? 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.
o In later Jewish sources
• The 1st-century historian Flavius Josephus told a legendary, non-scriptural account that Shem's five sons were the progenitors of the nations of Elam, Assyria, Chaldea, Lydia, and Levantine, respectively.
• 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.
• A rabbinic document that surfaced in the 17th century, claiming to be the lost Book of Jasher, provides some names not found in any other source.
• Shem was one of the three sons of Noah. Before the great Flood that God used to judge the inhabitants of the Earth for their great wickedness (Genesis 6:5–7), God instructed the righteous Noah to build a great ark to save Noah and his wife, along with their sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. The Lord brought two of every kind of unclean animal and seven of every kind of clean animal and shut them up in the ark before the flood waters covered the Earth (Genesis 7:14–16). The families and animals were in the ark for about 370 days: 40 days and 40 nights during the rains, and then the remainder of the time, waiting for the flood waters to recede (see Genesis 7:1–8:19).
• As Shem is always mentioned first among the sons of Noah, it is possible he was the oldest of the brothers. The reason he is always listed first could also be because his family line produced the Semitic people, including the Jews. Shem and his brothers and wives fulfilled God's command to begin repopulating the Earth (Genesis 9:7). Shem's line produced the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Elamites, Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Arabs, and Hebrews. Shem's name is the origin of the word Semitic; Shem's great-grandson Eber was the father of those who were eventually called "Hebrews," including Abram (see Genesis 10 and 11 for more on Shem's line).
• Only one other story deals with Shem, son of Noah. After the Flood, Noah became a farmer and grew a vineyard (Genesis 9:20). He became drunk on the wine one day and passed out naked in his tent (verse 21). Noah's son Ham found him thus, but instead of covering his father or helping him in any way, he reported the incident to his brothers outside (verse 22). Shem and Japheth brought some garments into the tent, and, walking backward so they would not see their father's nakedness, they covered Noah with the garment (verse 23). When Noah woke, he was angry with Ham for his neglect and cursed him, but he blessed both Shem and Japheth for the respect they showed (verses 24–27).
• After Shem had fathered many children, he passed away at 600 (Genesis 11:10–11). Shem is mentioned in the New Testament as an ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:36).
• Everything changed after the Flood, as recorded in Genesis 9:20-27: Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the Father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. However, Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then, they walked backward and covered their father's naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so they would not see their father naked.
• When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan." He also said, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! The lowest of enslaved people will he be to his brothers."
• May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth's territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth." (NIV)
• Shem and Japheth had covered his drunken nakedness out of respect for their father, earning Noah's blessing. But Ham had disrespected and violated their father by looking at his nakedness. As a result, Ham's descendants were cursed.
• Canaan, the son of Ham and grandson of Noah, settled in the area that would later become Israel, the territory God had promised to the Jews. They became known as the Canaanites. Later, when God rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, he ordered Joshua to wipe out the idolatrous Canaanites and take possession of the land.
• Shem means "fame" or "name." He fathered the Semitic people, which included the Jews. Scholars call the language they developed Shemitic or Semitic. Shem lived six hundred years. His sons included Arpachshad, Elam, Asshur, Lud, and Aram.
• Japheth means "may he have space" or "may God enlarge." Blessed by Noah and Shem, he fathered seven sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Their descendants spread to the coastlands around the Mediterranean and lived in harmony with Shem's people. This was the first hint in the Bible that the gospel of Jesus Christ would also bless the Gentiles
• Ham means "hot" or "sunburnt." Cursed by Noah, his sons were Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. One of Ham's grandsons was Nimrod, a mighty hunter and king over Babel. Nimrod also built the ancient city of Nineveh, which later played a part in the story of Jonah.
o The Table of Nations
• An unusual genealogy occurs in Genesis chapter 10. Rather than just a family tree listing who fathered whom, it details descendants "by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations." (Genesis 10:20, NIV)
• Moses, the author of the book of Genesis, was making a point that explained later conflicts in the Bible. Descendants of Shem and Japheth might be allies, but Ham's people, such as the Egyptians and Philistines, became enemies of the Shemites.
• Eber, meaning "the other side," is mentioned in the Table as a great-grandson of Shem. The term Hebrew, which originates from Eber, describes people from Haran who came from the other side of the Euphrates River. Thus, in Chapter 11 of Genesis, we are introduced to Abram, who left Haran to become Abraham, Father of the Jewish nation, which produced the promised Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Shem died before Abraham if we note that Abraham left Haran at the age of 75 (Gn 12:4), right after the death of Terah, Abraham's Father, who died at the age of 205 years old (Gn 11:32) when Shem was around 527 years old. So, when Shem died 75 years later (602 years old – Gn 11:10-11), Abraham was 150 years old, 25 years before his death.
• Shem died during the time of Jacob. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were schooled in Shem's knowledge of Yahovah, passed down from Adam.
• The oldest living man in the line of the firstborn would carry the title of Melchizedek. After Noah had died, the title of Melchizedek fell to Him. While Shem was still alive and received the tithe Abraham the title was still his. Abraham would receive the title after Shem died if no other living firstborn existed between them. Regardless of whether Abraham had the title, God called him to be a blessing to the world. I see it as follows: The line of the firstborn began with Adam and skipped Cain because he killed his brother Abel. It continues through the thirdborn instead, and his son takes the place of the firstborn. The line continues unhindered after that until it comes to Jacob(Israel) who changes things when he gives the blessing to Judah, the fourth born, when he states, "the scepter shall remain between his feet until He comes to whom it belongs. The "He" referred to here refers to Christ who, when he receives the title, carries the title into heaven and becomes both King and Priest for all. At the time of the Passover, while Israel was in Egypt, the Priesthood portion of the Melchizedek King/Priest title was transferred to the line of the Levites. This was done, I believe, because God had told Moses that he was going to kill all of the firstborns in Egypt, including even the animals. This placed the firstborn of Israel in Jeopardy as well. So, God gave them the lamb as a temporary sacrifice yearly until Christ was born to fulfill the death penalty on the firstborn. Since Christ is the "Word of God," while he was still with God, he gave the command to kill the firstborn in the first place. By doing this, he gives the way he would come to protect all of those who would be the firstborn in the kingdom when he comes to take us there. When Christ died, he ended the carnal form of the law, which required sacrifices, and replaced it for those who accepted his sacrifice with the New Covenant Law of Love.
• James Ussher made a one hundred seven-year error in his calculation for the world's birth in 4004 BC. This means that Adam was born in 4111 BC. Now follow the biblical genealogies of Adam and Shem, paying close attention to how long he lived after Arphaxad was born. You will find that the priest of On died when Joseph was 30 years old, and so did Shem. I just married either Shem's daughter or granddaughter.
• The Melchizedek line came through the line of the firstborn, but only if the following firstborn qualified for the job. Adam's firstborn killed his secondborn. Seth, the third born in Adam's "own likeness," became the chosen one. Likewise, Jacob handed down the scepter to Judah, the fourth born, when he said, "The scepter shall remain with him until "He" comes to whom it belongs. The "He" is an apparent reference to Christ. The blessing came from God to the one chosen out of the line of the firstborn. It does not seem that man had any choice here as to who would be next in line. God called Abraham when he wanted him to be the one through whom the world's people would be blessed. Shem was Melchizedek when Abraham gave him the tithe. But Abraham was the next in the Order of Melchizedek.
• No, no, no, you misinterpret the scriptures; Jesus was of the priesthood of Melchizedek, not the Levitical priesthood. You should go back and study Hebrews again. The priesthood line came through the Levites through Abraham because Abraham was blessed by the better. Jesus was not a priest after the Levitical priesthood, but he came to fulfill the end of it, which was the law. Once he fulfilled that law and became the ultimate sacrifice, we had a new priest abiding Forever. After the original one, Shem oh, a different priesthood, Jesus came out of the line of the tribe of Judah, which was prophesied over Judah by Isaac before he died.
• Yes. This is the clear path. Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7 give accurate descriptions.
And yes – it means that the Levitical priesthood is temporary, and the new /renewed priesthood is the NT order, the Royal priesthood, mentioned in 1Pt 2:8
• The Genesis narratives have a stunning scope, going from the first man, Adam, to a man named Shem, born centuries later in just a few chapters. Genesis 1-3 tells us about God creating the heavens and the Earth and how Adam and Eve's sin led to their banishment from the Garden of Eden. Genesis 4 describes how their firstborn son murdered their second son, and sin took its course. Fast forward to Noah, born a little over 1,000 years after creation (most reckon him to have been born 1056 years after creation). Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
• Shem (whose name means name, renown), along with his mother, his two brothers, and their wives, accompanied Noah into the completed ark. Out of all the people who existed at that time, God only saved eight.
• Shem was one of Noah's three sons whom God used to repopulate the Earth after the Great Flood. Many scholars argue that Shem was the eldest of Noah's sons, yet there is a possibility that Shem was Noah's middle son. Genesis 10:21 (NKJV) states, "And children were also born to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth, the elder."
• The Bible often lists children (sons) in order of their prominence instead of birth order. The Bible may even neglect to mention children who are insignificant to the biblical account. An important illustration of this is 1 Chronicles 1:28, which lists Isaac first in the record of Abraham's sons. Ishmael was the firstborn, but Isaac was the more excellent son. While his birth order does not matter so much, what God did through him does. We will see why Shem is the exceptional one of Noah's sons.
? After the Great Flood, when Noah and his family settled on dry land, Noah "began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank the wine and was drunk and uncovered in his tent." In other words, he lay there naked. The story continues, "And Ham, the Father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside… However, Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on their shoulders, and went backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness" (Genesis 9:20-23). The Bible is not explicit about this, but we can surmise Ham's actions of showing his father's naked form to his brothers lacked humility and honor because later, Noah rebuked him with a curse: "So Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his younger son had done to him…." He then pronounced a curse on Canaan, one of the people who originated from Ham. Noah then blessed God, Shem, and Japheth with these words, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant" (Genesis 9:25-27). Because Shem and Japheth honored their father by refusing to look upon his nakedness and covering him, they received his blessing. Canaan (of Ham's line) would serve both his elder brothers.
? With such a blessing, Shem became the progenitor of the Semitic tribes (Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram). While the term Semite (or Semitic) does not occur in the Bible, it is used to denote the genealogy of Shem. The most significant fact to know about Shem is his position in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. His son Arphaxad continued the line through Cainan, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Rue, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abraham (Genesis 10:23-31; Luke 3:36). What a lineage leading to the Messiah!
? Humanity can do so much good when controlled by the Spirit and so much evil when not. Pray for your beloveds who do not know the Lord, that they may be saved from the world's 'whelming Flood of inequity.
