Genesis 10:21 says,, Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.  It is through Eber, one of the great grandsons of Shem, that the Hebrews descended.  Though they were a weak people nationally, they were the people that God chose to work through to accomplish His salvation plan.  They were set apart, not because of their greatness, but because of their weakness in the eyes of the world.  God does not often choose the rich and powerful to work through, but instead chooses the weak and lowly.  Even those who are rich and powerful must acknowledge their own weakness before God to claim His salvation.   It also points out that Ham was evidently the younger brother of Japhteth, through whom the Gentiles were descended.  Though a separate group of people throughout the Old Testament, the Jews and Gentiles were descended from the same person, Noah, and were reunited as one people spiritually, followers of Christ, in the New Testament.  Verse twenty-two states, The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.  Verse twenty-four concludes, And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.  We are now back to Eber, who has already been brought up.  Verse twenty-five states, And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.  It was during the days of Peleg that the earth was divided, most likely referring to the dispersion at the tower of Babel.  Verse twenty-six says, And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,  Verse twenty-seven adds, And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,  Verse twenty-eight continues, And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,  Then verse twenty-nine states, And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.  Verse thirty says, And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. This simply tells us where some of Shem's descendants lived.  Verse thirty-one declares, These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.  Then verse thirty-two concludes, These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.  I believe that what this means today is that by birth we are all equal in God's view.  Though God chose to work through a particular group of people in the Old Testament, that does not mean that everyone else was doomed.  God has always worked to redeem anyone and everyone who will put their faith in Him.