Man living at the time of the Patriarchs
Shem
Noah’s eldest son (he is called the elder brother of Japheth in Genesis 10:21, and Ham was the youngest, Genesis 9:24), and the one through whom the line of promise runs. He was on the ark (Genesis 7:13) and, with Japheth, covered his father after the vineyard (Genesis 9:23). Noah blessed him with the words “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem” (Genesis 9:26). He was 100 when Arpachshad was born, two years after the flood, and lived 600 years (Genesis 11:10–11). His sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram (Genesis 10:22), and from him came Eber, Abraham, and the Hebrews. The name gave us the word Semitic.
Born 2446 BC (Noah 502) by Ussher's reckoning: Shem was 100 two years after the Flood (Genesis 11:10), so Genesis 5:32's 'Noah was 500' is taken to mark the birth of Japheth, the eldest (Genesis 10:21). Japheth (about 2448 BC) and Ham have no bars because their ages at death are not recorded. Shem lived through most of Abraham's life.
Family
- Father
- Noah
- Children
- Asshur, Elam, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram
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