Jesse

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from 'yesh' (there is, exists) and a divine element — 'God exists.' Or from 'ish' (man) with a divine suffix. Isaiah's image of 'a shoot from the stump of Jesse' made the name inseparable from messianic hope.

Who they were

Jesse was a sheep farmer in Bethlehem, grandson of Ruth and Boaz, and the father of eight sons — the youngest of whom was David. He enters the biblical narrative when God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. Jesse paraded seven of his sons before the prophet, and God rejected them all. Samuel asked, 'Are these all the sons you have?' Jesse mentioned his youngest — out tending the sheep, evidently not considered worth including. That youngest son was David. Jesse's significance extends beyond his role as David's father. Isaiah prophesied that 'a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.' When the Davidic dynasty was cut down like a felled tree, Isaiah saw new life emerging from the roots — from Jesse, not from David. The 'Jesse tree' became one of the most important symbols in Christian art, depicting the genealogy of Jesus as a living tree growing from Jesse's sleeping body. The image appears in countless medieval church windows and manuscripts. Jesse himself is an ordinary man — a farmer, a father — whose significance lies entirely in what grew from him.

Family

Father

Obed

Mother

Possibly Ruth's daughter-in-law

Children

Eliab,Abinadab,Shammah,Nethanel,Raddai,Ozem,David,Zeruiah (daughter),Abigail (daughter)

Character qualities

• Provider for his family
• Perhaps underestimated his youngest
• Root of an eternal dynasty

Key verse

Isaiah 11:1

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Jessie · Jess · Yishai

Related names