Father of David, son of Obed, and grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He is called "the Bethlehemite" (1 Samuel 16:1,18; 17:58) and "the Ephrathite of Bethlehem" (ib. 17:12). He had eight sons (ib. 16:10,11; 17:12), although in 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 only seven are mentioned. He was a person of wealth, his property being chiefly in sheep (1 Samuel 16:1,11; 17:20; comp. Psalms 78:71).
Jesse's name stands out preeminently as that of the father of David, who is called "the son of Jesse"; and though this expression was used during David's lifetime and even afterward as a term of contempt—so by Saul (1 Samuel 20:27,30,31; 22:7,8), by Doeg (ib. 22:9), by Nabal (ib. 25:10), by Sheba (2 Samuel 20:1), and by the Ten Tribes (1 Kings 12:16; 2 Chronicles 10:16)—Isaiah the prophet connects with the "stem of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1) and "root of Jesse" (ib. 11:10) one of his sublimest Messianic prophecies. As Jesse was "an old man in the days of Saul" (1 Samuel 17:12), it is doubtful whether he lived to see his son king. The last historical mention of Jesse is in 1 Samuel 22:3, where it is stated that David entrusted his father and his mother to the care of the King of Moab; but, as may be inferred from ib. 32:4, this was only temporary.