He is the son of Nahshon, and married with Rahab of Jericho, by whom he had Boaz. Salmon is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:10-11; Ruth 4:20,21; .

According to The Exodus, of those who were at least twenty years of age when leaving Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua would cross the Jordan River. Unlike his father Nachson, Salmon was therefore less than twenty years of age at the beginning of The Exodus and was the first in his genealogy to cross the Jordan River.