olive- H2132:
זית ⟺ זַיִת: zayith
“The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.”
Jeremiah 11:16 KJV
Biology
The olive tree thrives in the mountains of Israel, producing the highest quality olives in Samaria. Wild olive trees were domesticated to enhance the olive harvest, which occurs in September.
Human Connection
Perhaps one of the most famous trees in the Bible. Both the green and more mature black olives were eaten after processing. Special effort was made to extract the oil from the olives. It was used for cooking, as a medicine, for cosmetics, in the production of soap, to anoint leaders, and as the fuel burned in lamps. The olive tree is associated with beauty, health, stability, nobility, and divine favor.
Bible Examples
Genesis 8:11; Exodus 30:22-25; Job 29:6; Psalm 23:5; Jeremiah 31:12; Matthew 25:3-10; Luke 10:34
The olive tree is very prominent in Israel and in the writings of sacred scripture. When Israel conquered Canaan under the leading of Joshua, the olive tree was a prominent feature among the flora of the land. The land was describes as – a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; (Deut 8:8).
The first mention of the olive is found in the book of Genesis, chapter 8. It refers to Noah sending out a dove from the Ark, after the judgement by God on sinful humanity by the worldwide flood. The dove returned to Noah with a freshly plucked olive branch in its beak.
Gen 8:7 to 11 – Then he (Noah) sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
Genesis 6 and 7 records the great flood; it tells how mankind has become so wicked, so depraved, that every single imagination of every man was only evil continuously. Mankind had totally corrupted his way upon the earth and God’s heart was broken! Mankind was irrecoverable and the Lord, greieved at heart decided to destroy mankind from then face of planet Earth by means of a great and a universal flood! This flood is recorded by many cultures and peoples.
We know that one man (Noah) found favor in the eyes of the Lord. God told him to build an ark into which his wife and three sons, together with their wives were to enter when the judgement waters of the flood were poured out! Noah was NOT A PROUD man. Like all men who are humble he was a man of strong faith. He believed God and started to build a great ship. Noah was a preacher of righteousness and he would have repeatedly warned the men of his generation that they needed to repent and that the flood waters were coming. They mocked him – as he continued in faith you build the ark. Finally God called Noah and his family to enter the ark and the floods, drowning every living thing upon the face of the earth was poured out!
Noah and his family were safe, borne up by the flood waters – together with the animals that the Lord had instructed Noah to take in the ark with him. When the waters finally abated and the judgement of sinful mankind was complete the ark settled on the mountains of Ararat. The word Ararat denoted holiness. God had translated Noah and the 7 members of his family from one sinful society – one sinful ‘kingdom’ into new land of deliverance and fresh hope. Into a kingdom of deliverance and righteousness,
The Olive Sprig and Dove
When the ark descended to mount Ararat, Noah wanted to know if the flood waters had abated from the earth. To ascertain this he sent out birds. First he sent out a raven and after that a dove, The dove being a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Matt 17: ), returned to Noah. The dove being a ‘pure’ bird still could not tolerate the muddy, messy land – so Noah knew that the waters had not yet receded from the earth.
After 7 days Noah sent out a second dove which returned to him with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. The symbolism of the olive tree is profound! The olive was a symbol of the ” new life” that had began to reappear on the face of the earth after all the judgement and destruction. So in this ” principle of first reference” we have a picture of new life ( the olive) brought by the Holy Spirit ( the dove) after God pours out his judgement on the earth. Jesus will bring peace and new life in his Holy Spirit when he returns to earth after God pours out his judgement ( the waters) on a godless, sinful, Christ – rejecting world!
The scriptures also tell us that when Jesus returns to earth to set up his kingdom and bring new life and peace his feet will stand upon (guess where?) Yes ! The Mount of olives!
The scripture is so well integrated and tied together and every scripture passage, clarifies, enlarges on and ties in harmoniously with every other scripture!
The olive tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible, from as early as the time of the flood when the dove from the ark brought an olive branch back to Noah, to Revelation 11:4, where the two witnesses are represented as two olive trees. As one of the most highly valued and useful trees known to the ancient Jews, the olive tree is significant for several reasons in the Bible. Its importance in Israel is expressed in the parable of Jotham in Judges 9:8–9: “One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’”
Rather common in the Holy Land, the olive tree is a multi-branched evergreen with a knotted trunk, smooth, ash-colored bark, and oblong, leathery leaves that are silvery green. Mature, cultivated olive trees grow to 20 or more feet in height and produce small flowers of yellow or white around the first of May. When the blooms begin to fall, olives, the fruit of the tree, start to form. At first, the fruit is green but turns to a deep, blue-black or dark green color when the olives are fully ripened and harvested in early fall.
In the ancient Near East, olive trees were an essential source of food (Nehemiah 9:25), lamp oil (Exodus 27:20), medicine (Isaiah 1:6; Luke 10:34), anointing oil (1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3), sacrificial oil (Leviticus 2:4; Genesis 28:18), and wood for furniture (1 Kings 6:23, 31–33).
An extremely slow-growing plant, the olive tree requires years of patient labor to reach full fruitfulness. Being well-suited to grow in the Mediterranean climate, the olive tree played a significant role in the region’s economy. The outer, fleshy part of the oval-shaped fruit is what yields the highly valuable commodity of olive oil. Still today, olive oil is considered good for health.
The olive tree and olive branch have been symbols of peace and reconciliation ever since the account of Noah’s flood. When the dove brought Noah “a plucked olive leaf in its beak,” the olive branch represented new life sprouting on the earth (Genesis 8:11). The olive tree was alive and growing. The promise of the dove’s olive branch was a new beginning for humanity, peace and reconciliation with God, renewal, and revival. The slow and hearty growth of the olive tree also implies establishment and peace. Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still grow today in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
The flowering olive tree is a symbol of beauty and abundance in the Bible. The tree’s fruitfulness and ability to thrive suggests the model of a righteous person (Psalm 52:8; Hosea 14:6), whose children are described as “vigorous young olive trees” (Psalm 128:3, NLT). Olive oil was also used in the anointing and coronation of kings, making it an emblem of sovereignty.
Olive tree oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as it was used as the carrier for a mixture of spices that made up the holy anointing oil. In Zechariah 4, the prophet has a vision of two olive trees standing on either side of a solid gold lampstand. The olive trees supply the oil that fuels the lamps. The two olive trees represent Zerubbabel and Joshua, the governor and high priest. The Lord encourages them not to trust in financial or military resources, but in the power of God’s Holy Spirit working through them (verse 6). As in other Old Testament analogies, God’s Holy Spirit is represented by the oil of the olive tree.
The process by which olives are beaten and crushed to produce olive oil contains spiritual significance as well. Jesus Christ was beaten and crushed on the cross so that His Holy Spirit would be poured out on the church after His ascension to heaven. In essence, Jesus Christ is God’s olive tree, and the Holy Spirit, His olive oil. It is not mere coincidence that Christ’s agonized prayer, just before His arrest, occured in Gethsemane, a place of many olive trees and whose name means “olive press.”
God uses the imagery of an olive tree in Jeremiah 11:16–17 to remind His people of the covenant relationship He has with them. God’s people (the nation of Israel) are depicted as an olive tree and God as the farmer. He planted them as a beautiful olive tree but warned He would cut them down if they disobeyed His laws and worshiped false gods. The apostle Paul makes use of this imagery to teach a lesson to Gentile believers in Romans 11:17–24. Paul chooses the cultivated olive tree to portray Israel and the wild olive tree to represent Gentile believers. The cultivated olive tree is pruned and nurtured so that it bears much fruit. The fruitless, ineffective branches are trimmed and discarded, but the root remains intact. God has preserved the holy root of Israel and pruned off the worthless branches.
The Gentiles, represented by the wild olive tree in Romans 11, have been grafted into the cultivated olive root. As a wild olive tree, their root was weak. Their branches were incapable of bearing fruit until they were grafted into the nourishing, life-sustaining root of the cultivated olive tree. Gentile believers now share in Israel’s blessings, but Paul warns, “Do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you” (CSB). Paul wants Gentile believers to understand that they have not replaced Israel. God has done a beautiful thing for the Gentiles, but Israel is still God’s chosen nation and the source of the riches of salvation that the Gentiles now enjoy.
Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, is the root of Jesse, or the root of the cultivated olive tree. From Him, Israel and the Church draw their life.
Eternity Planted In The Heart of Man
it’d a profound fact with a deep significance that the United Nations Organization has also adopted the olive as the symbol of world peace. The meaning and symbolism of the olive as the symbol of the new life of peace Christ will bring is implanted deep in men’s hearts! The bible tells us that God has actually planted eternity deep in the heart of man (Ecc 3:11). People know more of eternal things and eternal values tan they care to admit! When unbelieving men and woman mock the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ they are resisting the witness of God’s holy Spirit as well as truth that God has implanted deep in their hearts that they need God. On December 7th 1946 the United Nation approved a map of the world surrounded by olive branches as the symbol of world peace.
And so, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace will return to this war-torn, disease – ridden, godless, sin-soaked rebellious earth His feet will stand victoriously on the mount of olives. Our Lord will be King over all the earth.
Grafted Into The Cultivated Olive
Let’s turn to another New Testament passage of scripture which talks about God’s Olive Tree. Let’s read together Romans 11:17-24.
Eph 2:11, 12 –Remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh–who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Olive trees are mentioned all throughout scripture. They are used symbolically as peace, prosperity, beauty and the relationship between God and His people.
- “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I will trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.”—Psalm 52:8
- “For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”—Romans 11:24
The olive tree roots grow deep and they surprisingly thrive in the desert. Thus, making the desert bloom! This blossoming desert is a promise from God that Israel’s restoration is at hand.
“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.”—Isaiah 35:1
When we look at the olive tree as a beautiful symbol of our relationship with God, a deeper meaning of the plant in scripture is revealed. God’s holy “root” is planted within our hearts when we accept Yeshua as our Messiah, and we are grafted into His family. His Spirit, taking root within us, enables us to be His light to the world!
The olive tree’s emblem of peace speaks volumes to those who are exposed to it. At My Olive Tree, the symbolism of olive trees run deep within our hearts. Watching the Lord’s hand at work in blooming the desert, providing economic growth in the Promised Land, and producing peace is truly humbling.
Olive trees in the bible
Olive Trees in the bible is symbol of beauty, peace, longevity, fruitfulness, abundance and strength. Olive tree is considered the most valuable in ancient times & now it is planted all over the world because of its benefits. Olive fruit are pressed to make oils which are useful in light by fueling the lamps. It is holy tree of Jesus as well. It also shows prosperity and the association between God and his people who worship.
The olive tree meaning in the Hebrew word zayith is “an olive” and this tree has a connection with the production of oil. Another Hebrew word for olive tree is “es shemen” which means “tree that has oil”. The tree has different meanings related to its structure and uses that are bright, beautiful, shiny, amusing quality, oils, ointment etc. Olives have also become a part of Israel culture that shows values of Jewish lifestyle. In the bible it is associated with plenitude, beauty, values and life. They are also a symbol of long-lived, peace, calmness and positive side.
- Peace: Over the years, the olive tree has become a symbol of peace. The well-known story of Noah’s Ark depicts the olive branch as a symbol of hope and God’s promises. The dove brought it back to Noah to inform him that the flood waters had subsided—the tough journey through the deep waters were coming to an end.
Olive branches were later used as a means of showing peace to other leaders and nations.
- Love and celebration: Olive branches were also used in festivals and weddings during biblical times. They were twisted and made into wreaths to crown the heads of the betrothed on their wedding day.
Along with couples, those who made pilgrimages—bringing their firstfruits—to Jerusalem, used the olive branches as adornment. But, instead of placing them on the heads of people, they wrapped them around the horns of the bull that led the procession.
- Life and vitality: Throughout the Bible, there are consistent references to olive trees as symbols of life and vitality. For example, the people of Israel are referred to as “a green olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit” in the book of Jeremiah. Hosea 14:6 speaks of Israel’s “beauty… like an olive tree” and Psalm 52:8 states, “…I am like a green olive tree in the house of God…”
Clearly, the olive tree was prevalent during ancient times and is beginning to flourish in the land of Israel again, just as the prophets of old said they would.
The Two Olive Trees in Zechariah 4
In Zechariah 4, we read about a golden lampstand and two olive trees.
Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’
“So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.’”—Zechariah 4:1-3 (emphasis added)
Zechariah sees a lampstand that was kept continually burning. The number seven signifies completeness. Therefore, the seven lamps and seven pipes are surrounded by the two olive trees that provide an unlimited reservoir of oil—they are completely provided what they need to fulfill their purpose.
In biblical times, keeping the golden lampstands in the temple filled with oil, cleaning them of soot, and maintaining the wicks was a tedious and continuous job.
The vision of the two olive trees directly feeding the lamps the pure oil needed to stay lit signifies God’s Spirit doing the work and being revealed in the light.
We know that Jesus is the light of the world, and remarkably, He gives Christians the declaration that they too are the light and will be used by Him to do the Father’s will.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14-16
The two olive trees in Zechariah were a picture of the priestly offices. And because Christians are “kings and priests,” the Holy Spirit works through us to be the light of the world, and our supply of this anointing never runs dry.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”—Revelation 1:5-6 (emphasis added)
When we as Christians embrace our role in the Great Commission to be the light that will not be hidden, let us not forget who supplies the power and might.
The angel of the Lord relayed this message to Zechariah…
…‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”—Zechariah 4:6
Because Jesus is the true vine that supplies us with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we should consider how we are olive trees. The Lord is the oil that keeps us lit so that we can fulfill His purpose and bring restoration to Israel.
During the time of Zechariah’s vision, the exiled Jews had returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple, but the work had reached a standstill. Zechariah’s message was to encourage the completion of the temple.
.Zechariah, however, still struggled with the vision. "What are these two olive trees—at the right hand of the lampstand and at its left" (v. 11). And it may be that he didn’t receive an immediate answer because his question needed to be refined by further examination of the vision. (Sometimes, when we want to know what God is telling us, His answer is for us to keep looking further.) And so, "I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?" (v. 12). The angel seems to make Zechariah search even further; saying, "Do you not know what these are?"—again, almost suggesting that he ought to know. When he said, "No, my lord" (v. 13), the angel tells him, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth" (v. 14). In the context of the events that lay behind Zechariah’s vision, these two "anointed ones" would be Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the governor. They serve as the ones through whom a living witness of God was shining into the world (see a similar description being used of two future witnesses yet to come in Revelation 11:1-6).
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