Shem, A Son Of Noah Series

? Facts About Shem, A Son of Noah

? •Scholars are unsure whether Shem is Noah's eldest or youngest son.

? •The children of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram, and unnamed daughters.

? •Parent(s) Noah

? •Shem was one of the sons of Noah in the book of Genesis, the book of Chronicles, and the Quran.

? •The children of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram, and unnamed daughters. Abraham, the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, was one of the descendants of Shem.

? Genesis 10:21 refers to the relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity to have yielded different English translations. The verse is translated in the King James Version: "Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him was 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."

? The Paraphrase of Shem, which contains ideas unique to other Gnostic scriptures, states that Shem was the first being on Earth.

? •In Islam, Sunni Islam - Shem is regarded by scholars as the successor to Noah, receiving prophetic knowledge, enlightenment, and leadership of his people. Shem was also one of the people whom God had Jesus resurrect as a sign to the Children of Israel. Early Islamic historians like Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham always included Shem's name in the genealogy of Muhammad.

? Shi'a Islam In a Shiite tradition, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq has narrated to his companions that Jibrael visited Noah close to his death, relaying God's message: "Oh Noah! Your prophethood has expired and your days are complete, so look to the Great Name, the inheritance and effects of the knowledge of prophethood, and hand these over to your son, Sam (Shem), for I do not leave the Earth except that there is a knowledgeable one by which obedience to Me (God) can be recognized..."

? In Gnosticism. Unlike traditional Sethian literature, Seth is not seen as the Father of Gnosticism's followers; instead, Shem receives a divine revelation from a spiritual savior named Derkedeas. Shem later helps bring his universal teaching of secret knowledge to humanity before the forces of darkness attempt to destroy the world with a great flood. The Paraphrase of Shem, which contains ideas unique to other Gnostic scriptures, states that Shem was the first being on Earth.

? •In Mandaeism - According to Mandaean beliefs and scriptures, Shem is associated with the angelic soteriological* figure Sam Ziwa. Shem is considered the progenitor of the Mandaeans.

? *Soteriology

? Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions. Soteriology is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. In the academic field of religious studies, scholars understand soteriology as representing a key theme in several different religions and are often studied in a comparative context; that is, comparing various ideas about what salvation is and how it is obtained.

? •According to the Bible, the genealogy of Shem to Abraham shows the origin of the Moabites, Israelites, Ammonites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, Midianites, Ashurites, Leturites, and Leumites.

• According to Genesis 10:22-31 (Jewish Publication Society Translation of 1917): 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arpachshad begot Shelah; and Shelah begot Eber. 25 And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days was the Earth divided, and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah; 27 and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah; 28 and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba; 29 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, unto the mountain of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and of these were the nations divided in the Earth after the Flood.

• Genesis 11:10 records that Shem was 100 years old at the birth of Arphaxad, two years after the Flood, and that he lived for another 500 years after this, making his age at death 600 years. Excerpts from Genesis 11:10-27— (Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917):' Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two years after the Flood. ... Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begot Shelah. 13 And Arpachshad lived after he begot Shelah ... Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. ... Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg. ... Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. ... Reu lived two and thirty years, and begot Serug. '... Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. ... Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Terah. ... Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ... and Haran begot Lot.