shem fathered Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Aram fathered Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad fathered Shelah. Shelah fathered Eber. Eber fathered Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided) and Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab.
Their territory extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east, and they had their own clans, languages, lands, and nations.