Shem, the older brother of Japheth, was the ancestor of the Semitic peoples (people groups connected by language and culture in the ancient Near East) . The people listed here lived mainly to the east of Israel, in areas like modern Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
The narrator focuses on places in Mesopotamia (the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers). This is important because Abram, the ancestor of Israel, came from this region (see 11:27–32).
Eber receives special attention because he is an ancestor of Abram and is closely connected to the Hebrews (see study note on 10:24).