Bible Figure
Jesse
son of Obed, belonging to the tribe of Judah; father of David
Jesse was the son of Obed, grandson of Boaz and Ruth, and father of David. He lived in Bethlehem and belonged to the tribe of Judah. Jesse enters the biblical narrative most prominently when the prophet Samuel came to his household and, under God's direction, anointed his youngest son David to become Israel's future king.
Biography
Jesse was a Bethlehemite descended from Judah through Perez, Boaz, and Obed. Scripture presents him chiefly in connection with his son David. During Saul's reign, God sent Samuel to Jesse's house to anoint the man chosen to become king. Jesse presented his older sons, but God rejected them one by one. David, the youngest, was initially absent because he was tending the sheep. When he was brought in, God directed Samuel to anoint him. Jesse later sent David with provisions to his brothers serving in Saul's army, placing David at the scene of his encounter with Goliath. Jesse's family subsequently became vulnerable because of Saul's hostility toward David. Although Scripture gives relatively little independent biography of Jesse, his household in Bethlehem became the family from which Israel's great royal dynasty emerged.
Biblical Significance
Jesse's importance rests especially in his place in the Davidic and Messianic line. Isaiah's prophecy of a shoot from the stump of Jesse uses his family as the image of renewed Davidic kingship. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the promised descendant of David, making Jesse an important link in the genealogy of the Messiah.