Shem (or
Sem) was the first of the
sons of Noah in the
Bible. He is mentioned in
Genesis 5:32, 6:10; 7:13; 9:18,23,26-27; 10; 11:10; also in
1 Chronicles[?] 1:4. The
Messiah is descended from Shem in an unbroken line. The
Jews derive their origin from
Shem and are sometimes referred to as
Semitic. However, a more recent theory states that the name may be derived from
Sumer or the
Sumerians.
Sem[?] is also the name of a commune in the
Ariège département, in
France