Shem

Shem
One of the sons of Noah.
BC	2410 to 1810
FC	1558 to 2158
Father	Noah
Children	Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram

Shem (Hebrew שׁם) (1558 FC – 2158 FC | 2410 BC – 1810 BC | 600 yrs) was the third and youngest son of Noah, born when Noah was 502 years old. At that time the world was troubled by violence and crime, and God had warned his father Noah of the coming judgment and instructed him to build an Ark. Shem and his brothers presumably helped Noah with the construction. He took a wife before the Flood came and fathered Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram after the Flood. Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrews and Arabs, was one of the descendants of Arphaxad. Shem lived 502 years after the Flood, outliving Abraham, and could have known Ishmael, Isaac, and Jacob.

He and Japheth were the ones to cover Noah after he had become drunk, and Ham had seen his nakedness. Noah blessed Shem for this saying that he would dwell peaceably with Japheth and Canaan would be his servant.

Shem is the father of the European peoples.

Etymology

Shem means “name, fame, renown”. It may also be derived from the Hebrew verb “shum” which means “put, appoint, make”. In either case, Shem lived up to his name, as he was given the birthright blessings – being appointed to lead the world and becoming famous.

Was Shem Really The Youngest?

When Genesis 5:32 says that Noah was 500 years old and sired “Shem, Ham, and Japheth”, we are led to believe they were triplets; or, at the least, that Shem was the eldest. Yet the Bible makes it clear that isn’t possible by using some simple math.

The Flood began when Noah was 600. At that time, Shem would have been 100 years old, if born when Noah was 500. But if you read Genesis 11:10, you’ll see that Shem’s firstborn, Arphaxad, was born 2 years after the Flood, when Shem was 100 years old.

But there’s a problem. Shem was born when Noah was 500, the Flood happened when Noah was 600, and Shem’s son was born two years later when Noah was 602... and at that point Shem was only 100. There are two extra years there. Figuring backwards, we cannot escape the conclusion that Shem was born when Noah was 502. Yet Genesis 5:32 clearly said Noah was 500 when he had “Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

This is reconciled by using all the scriptures. Shem was the brother of Japheth – we knew that – but the brother of Japheth who was the elder (Genesis 10:21).

This means that the order given in Genesis 5:32 is wrong. Not wrong exactly, because the order is given that way for a reason; but wrong, chronologically. See, the Bible has an interesting quirk in that the “eldest” child is often not the eldest in chronological age, but is the eldest reckoned by birthright. In other words, if the “real” firstborn child is an evil monster, the birthright will go to the next eldest; and from that point on, he will always be given the honors that belong to the eldest.

Shem was mentioned first because Shem received the birthright, not Ham or Japheth, the elder. We know that Shem received the birthright because the line of Christ and the blessings of Abraham were given to his children, not to the others.

We don’t know exactly why Shem inherited the birthright in front of his brothers. Very little is said about any of the three. Regardless, they were listed as “Shem, Ham, and Japheth”, even though Shem was certainly younger than Japheth; the way it is listed implies that Ham was the firstborn; Japheth the second; Shem the last.

If that is so, then we can safely conclude that Ham was born when Noah was 500; Japheth when he was 501; and Shem when he was 502. And that Genesis 5:32 meant that Noah was 500 years old when he began to have children, and had Shem, Ham, and Japeth in order of birthright, or Ham, Japheth, and Shem, in order of birth.

The Land Of Shem

Shem has left us a wide trail as most history, Biblical and otherwise, was written about Shem. The Bible is almost exclusively written about Shemites.

The world today uses “Semites” (the same word) to refer exclusively to the Jews; the educated world uses it to apply generally to various races in the Middle East. But the real meaning of the term is the sons of Shem; of which Jews are only the tiniest part.

The Shemites looked a particular way, differing from the Hamites and the Japhethites. Most of the ones we know from the Bible were Israelite, and most of those we have descriptions of were from the tribe of Judah; but they were all Shemites.

European features are different from Asian features and African features. David had a ruddy complexion. Solomon looked white. The Jews of Jeremiah’s time are described as white and ruddy. Solomon described his lover in greater details, which likely resemble European features.

The Song of Solomon is a book that contains more physical descriptions of people than all the rest of the Bible put together. It is written from the perspective of a man and at least one woman; sometimes it is extolling the beauty of a man – Solomon/Christ – and sometimes it is extolling the virtues of one or more women. It is a deeply symbolic book. So when Solomon says his lover’s eyes are like the “fishpools of Heshbon”, in this context, it cannot signify any color but blue/green eyes. A belly the color of wheat would signify a healthy tan on top of a clear, white “ivory” skin. Tall and slender, like a palm tree, with hair that is almost purple is a dark colored hair. There are many people today who fit this description but all of them are of European ancestry.

Blue-eyed Asians or Africans are extremely rare. Brown/black hair and blue eyes, with the whites of the eyes being very white, reddish skin and/or hair, are all distinctly European features. Also, the nose “like the tower of Lebanon” implies a long, Roman-type nose, as opposed to the more flattened African or smaller Asian nose.

God was with Shem; and with his descendants, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph; and with David, Solomon, Jeremiah, Jesus, and the apostles. They were all Shemites. And not one of them had oriental features.

God did intend for Shem’s descendants to be leaders of the world. He plainly said so in Genesis 9:26-27. This means that Shem’s sons, the “sons of the name” were given divine right to rule the world.

But not by military conquest, not by exterminating the rest of the world. Not by out-breeding the rest of the world. By spreading the truth of God. God gave them the weakest genetics, recessive genes that are so fragile they disappear in a few generations of intermarriage. He did this so that they would be forced to rely on Him for their successes, so that no flesh could glory in His presence.

God must be blameless when He judges. So to prove that His choice of Israel was not simply a matter of favoritism, He has given each of the other nations a chance at power. Despite His promise to Shem that his brothers would serve him, at various points in history each of the families listed in Genesis 10 have had the opportunity to lord it over their brethren; and each has proven, in turn, why they are not fit to be the master race.

The nations of Shem, and particularly Israel, used their power more benevolently and righteously than most, but even they were clearly not qualified to hold ultimate power, and they have shown this many times in history. The world was supposed to come to the sons of Shem, the sons of Eber, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and finally Jesus, and learn the truth from them.