Olive Trees

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The Olive Trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

The olive tree played a significant role in the daily lives of the Israelites during biblical times. The olive tree that grows in the region of Israel is an evergreen tree belonging to the olive family (Oleaceae).

The olive tree grows to a height of approximately 5–10 meters. It blooms with white flowers from March to May. It begins to bear fruit in June, with harvest occurring from October to November. Its growth rate is slow, taking 10 to 15 years to bear fruit and around 30 years to fully mature. However, it is a long-lived tree, capable of surviving for several hundred years, with some trees exceeding 1,000 years.

The olive tree is used in the Bible as a metaphor for the righteous, while olive oil symbolizes God’s election. The Apostle Paul compared the salvation of the Gentiles to a wild olive tree being grafted into a true olive tree, illustrating how those outside of Israel could be included in God’s covenant.

Uses of the Olive Tree

The Anointing of David by Samuel by François-Léon Benouville, 1842: In Israel, olive oil was poured on the heads of those who were to become kings, prophets, and priests.

The olive tree was highly significant in ancient Israel, serving multiple religious, practical, and economic purposes.

1. Olive Branches in Religious Ceremonies: Booths during the Feast of Tabernacles were built using olive branches.[1] In Solomon’s temple, the cherubim in the Most Holy Place and the doors leading into it were made of olive wood.[2][3]

2. Olive Fruit Harvesting: Olives were harvested by striking the branches with a stick or shaking the tree. God commanded that after striking the branches once, the remaining fruit should be left for orphans and widows.[4] The harvested olives were crushed to extract oil.[5]

3. Firewood and Oil Residue: The olive tree was the most important source of firewood in Israel. Even the residue left after oil extraction was not discarded, being used for various practical purposes.

4. Olive Oil: It was one of Israel’s three major agricultural products, alongside grain and wine.[6][7] It was an essential household item, used for food preparation, fuel for lamps,[8] medicine for wounds,[9] cosmetics such as hair grooming and moisturizing dry skin.[10][11] High-quality olive oil was a major export product.[12] Solomon used olive oil to pay King Hiram of Tyre for timber used in constructing the temple.[13]

5. Anointing With Olive Oil: In Old Testament history, kings, prophets, and priests were anointed with oil as a sign of their divine appointment.[14][15][16] The anointing oil was made by mixing olive oil with liquid myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia.[17] The term “Messiah” means “the Anointed One,” signifying that the coming Savior would spiritually fulfill the roles of king, prophet, and priest.

For details, refer to: Messiah

Biblical Symbolism of the Olive Tree

1. The Olive Tree as a Symbol of Peace: The first mention of the olive tree in the Bible appears in the story of Noah’s flood. After the floodwaters receded, Noah sent out a dove, which returned carrying an olive leaf in its beak.[18] As a result, the olive tree and the dove became enduring symbols of peace for future generations.[19]

2. The Olive Tree as a Symbol of the Righteous: The olive tree is often used as a metaphor for the righteous in the Bible. David described the righteous as a green olive tree in his psalms.[20] The prophet Hosea compared the beauty of the righteous to that of an olive tree.[21] The descendants of the righteous were also likened to young olive trees.[22] Conversely, the prophet Jeremiah rebuked the people of Judah for their idolatry, stating that they had lost their beauty, once like a flourishing green olive tree.[23]

3. Olive Oil as a Symbol of Joy and Blessing: In the Bible, olive oil is associated with joy and divine blessings. The psalmist described God as pouring out the “oil of joy.”[24] The prophet Joel prophesied that, as a blessing from God, olive oil would overflow along with grain and wine.[25]

Parable of the True Olive Tree and the Wild Olive Tree

The Apostle Paul, in explaining God’s plan of salvation to Gentile Christians, used the analogy of a wild olive tree being grafted into a true olive tree. The true olive tree represents the Jews, God’s chosen people. The wild olive tree represents the Gentiles, who were once separate from God’s covenant. In the parable, some branches of the true olive tree were broken off, symbolizing how the Jews were set aside due to their unbelief in Jesus. Wild olive branches were grafted in, meaning the Gentiles were given the opportunity for salvation.


I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry. . . . If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Romans 11:13-24


However, Paul warns the Gentile believers that they must not become arrogant, for just as the Jews lost their place due to unbelief, the Gentiles could also lose salvation if they fail to obey God’s word. He reminds them that it is not the branches that support the root, but the root that supports the branches. This emphasizes that salvation comes solely by the grace of God, who is the root of all believers—both Jews and Gentiles.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nehemiah 8:15".
  2. ↑ "Deuteronomy 24:23–32".
  3. ↑ 1 Kings 6:23, Bible Hub
  4. ↑ "Deuteronomy 24:20".
  5. ↑ Roth H, Gadot Y, Langgut D. Wood, Economy in Early Roman Period Jerusalem, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 2019;382(1):71-87
  6. ↑ "Deuteronomy 11:14".
  7. ↑ "2 Chronicles 32:28".
  8. ↑ "Matthew 25:3–4".
  9. ↑ "Luke 10:33–34".
  10. ↑ "Matthew 6:17".
  11. ↑ "Ruth 3:3".
  12. ↑ "Hosea 12:1".
  13. ↑ "1 Kings 5:7–11".
  14. ↑ "2 Samuel 5:3".
  15. ↑ "1 Kings 19:16".
  16. ↑ "Exodus 28:41".
  17. ↑ "Exodus 30:23–30".
  18. ↑ "Genesis 8:11".
  19. ↑ Why Is the Olive Branch a Symbol of Peace?, Yehuda Shurpin, Chabad.org
  20. ↑ "Psalms 52:8".
  21. ↑ "Hosea 14:5–6".
  22. ↑ "Psalms 128:3".
  23. ↑ "Jeremiah 11:16".
  24. ↑ "Psalms 45:7".
  25. ↑ "Joel 2:23–24".
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