Olive, Olive Tree

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

A tree resembling the apple in size and shape, bearing a plum-like fruit, prized for its oil

(Gen. 8:11; Deut. 6:11; Job 24:11). Olive wood used in the temple ({vi 8920;8928-8930}1 Kings 6:23,31-33).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

Olive Trees

This was the principal source of oil in the East, the trees being extensively cultivated on the sides of the hills, and formed into “olive yards.” See OIL. In the temple, within the holy of holies, Solomon made two cherubim of olive wood; the doors into the oracle were also made of the same wood ({vi 8920-8930}1 Kings 6:23-33).

Israel in general is called a green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit (Jer. 11:16); and a good olive tree, with root and fatness; in contrast to the Gentiles who are compared to a wild olive tree. The fact that the wild olive tree needs grafting gives point to the passage in {vi 28227-28234}Romans 11:17-24. God’s two Jewish witnesses in a future day are called the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. They will then be the fruit and light bearers on the earth ({vi 22926;22934;22937}Zech. 4:3,11,14; {vi 30876-30877}Rev. 11:3-4). The Hebrew is zayith, and the Arabic name is zeitun; it is the Olea Europæa.

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Olea Europaea

“206. Olive Gathering” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Deuteronomy 24:20. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger; for the fatherless, and for the widow.

This refers to one of the modes of gathering olives still practiced in the East, that is, by beating the branches with sticks. It was mercifully ordered that the Israelites should give the trees but one beating, leaving for the poor gleaners all the fruit that did not by this means drop off.

Olives are gathered also by shaking the trees. This is referred to in Isaiah 17:6 and 24:13. In these passages the mode of gleaning seems to be referred to.

“213. Treading Olives” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Deuteronomy 33:24. Let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

This refers to the primitive method of treading the olives in order to express the oil. It is not now practiced, and could only be done when the olives were very soft. There is a similar allusion in Micah 6: 15. See also the note on Job 29:6 (#418).

“418. Stone Oil Presses” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Job 29:6. The rock poured me out rivers of oil.

Some think the reference here is to the fact that the olive-tree sometimes grows in very rocky soil; but allusion is more probably made to stone oil presses, from which the oil flowed like a river. See also Ezekiel 32:14. Moses speaks of oil being sucked “out of the flinty rock” (Deut. 32:13).