ἐλαία G1636
Olive tree: as a toponym in 'Mount of Olives'; the living plant used in Paul's allegory; the olive fruit itself.
The Greek noun elaia names the olive in all its forms — tree, grove, and fruit — and in the New Testament it appears overwhelmingly as part of the place name 'Mount of Olives' (to Oros ton Elaion). Eleven of its fifteen occurrences fix this landmark into the Gospel narrative: Jesus teaches his disciples there overlooking Jerusalem (Matt 24:3; Mark 13:3), retreats there on the night of his arrest (Matt 26:30; Luke 22:39), and ascends from its summit (Acts 1:12). Spanish Olivos, French Oliviers, and German Olberg all preserve the tree in the toponym. Beyond geography, Paul transforms the olive tree into one of the New Testament's most sustained botanical metaphors: the cultivated olive represents Israel, wild branches represent Gentile believers grafted in 'contrary to nature' (Rom 11:17, 24), and the root that sustains both is God's covenant faithfulness. Revelation 11:4 identifies the two witnesses as 'two olive trees,' echoing Zechariah's lampstand vision. Finally, James 3:12 isolates the fruit: 'Can a fig tree produce olives?' — a rhetorical appeal to the natural order that each tree bears its own kind.
3. olive (the fruit) — The olive as fruit — the edible product harvested from the tree. A single New Testament occurrence in James 3:12 isolates this sense: 'Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives (elaias)? Or a grapevine produce figs?' The rhetorical question appeals to the natural-kinds principle — each plant bears fruit according to its nature — to argue that the tongue cannot produce both blessing and cursing. Spanish aceitunas and French olives shift to dedicated fruit vocabulary distinct from the tree name, while German Oliven serves for both. The agricultural concreteness of the image — harvesting olives from trees — would have been immediately vivid to James' Mediterranean audience. 1×
AR["زَيتونًا"]·ben["জলপাই"]·DE["Oelbaum"]·EN["olives"]·FR["olivier"]·heb["לַעֲשֲוֹת"]·HI["जैतून"]·ID["zaitun"]·IT["elaias"]·jav["zaitun"]·KO["감람-열매를"]·PT["azeitonas"]·RU["маслины"]·ES["aceitunas"]·SW["zeituni"]·TR["zeytinleri"]·urd["زیتون"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. olive tree (toponym: Mount of Olives) — The olive tree as a toponym — the fixed geographical name 'Mount of Olives' (to Oros ton Elaion), always in the genitive plural. Eleven occurrences anchor this landmark in the Passion narrative and Jesus' eschatological discourse: he sits on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple (Matt 24:3; Mark 13:3), withdraws there after the Last Supper (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 22:39), and ascends from 'the mount called Olivet' (Acts 1:12). Spanish Monte de los Olivos, French Mont des Oliviers, and German Olberg all encode the tree into the place name. The mount's significance is both geographical — it overlooks the Temple from the east — and prophetic, echoing Zechariah 14:4 where the LORD's feet stand on the Mount of Olives. 11×
AR["الزَّيتونِ","الزَّيْتُونِ","زَيتون","زَيْتونِ","زَيْتُونِ"]·ben["জয়তুনের","জলপাই","জলপাই-গাছের","জলপাই-বৃক্ষের","জলপাইয়ের"]·DE["Oelbaum","Ölberg"]·EN["Olives","of-Olives","olives"]·FR["olivier"]·heb["הַזֵּיתִים","זֵיתִים"]·HI["ज़ैतून","जैतून","जैतूनों","जैतूनों-के","जैतून।"]·ID["Zaitun"]·IT["degli-ulivi"]·jav["Zaitun","Zaitun,","Zaitun.","Zaitun;","zaitun."]·KO["감람나무들-의","감람나무들의","감람나무의","감람의"]·PT["Oliveiras","Oliveiras,","das-Oliveiras"]·RU["Елеонской","Елеонской,","Елеонскую","Маслин","Масличной","Масличную"]·ES["Olivos","de-los-Olivos"]·SW["Mizeituni","akawatuma","wa-Mizeituni","walimkaribia"]·TR["Zeytinler","Zeytinler'in","Zeytinlerin","Zeytin’in"]·urd["زیتون","زیتون-کے"]
2. olive tree (the plant itself) — The olive tree as a living plant, used literally or as a sustained metaphor. In Romans 11:17, 24, Paul develops the most elaborate botanical allegory in the New Testament: the cultivated olive (kallielaia) represents Israel, and wild olive branches (agrielaia) represent Gentile believers grafted in to share 'the rich root of the olive tree.' The metaphor insists on organic continuity between Israel and the Church. In Revelation 11:4, the two witnesses are identified as 'the two olive trees standing before the Lord of the earth,' recalling Zechariah 4:3, 11-14. Spanish olivo, French olivier, and German Olbaum render the living tree, while Hindi जैतून का पेड़ specifies 'olive's tree' to distinguish plant from fruit. 3×
AR["-ال","الزَّيْتُونِ","زَيْتُونِ-هُمْ"]·ben["জলপাই-গাছ","জলপাই-গাছে?","জলপাই-গাছের"]·DE["Oelbaum"]·EN["olive-tree","olive-trees"]·FR["olivier"]·heb["הַ-זַיִת","זֵיתִים","זַיִת"]·HI["जैतून","जैतून-का","जैतून-वृक्ष"]·ID["pohon-zaitun,","zaitun"]·IT["elaiai","olivo"]·jav["wit-zaitun","zaitun","zaitun?"]·KO["감람나무들과","감람나무에","감람나무의"]·PT["oliveira","oliveira?","oliveiras"]·RU["маслины,"]·ES["olivo","olivos"]·SW["mzeituni","mzeituni?","ya-mizeituni,"]·TR["zeytin-ağacı","zeytin-ağacının","zeytinlerine"]·urd["زیتون","زیتون-کے-درخت"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐλαία, Attic dialect ἐλάα, ἡ, olive-tree, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἱερὴ ἐRefs 5th c.BC+ to run beyond the olives, which stood at the end of the Athenian racecourse, i.e. to go too far, Refs 5th c.BC+, ubi see Scholia; of the Indian Olea cuspidata, Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 variety of δάφνη Refs 1st c.BC+ __II olive, Refs 5th c.BC+ —Acc. to Grammars ἐλάα was the proper form in this sense, ἐλαία in the first; but…