A Luxuriant Olive Tree in the House of God

The Rugged Olive Tree

An olive tree is not particularly impressive at first sight.  It does not reach to the heavens like some stately cedars of Lebanon. Its timber is not so prized as the juniper, and its blossoms do not delight the eye  like those of the almond tree. (Song of Solomon 1:17; Amos 2:9) The most important part of the olive tree lies unseen-under the ground. Its extensive roots, which may reach 20 feet beneath the surface and much farther horizontally, are the key to the tree's bounty and survival.

Such roots allow olive trees on stony hillsides to survive a drought when trees in the valley below have already died of thirst. The roots enable it to continue producing olives for centuries, even though the gnarled trunk may look fit only for firewood. All this rugged tree demands is room to grow and aerated soil so that it can breathe, free from weeds or other vegetation that might harbor harmful pests. If these simple demands are met, one tree will supply up to 15 gallons of oil a year.

Undoubtedly the olive was beloved by the Israelites for its precious oil. Lamps with wicks drawing up olive oil illuminated their homes.  (Leviticus 24:2)  Olive oil was essential  in cooking.  It protected the skin against the sun, and it provided the Israelites with soap for washing. Grain, wine, and olives were the main crops of the land. Failure of the olive harvest would thus be a disaster for an Israelite family.  -Deuteronomy 7:13; Habakkuk 3:17. 

Usually, however, olive oil was abundant.  Moses referred to the Promised Land as 'a land of olives' likely because the olive was the most commonly cultivated tree in the area.  Nineteenth-century naturalist H.B. Tristram described  the olive as "the one characteristic tree of the country." Because of its value and abundance, olive oil  even served  as useful international currency throughout the Mediterranean region.  Jesus Christ himself referred to a debt that was calculated to be "a hundred bath measures of olive oil." -Luke 16:5, 6.

Next time: A Luxuriant Tree in the House of God -"Like Slips of Olive Trees" 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000