Meaning of the Name Shem
From the Hebrew name Shem, meaning 'name' and, by extension, 'renown' or 'a good name'. Sam is the form used in Turkish Bible translations and Islamic tradition, and Turkish academic usage also writes Sem. The term 'Semitic' is derived from this name; the modern given name Sam, by contrast, is usually short for Samuel and has a different origin.
Origin
The name Shem is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Shem in the Bible?
Shem is one of Noah's three sons and survives the flood in Noah's ark. Because he and his brother Japheth respectfully cover their father's nakedness, he receives Noah's blessing. The genealogy of Genesis runs from his line to Abraham, and Luke's Gospel names him in Jesus' genealogy.
The story of Shem in the Bible
Shem is one of Noah's sons, and his name almost always appears with those of his brothers Ham and Japheth. When the earth is filled with violence, God tells Noah to build an ark, and Shem, with his wife, is among the eight people who enter it and survive the flood. After the flood Noah plants a vineyard, becomes drunk from its wine and lies uncovered in his tent. When Ham sees his father's nakedness and tells his brothers outside, Shem and Japheth take a garment, turn their faces away, walk in backward and cover their father. Waking, Noah answers their respect with a blessing and praises the LORD as the God of Shem, one of the first places in Scripture where God is called the God of a particular person. The table of nations in Genesis 10 lists the peoples descended from Shem, and the genealogy of Genesis 11 runs from Shem to Eber, then to Terah and Abraham. Shem thus stands at the head of the line through which the promises to Abraham would come. The term Semitic derives from his name. Luke's Gospel also names Shem when tracing Jesus' genealogy back to Noah.
Is Shem mentioned in the Quran?
The name Shem (Sam) does not appear in the Quran; it speaks of Noah's family without naming his sons. In Islamic tradition, Sam is known as Noah's son; in the Bible he appears in Genesis as one of the three sons who survived the flood.
Verses where Shem appears
- Genesis 6:10 —
Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
- Genesis 9:26 —
He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
- Genesis 11:10 —
This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.