The gnarled trunk with its ash-colored bark has a profuse branch system bearing a thick foliage of slender grayish-green leaves. The tree may exceed 6 m (20 ft) in height. The olive trees present a refreshing view throughout Palestine, often growing on rocky hillside terraces or carpeting the valley floors.

The tree is exceptionally long-lived, producing fruit for hundreds of years, and it is suggested that some of the olive trees in Palestine date back more than 1,000 years. At the time of the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were promised that the land into which they would come was one of “oil olives and honey,” with “vineyards and olive trees that did not plant.” ( De 6:11 8:8 Jos 24:13) Since the olive is a slow-growing tree and may take ten years or more to begin bearing good harvests, the fact that these trees were already growing was a decided advantage for the Israelites. ( De 28:40 Jg 15:5) It flourishes in rocky, chalky soil, too dry for many other plants, and it can endure frequent droughts. The olive tree ( Olea europaea) thrives on mountain slopes of Galilee and Samaria and up in the central highlands, as well as throughout the entire Mediterranean area. ( Jg 9:8-13 2Ki 5:26 Hab 3:17 Jas 3:12) It appears early in the Bible record following the Flood it was an olive leaf brought back by a dove that indicated to Noah the recession of the waters.- Ge 8:11. The olive tree was unquestionably one of the most valuable plants in Bible times, of equal importance with the vine and the fig tree.

Olive tree bible online