Aram, son of Shem

Aram (אֲרָם or ʾĂrām) was a son of Shem, according to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the father of Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

In older historiographic sources, he is usually regarded as being the eponymous ancestor of the Aramaean people of Northern Mesopotamia and Syria. While the historical Aramaeans do not make their definite appearance until ca. 1300 BC, there are disputed references to a campaign against "Aram" as early as 2300 BC, in the inscriptions of Naram-Sin of Akkad.

According to the "Book of Jubilees" (9:5), the inheritance of the Earth to be bequeathed to the descendants of Aram included all of the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as far north as the mountains; although historically, the Aramaeans never at any time occupied the whole of this territory, which would include all of Babylonia.

The land of Aram-Naharaim ("Aram of the Two Rivers") that included Haran, mentioned five times in the Bible, is traditionally thought to be populated by descendants of Aram, as is the nearby land of Aram that included Aram Damascus and Aram Rehob.

Aram son of Shem is also revered as a prophet in Mandaeism.