Raddai is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Raddai was one of the sons of Jesse, the father of King David. He is named only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogical record of the tribe of Judah: “Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth” (1 Chronicles 2:14). This places him in the family line of Judah, in the town of Bethlehem, during the period before Israel had a king—the era when the book of Judges ended and the monarchy was about to begin.
Raddai was therefore a brother of David, though he was not the eldest. The same passage lists Jesse’s sons in order: Eliab the firstborn, then Abinadab, Shimma, Nethaneel, Raddai, Ozem, and finally David, the youngest (1 Chronicles 2:13-15). Raddai was the fifth in this sequence, standing between Nethaneel and Ozem, and seventh in the family if David is counted last. The parallel list in 1 Samuel 16:6-11 also speaks of Jesse’s many sons, though it does not name Raddai there.
Scripture records nothing else about Raddai. He does not speak, act, or appear in any narrative. He is simply one name in a long genealogy, a thread in the family line that God was weaving toward the birth of David—and, ultimately, toward the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. His life is hidden, but his place in the record is not forgotten.
The Name
The name Raddai (Hebrew רַדַּי) is of uncertain meaning. Unlike names such as “Samuel” (“heard of God”) or “Nathaniel” (“gift of God”), which are clearly built from known Hebrew roots, Raddai does not have a meaning that scholars agree upon. Some have suggested a connection to a root meaning “to subdue” or “to rule,” but this is not well established. Others note possible links to words for “treading” or “going down,” yet none of these proposals is certain. The honest answer is that the meaning of this name is not clearly recoverable from the Hebrew text. What we can say is that it was a personal name borne by a real man in Jesse’s household, remembered in Israel’s genealogies.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be listed among the famous. Raddai’s entire legacy in Scripture is a single line: “Raddai the fifth.” Yet that line mattered. He was part of the family God chose to bring David—and eventually the Messiah—into the world. Faithfulness in obscurity is still faithfulness. You may never be seen or remembered by many, but God knows your name, your place, and your part in His story. Like Raddai, you can be content to be a quiet link in a chain that carries blessing far beyond your own lifetime.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 2:14 — Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,