Who
Son of Obed, a Bethlehemite, whose youngest son David Samuel anointed king (1 Samuel 16). Isaiah’s prophecy that “A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse”, on whom the Spirit of the LORD will rest (Isaiah 11:1–2), gave the Church the image of the Tree of Jesse, in which the Fathers saw the Virgin as the shoot and Christ as its flower (Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah on 11:1).
Key verses
- Ruth 4:22
and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.
- 1 Samuel 16:1
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons.”
- 1 Chronicles 2:12
and Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse;
- 1 Chronicles 2:13
and Jesse became the father of his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third,
- Isaiah 11:1
A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
- Isaiah 11:10
It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner of the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious.
- Matthew 1:5
Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse.
- Matthew 1:6
Jesse became the father of King David. David the king became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah’s wife.
- Luke 3:32
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
Where the Bible names him
Named 45 times in 13 books.
- ✓ In the deuterocanon, which the verse index does not cover: found in the text and checked by hand.
Verse index: TIPNR, STEPBible.org (Tyndale House), CC BY 4.0.
Family
Discussed by
Comments on the verses that name him (8 of 114).
- Remigius of Auxerre on Matthew 21:2–9 (7)Catena Aurea on Matthew
The Lord sitting upon the ass goes towards Jerusalem, because presiding over the Holy Church, or the faithful soul, He both guides it in this life, and after this life leads it to the view of the heavenly country.…
- Glossa Ordinaria on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Passing over the other sons of Jacob, the Evangelist follows the family of Judah, saying, “But Judah begat Phares and Zara of Thamar.”
- Augustine of Hippo on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Neither was Judah himself first-born, nor of these two sons was either his first-born; he had already had three before them. So that he keeps in that line of descent, by which he shall arrive at David, and from him…
- Jerome on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
It should be noted, that none of the holy women are taken into the Saviour’s genealogy, but rather such as Scripture has condemned, that He who came for sinners being born of sinners might so put away the sins of…
- Ambrose of Milan on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
But Luke has avoided the mention of these, that he might set forth the series of the priestly race immaculate. But the plan of St. Matthew did not exclude the righteousness of natural reason; for when he wrote in his…
- John Chrysostom on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Besides this, it shews that all are equally liable to sin; for here is Thamar accusing Judah of incest, and David begat Solomon with a woman with whom he had committed adultery. But if the Law was not fulfilled by…
- Ambrose of Milan on Matthew 1:3–6 (2)Catena Aurea on Matthew
Observe that Matthew does not name both without a meaning; for though the object of his writing only required the mention of Phares, yet in the twins a mystery is signified; namely, the double life of the nations,…
- Pseudo-Chrysostom on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
By Zarah is denoted the people of the Jews, which first appeared in the light of faith, coming out of the dark womb of the world, and was therefore marked with the scarlet thread of the circumciser, for all supposed…