Shem (Hebrew: שֵׁם, Standard Šem Tiberian Šēm ; Greek: Σημ, Sēm ; Arabic: سام ; Ge'ez: Sham ; "renown; prosperity; name") was one of the sons of Noah in the Bible. He is most popularly regarded as the eldest son, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 10:21 refers to relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity in each to have yielded different translations. The verse is translated in the KJV as "Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.". However, the New American Standard Bible gives, "Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born." “Hebrew” redirects here. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early Middle Ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... This T and O map, which abstracts that societys known world to a cross inscribed within an orb, remakes geography in the service of Christian iconography and identifies the three known continents as populated by descendents of Shem (Sem), Ham (Cham) and Japheth (Iafeth) The Table of Nations is... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Japheth (Hebrew. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... Eber (עֵבֶר, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew , Arabic: هود) is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. ... The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is an English translation of the Bible. ...

Genesis 11:10 records that Shem was 100 years old at the birth of Arpachshad two years after the flood, making him 98 at the time of the flood; and that he lived for another 500 years after this, making his age at death 600 years.

Quran: 37-077 "And his progeny them We made the survivors" refers to Noah with his family who was rescued from the great flood. With his heirs- Shem, Ham and Japheth.

He is also known in ancient Egyptian Records as Semsem, 7th Pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty. He is also credited with killing Nimrod, though the Book of Jasher states that Esau killed him. The king of Lower Egypt, which realm was called Shemau (as in Joyce’s Shem) and included the Nile delta, was titled bit, “bee” or “he of the bee,” usually translated into English as “King of Lower Egypt.”[1] Esau (Hebrew ‎, Standard Hebrew Esav, Tiberian Hebrew Ēśāw) is the oldest son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Jacob in the biblical Book of Genesis. ...

The children of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Aram, Arpachshad and Lud, in addition to daughters. Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrews, was one of the descendants of Shem. Elam (עֵילָם) in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10:22, Ezra 4:9;) is said to be the oldest son of Shem, the son of Noah. ... The word Asshur can mean: Asshur (אַשּׁוּר), son of Shem, the son of Noah. ... The term Aram can refer to: Aram (אֲרָם or ), the son of Shem, according to the Table of nations of Genesis 10 in the Hebrew Bible. ... Arpachshad or Arphaxad or Arphacsad (אַרְפַּכְשַׁד / אַרְפַּכְשָׁד healer; releaser, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew / ) was one of the five sons of Shem, the son of Noah (Genesis 10:22,24;11:12,13; 1 Chronicles 1:17,18). ... Lud was a Shemite grandson of Noah. ... “Abram” redirects here. ...

Shem was the progenitor of several nations of the Middle East, being the father of Elam, Ashur (Assyria), Arpachshad or Arpachaxad (according to Josephus, Chaldea, from whom descended the Hebrews and Arabs), Lud (Lydia) and Aram (Syria).
A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Elam (Persian: تمدن ایلام) is one of the oldest recorded civilizations. ... Ashurism (Hebrew: ‎; Akkadian: ), was the second son of Shem, the son of Noah. ... For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... Arpachshad or Arphaxad or Arphacsad (אַרְפַּכְשַׁד / אַרְפַּכְשָׁד healer; releaser, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew / ) was one of the five sons of Shem, the son of Noah (Genesis 10:22,24;11:12,13; 1 Chronicles 1:17,18). ... A fanciful representation of Flavius Josephus, in an engraving in William Whistons translation of his works Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 CE),[1] who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus,[2] was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and... For other uses, see Chaldean. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... The name Lud can refer to: Lud is a river god in Celtic mythology Lud son of Heli an ancient British King Lud son of Shem a grandson of Noah LUD(Local Usage Details) Lud is a city in Stephen Kings Dark Tower Series. ... Lydia (Greek ) is a historic region of western Anatolia, congruent with Turkeys modern provinces of İzmir and Manisa. ... The term Aram can refer to: Aram (אֲרָם or ), the son of Shem, according to the Table of nations of Genesis 10 in the Hebrew Bible. ...

Terms like "Semite" and "Hamite" are less common now, and may sometimes even be perceived as offensive, because of their "racial" connotations. The adjectival forms "Semitic" and "Hamitic" are more common, though the vague term 'Hamitic' dropped out of mainstream academic use in the 1960s. Semitic is still a commonly used term for the Semitic languages, as a subset of the Afro-Asiatic languages, denoting the common linguistic heritage of Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, Ethiopic, Hebrew and Phoenician languages. Semitic is an adjective which in common parlance mistakenly refers specifically to Jewish things, while the term actually refers to things originating among speakers of Semitic languages or people descended from them, and in a linguistic context to the northeastern subfamily of Afro-Asiatic. ... This article is about race as an intraspecies classification. ... In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical Shem, Hebrew: שם, translated as name, Arabic: سام) was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. ... Hamitic is an obsolete ethno-linguistic classification of some ethnic groups within the Afroasiatic (previously termed Semito-Hamitic) language family. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... 14th century BC diplomatic letter in Akkadian, found in Tell Amarna. ... The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a language family (Languages of Africa) with about 375 languages (SIL estimate) and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, and Southwest Asia (including some 200 million speakers of Arabic). ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Aramaic is a group of Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. ... Akkadian (lišānum akkadītum) was a Semitic language (part of the greater Afro-Asiatic language family) spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly by the Assyrians and Babylonians. ... Ethiopic languages is a language group which belongs to the Western branch of the Southern Semitic languages. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region of what is now Lebanon. ...

Semitic is also used in the phrase "anti-Semitic" to refer to racial, ethnic or cultural prejudice aimed exclusively at Jews. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

According to some Jewish traditions (E.g., B. Talmud Nedarim 32b; Genesis Rabbah 46:7; Genesis Rabbah 56:10; Leviticus Rabbah 25:6; Numbers Rabbah 4:8.), Shem is believed to have been Melchizedek, King of Salem whom Abraham is recorded to have met after the battle of the four kings. The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a. ... Genesis Rabba, (Breshit Rabba in Hebrew), is a religious text holy to classical Judaism. ... Leviticus Rabbah, Vayikrah Rabbah, or Wayikra Rabbah is a homiletic midrash to the Biblical book of Leviticus (Vayikrah in Hebrew). ... Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek — by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–67 Melchizedek or Malki-tzédek (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק / מַלְכִּי־צָדֶק, Standard Hebrew Malki-ẓédeq / Malki-ẓádeq, Tiberian Hebrew Malkî-ṣéḏeq / Malkî-ṣāḏeq), sometimes written Malchizedek, Melchisedec, Melchisedech, Melchisedek or Melkisedek, is a figure mentioned by various sects of both Christian and Judaic traditions. ...

Shem is mentioned in Genesis 5:32, 6:10; 7:13; 9:18,23,26-27; 10; 11:10; also in 1 Chronicles 1:4. For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... (Redirected from 1 Chronicles) The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ...

Genealogies according to "Book of Jasher"

A book claiming to be the lost "Book of Jasher" provides some names not found in any other source. Some have reconstructed more complete genealogies based on this information as follows: Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ...

Shem. Also Sem. Literal meanings are named or renown (father of the Semitic races - Shemites). The sons of Shem were:

• Elam "eternity" (sons were Shushan, Machul and Harmon^[1]) - (Elamites)

• Asshur "a step" or "strong" (sons were Mirus and Mokil^[2]) - (Assyrians and Northern Iraqis);

• Arphaxad "I shall fail" (sons were Shelach, Anar and Ashcol^[3]) - (Chaldeans, Southern Iraqis, Hebrews, Israelites, Arabians, Bedouins, Moabites, Jordanians, Palestinians, Sabaeans, and related groups);

• Lud "strife" (sons were Pethor and Bizayon^[4]) - (Ludim, Lubim, Ludians, Ludu, Lydians, Chubs, Berbers, and other related groups in Asia Minor and North Africa);

• Aram "exalted" (sons were Uz, Chul, Gather and Mash^[5]) - (Aramaeans, Syrians, Lebanese, other related groups), and remnant groups throughout Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The ancient Elamite Empire lay to the east of Sumer and Akkad, in what is now southwestern Iran. ... It has been suggested that Assyrian people be merged into this article or section. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An Israelite is a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve sons of the Biblical patriarch Jacob who was renamed Israel by God in the book of Genesis, 32:28 The Israelites were a group of Hebrews, as described in the Bible. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogenous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Bedouin resting at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic badawi بدوي, a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the eastern coast of the Arabian desert. ... Moab (מוֹאָב Seed of father/leader, Standard Hebrew Moʾav, Tiberian Hebrew Môʾāḇ) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... What is left of Awam Temple or the Sun temple in Marib. ... See 110 Lydia for the asteroid. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group indigenous to the Maghreb, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... The Aramaeans, or Arameans, were a Semitic, semi-nomadic and pastoralist people who originated and had lived in upper Mesopotamia and Syria. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

Proposed Lineages from Shem

Some now claim that the Anglo-Saxons are the descendants of Shem. "Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons [b. 849 A.D.] was... the son [descendant] of Sem [Shem]" (Church Historians of England, vol. 2, p. 443). Proponents of this theory also claim that Alfred the Great was a descendant of Shem because he claimed to descend from Sceaf, a marooned man who came to Britain on a boat after a flood. Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd //) (c. ... In English heroic legend, Sceaf or Scef (Old English for sheaf) appears as an ancient legendary king who appeared mysteriously as a child, coming out of the sea in an empty boat. ...

Further, it is said that Tuitsch a German patriarch is none other than Shem himself. There are many who also claim that the Germans are the descendants of the Assyrians (children of Ashur).

A text from Islam claims that the Greeks derived from Shem: Tabari II:11 “Shem, the son of Noah was the father of the Arabs, the Persians, and the Greeks; Ham was the father of the Black Africans; and Japheth was the father of the Turks and of Gog and Magog who were cousins of the Turks. Noah prayed that the prophets and apostles would be descended from Shem and kings would be from Japheth. He prayed that the African’s color would change so that their descendants would be slaves to the Arabs and Turks.”

Some believe that from Shem descend the whole of the European peoples. Ernest L. Martin writes, "...[The] Shemite tribes (people who were descendants of Shem and including some peoples who came from Abraham) later colonized the whole of southern Europe and replaced the people of JAVAN and his four descendants. JAVAN'S people were pushed mainly into the northern areas of Europe where in turn they migrated farther east into Asia (along with GOMER the firstborn son of JAPHETH and his descendants). Indeed, in prophecies dealing also with the End-Time, we find the people of JAVAN no longer in Europe but they are now associated with TUBAL [Ezekiel 38: & 39 end time prophecy] (another son of JAPHETH) who became an eastern Mongolian type of people...though the name JAVAN still retained it geographical hold on the southern region of Europe, particularly in Greece)...It is not uncommon for people to give a name to a region and then the original people move on to other areas (or are killed off) and the original geographical name becomes associated with completely different people" ^[6]

Le Petit, a writer in 1601 mentioned King Adel, said to be descendant of Shem, ruler of Britain having 3 children that migrated to India.

In Serge A. Zenkovsky's, Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales, "To the lot of Shem fell the Orient, and his share extended lengthwise as far as India and breadthwise (from east to south) as far as Phinocorura, including Persia and Bactria, as well as Syria, Media (which lies beside the Euphrates River), Babylon, Cordyna, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Arabia the Ancient, Elymais, India, Arabia the Mighty, Coelesyria, Commagene, and all Phoenicia."^[7]

According to Abulgazi, Shem's original land was Iran while Japheth's was the country called "Kuttup Shamach," said to be the name of the regions between the Caspian Sea and India. ^[8]

In Mystery of the Ages, by Dr. James Modlish, it is said that India is inhabited by Shemites.^[9]

Racial connotations

In the modern times, many people including scholars ^[10] associate the 3 patriarchs of human cultures with distinct racial features in each of the three. That is, Shem, the oldest son of Noah is said to be yellow-brown; Japheth, white; and Ham, black.

Also, according to The History of the Church of God, "The world was to some extent divided between Noah’s three sons, so that we may in general reckon Asia to Shem, Africa to Ham, and Europe to Japheth[9] — though, of course, there was some crossing of these lines by each."^[11]

The Jewish text Pirqei R. Eliezer, depicts God as dividing the earth among Noah‘s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet^[12], and attributing different skin colors to them (literally, —blessing“ them with different skin colors): light colored skin for the Japhetites, medium dark or brown for the Semites, and very dark or black for the Hamites.

This passage again from Pirqei R. Eliezer, a writing which was composed in Israel after the Islamic conquest, is strikingly paralleled in an Arabic text of approximately the same period. The historian abarī (d. 923) quotes Ibn Abbas (d. 686-8) as saying: Born to Noah were Shem, whose descendants were tawny-white (bayā wa-adma); Ham, whose descendants were black with hardly any whiteness (sawād wa-bayā qalīl); and Japheth, whose descendants were reddish-white (al-łuqra wal- umra.)^[13]

From the same author also comes his commentary of Gen 5:32, " 'And Noah begat Shem and Ham and Japheth.' That is Shem is the father of the swarthy, and Ham of the blacks, and Japheth of the whites." Then on the commentary on Gen 10:32, "...the red [smqry'] sons of Japheth,... the black sons of Ham,... and the swarthy sons of Shem."

The tradition is repeated in the 13th century by the Christian Ibn al- Ibrī (Bar Hebraeus), known for the —fidelity with which he reproduces earlier writers. Again in another work, Bar Hebraeus speaks of Noah dividing the world among his three sons, with Ham getting the Land of the Blacks (sūdān), Shem the Land of the Browns (sumra), and Japheth the Land of the Reds (łuqra).^[14]

Josaih Preist (1788-1851) believed that Shem, because he was a descendant in the Adamic line, and because "Adam" means reddish in Hebrew, that Shem too was of the "reddish race." Further, he believe that because Christ was a descendant in the line of Shem, that Christ was of "copper-colored stock". ^[15]

"According to ISBE, Shem means "dusky", and Japheth means "fair." (McKissick, Beyond Roots. P. 108).^[16]

Discussing the backgrounds of the Magi Three Wise Men, Benjamin Walker writes, "Balthasar belonged to the white race of Shem and brought the infant gold, symbol of the incarnation. Melchior belonged to the black race of Ham, and brought frankincense, symbol of the crucifixion. Caspar belonged to the yellow race of Japheth, and brought myrrh, symbol of the resurrection." ^[17] For other uses, see Magi (disambiguation). ... The Three Wise Men are given the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar in this late 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of St Apollinarius in Ravenna, Italy. ...

References

1. ^ Book of Jasher [Chapter 7:15]
2. ^ Book of Jasher [Chapter 7:16]
3. ^ Book of Jasher [Chapter 7:16]
4. ^ Book of Jasher [Chapter 7:17]
5. ^ Book of Jasher [Chapter 7:17]
6. ^ Prophetic Geography and the Time of the End, emphasis added
7. ^ Serge A. Zenkovsky's, Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales, Revised and Enlarged Edition. (NY: Meridian Books, 1974)
8. ^ P. 94, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan
9. ^ Mystery of the Ages, by Dr. James Modlish
10. ^ Charles F. Pfeifer. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962 p. 14)
11. ^ The History of the Church of God, "Chapter 2: FROM THE FALL OF MAN TO THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM"
12. ^ [The names of Noah’s sons were prophetic. Shem signifies name or renown (the Scriptures have been given to us through the family of Shem, and Christ was of that family); Ham signifies hot or black (his descendants mainly peopled Africa); and Japheth signifies either fair or enlarged (his descendants are the white-faced Europeans, who have gone forth and established colonies in all the other grand divisions of the globe).]
13. ^ [Tarikh al- abarī, ed. M.J. de Goeje, 1:199. A little later (p. 220) abarī repeats this tradition, again in the name of Ibn Abbas, but this time has —tawny with hardly any whiteness“ (udma wa-bayā qalīl) for Ham instead of —black with hardly any whiteness.“ My translation of abarī”s color terms follows Lane, who notes that applied to human complexion adam means —tawny or dark-complexioned, syn. asmar,“ umra means whiteness, and łuqra implies some mix of red and white, the common classification for a light-skinned complexion (Lane, An Arabic-English Lexicon, pp. 37a, 640c [see also 642a, a mar], and 1581b).]
14. ^ [M. Sprengling and W.C. Graham, ed., Barhebraeus‘ Scholia on the Old Testament, pp. 34-35 and 44-45. Bar Hebraeus‘ father was a Jewish convert to Christianity (thus the name). The quotation is from J.B. Segal, The Encyclopedia of Islam, second edition, 3:805, s.v. Ibn al- Ibrī.]
15. ^ The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600-2000 By Colin Kidd
16. ^ McKissick, Beyond Roots. P. 108)
17. ^ Walker, Benjamin 1983 Gnosticism: Its History and Influence The Aquarian Press, Wellingsborough UK. ISBN 0-85030-324-9

Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ... Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ... Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ... Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ... Sefer haYashar (midrash), a Hebrew midrash known in English translation mostly as The Book of Jasher. ...

See also

• Sons of Noah
• Wives aboard the Ark
• Subarians
• Finnegans Wake

This T and O map, which abstracts that societys known world to a cross inscribed within an orb, remakes geography in the service of Christian iconography and identifies the three known continents as populated by descendents of Shem (Sem), Ham (Cham) and Japheth (Iafeth) The Table of Nations is... Although Genesis tells us next to nothing about the four women aboard the Ark, who had witnessed the days before the Flood, there exist substantial extra-biblical traditions regarding these women and their names. ... Subarian is the term used by certain scholars (such as I. J. Gelb & E. A. Speiser) to describe the aboriginal language and inhabitants of Subar-Tu an ancient kingdom in Ararat mentioned in Sumerian records. ... For the street ballad which the novel is named after, see Finnegans Wake. ...

External links

• Table of Nations

• GENEALOGY OF MANKIND from Adam to Japheth, Shem, and Ham: click