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. 8:11¹¹And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. (Genesis 8:11); Deut. 6:11¹¹And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; (Deuteronomy 6:11); Job 24:11¹¹Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. (Job 24:11)). Olive wood used in the temple (1 Kings 6:23,31-33²³And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. (1 Kings 6:23)
³¹And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. ³²The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. ³³So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. (1 Kings 6:31‑33)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

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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 (1 Kings 6:23-33²³And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. ²⁴And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. ²⁵And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. ²⁶The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. ²⁷And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. ²⁸And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. ²⁹And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. ³⁰And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. ³¹And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. ³²The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. ³³So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. (1 Kings 6:23‑33)).

Israel in general is called a green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit (Jer. 11:16¹⁶The 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)); 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 Romans 11:17-24¹⁷And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; ¹⁸Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. ¹⁹Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. ²⁰Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ²¹For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ²²Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. ²³And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. ²⁴For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? (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 (Zech. 4:3,11,14³And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. (Zechariah 4:3)
¹¹Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? (Zechariah 4:11)
¹⁴Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:14); Rev. 11:3-4³And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. ⁴These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 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 24:20²⁰When 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. (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 17:6⁶Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel. (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 33:24²⁴And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. (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 29:6⁶When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; (Job 29:6) (#418).

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

Job 29:6⁶When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; (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 32:14¹⁴Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 32:14). Moses speaks of oil being sucked “out of the flinty rock” (Deut. 32:13¹³He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; (Deuteronomy 32:13)).