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Ἰεσσαί

Iessaí

G2421 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Personal name: Jesse. Refers to the name of a male Israelite, most notably the father of David in biblical tradition. Employed as a proper noun, the word denotes a specific individual for purposes of genealogy, identification, and narrative reference.

Semantic Range

proper name referring to Jesse the father of David, designation of an Israelite ancestor, genealogical reference

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew יִשַׁי (Yishai or Yişay), rendered in Greek as Ἰεσσαί. The Greek form is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew, with no internal Greek derivation (not formed from Greek roots).

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ἰεσσαί appears exclusively as a proper name in the Greek Bible (Septuagint and New Testament), referring to the father of David. In the Greek tradition, the transliterated form preserves the foreign origin and distinctiveness of the name, and does not acquire secondary meanings or titles. Its usage is genealogical and narrative, not common as a Greek personal name outside Jewish or biblical contexts. Standard English translations render it as 'Jesse,' often without further explanation. The name functions simply as an identifier and does not denote geographic, ethnic, or religious status by itself. There is no evidence of metaphorical or expanded uses in Koine Greek sources.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (יִשַׁי); Jessæ (i.e. Jishai), an Israelite:--Jesse.

Root Family

Ἰεσσαί (Iessai) — personal name, proper noun, Jesse

Root Ἰεσσαί personal name, proper noun, Jesse

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2421-01 Ἰεσσαί iessai N ACC M SG Jesse Jesse Iessai 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2421-01 Matthew 1:5 Ἰεσσαί iessai N ACC M SG Jesse Jesse Iessai
G2421-01 Matthew 1:6 Ἰεσσαὶ iessai N NOM M SG Jesse Jesse Iessai
G2421-01 Luke 3:32 Ἰεσσαὶ iessai N GEN M SG Jesse Jesse Iessai
G2421-01 Acts 13:22 Ἰεσσαί iessai N GEN M SG of Jesse Jesse Iessai
G2421-01 Romans 15:12 Ἰεσσαί iessai N GEN M SG Jesse Jesse Iessai
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