Olive Tree

Occurrences in Scripture

• Genesis 8:11: After the Flood, the dove that Noah sent out returns with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth. From this Noah knew that the waters had abated from the earth.
• Judges 9:8-9: Jotham, son of Gideon, rebukes Abimelech with a fable. When the trees set out to anoint a king, they first ask the olive tree, which declines because it will not leave its "fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man."
• Psalm 52:8; Psalm 128:3: The righteous person in the house of God is compared to "a green olive tree," and children gathered around the table are compared to "olive plants." Jeremiah 11:16 and Hosea 14:6 likewise compare Israel to an olive tree.
• Zechariah 4:3, 11-14: Two olive trees stand on either side of a golden lampstand. The text identifies them as "the two anointed ones."
• Romans 11:17-24: Paul explains the relationship between Israel and Gentile believers through the image of wild olive branches grafted into a cultivated olive tree.
• Revelation 11:4: The two witnesses are called "the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks."

Background

The olive is an evergreen fruit tree widely cultivated around the Mediterranean and in the land of Canaan. Oil pressed from its fruit was used for food, lamps, medicine, and anointing the body. Deuteronomy 8:8 describes the Promised Land as "a land of oil olive." The lamps of the tabernacle burned "pure oil olive beaten" (Exodus 27:20), and olive oil was an ingredient of the holy anointing oil, which was applied to consecrate sacred objects and persons (Exodus 30:24). The cherubim (winged angelic figures) in Solomon's temple were also made of olive wood (1 Kings 6:23). The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem takes its name from this tree, and the name Gethsemane is commonly understood to mean "oil press."

The Hebrew word is zayit, and the Greek is elaia. The Korean term gamnam (橄欖) is a Sino-Korean word that originally referred to a different tree native to southern China; it is generally thought to have entered Korean Bibles by way of Chinese Bible translations. The Revised New Korean Standard Version and the Korean Common Translation render the word as ollibeu-namu ("olive tree").

Significance Across Scripture

Olive oil is associated with anointing and thus calls to mind the installation of kings and priests and the blessing of God. The Old Testament uses the olive tree as an image of the flourishing of the righteous and of Israel. In the New Testament, Paul takes up this image and portrays the whole people of God as a single olive tree. The two olive trees of Zechariah reappear in Revelation as the two witnesses.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• The olive tree of Romans 11: Interpreters in the covenant theology tradition generally read the tree as the one people of God spanning the Old and New Testaments. Those in the dispensationalist tradition distinguish Israel from the church and take "all Israel" in Romans 11:26 to refer to a future restoration of ethnic Israel. Views on the details also differ within each tradition.
• The two olive trees: In the context of Zechariah 4, a widely known interpretation identifies them as the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua. The two witnesses of Revelation 11 are interpreted in several ways: as Moses and Elijah, on the basis of the miracles described in Revelation 11:6; as Enoch and Elijah, a view handed down by some in the early church; or as a symbol of the witness of the church itself.
• Symbol of peace: Regarding the dove and the olive leaf as a sign of peace is a later tradition. The text of Genesis presents the leaf only as a sign that the waters had abated.

In the Korean Church

The "olive plants" of Psalm 128:3 are frequently cited in sermons on the family and children. Meanwhile, in Korean new religious movements, certain individuals have claimed to be the olive tree or one of the two witnesses of Scripture. The best-known example is Park Tae-seon, founder of Cheonbugyo, who claimed to be "the Olive Tree"; this claim drew criticism from several denominations.