Shem / שם / سام . is my 66th great grandfather. It's a real stretch to claim that everyone in the world descends from Shem. I feel a more accurate estimate would be around one third of the world's population could possibly trace their linage back to Shem. There was a greater survival rate from the great flood up and beyond Noah, and his family. One example of this expanded survival can be found in the "Epic of Gilgamesh".
The story of the flood is allegorical in nature - it's not a literal historical event. While there may be some correlation to the flood noted in the 'Epic of Gilgamesh', historians and archaeologists truly have no idea if there is any correlation to a physical event.
The best we can say, regardless of creed, is that Shem is noted in an ancient text, he had sons and daughters, and we argue over the meaning of Shem's existence.
Hope that helps,
J
Shalom Laurie Lynn Brockbank,
you are absolutely right! The problem here is that there are multiple sources about his wives and those of his brothers, Ham & Yaphet. So I've started a project, "Biblical Tree - Wives of Noah's Ark
" (see link). But it still needs more work. Other issues became more urgent. :-(
https://www.geni.com/projects/Biblical-Tree-Wives-of-Noah-s-Ark/206...