# Shem — The City of God character guide

> Shem in The City of God by Augustine of Hippo.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0002-part-i-book-i

## Who they are

Son of Noah, ancestor of the Semitic peoples, through whom the line of Abraham descends.

## In the story

### [Book XVI: The Progress of the Two Cities from Noah to Abraham and Beyond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-book-xvi)

Shem, meaning 'named,' is blessed by Noah and is the ancestor from whom Christ was born in the flesh, representing the line of the heavenly city.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-i)

Noah blesses Shem, saying 'Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,' and prophesies that Canaan shall be his servant.

### [What was prophetically prefigured in the sons of Noah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-ii)

Means 'named'; prefigures Christ, from whom Christ was born in the flesh.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-iii)

Eldest son of Noah; from his line came Heber and the Hebrews.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-ix)

The eldest son of Noah, in whose tents Japheth dwells, signifying the continuation of the city of God.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-x)

Patriarch through whom the line of the city of God is preserved after the flood; his genealogy is traced to Abraham.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-xi)

Shem is the son of Noah whose descendants include Heber; the chapter enumerates the sons of Shem who each founded a nation.

### [Of the era in Abraham’s life from which a new period in the holy succession begins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-xii)

Son of Noah; the generations from Shem down to Abraham are enumerated.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/characters/shem
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_city_of_god_se/characters