Jesse of Bethlehem β father of King David and progenitor of the Messianic line, referenced in the 'root of Jesse' prophecies.
The Greek Iessai transliterates the Hebrew Yishai (Jesse). Jesse was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, father of eight sons including David, and grandfather (by extension) of the entire Davidic dynasty. He appears in Ruth 4:17-22, 1 Samuel 16-17, and in the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 11:1: 'A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.' In the NT, Jesse appears in Matthew 1:5-6, Luke 3:32, Acts 13:22, and Romans 15:12.
Isaiah 11:1 chooses the name Jesse rather than David for the Messianic root β and this is theologically significant. By the time Isaiah prophesied, the Davidic dynasty had grown proud. Going back to Jesse β David's humble father, a Bethlehemite shepherd β strips away the regal accoutrements and returns to the root. The Messiah will not come from the palace but from the stump β the cut-down tree of Davidic promise. Paul quotes the 'root of Jesse' prophecy in Romans 15:12 ('the Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope') as the scriptural basis for Gentile inclusion in the gospel.