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ἐλαία

elaía

G1636 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Olive tree, referring primarily to the cultivated or wild olive tree (Olea europaea), and by extension to the fruit (olive berry) produced by this tree. The core lexical sense is the olive tree as a plant, but the term can also denote the olive berry (the fruit), and occasionally groves of olive trees or the product (oil) metonymically. In broader contexts, it could symbolize fruitfulness, prosperity, or Israelite/Judean identity in metaphorical use.

Semantic Range

olive tree, olive berry (fruit), grove of olive trees, symbol of fruitfulness or prosperity, metaphor for Israelite/Judean people

Root / Etymology

Greek ἐλαία (elaía) is related to ἔλαιον (elaion, 'olive oil'), both deriving from a pre-Greek (non-Indo-European) substrate; the exact root is uncertain. The term is attested in Mycenaean Greek as e-ra-wo (for ἔλαιον) and reflects a deep linguistic presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Koine Greek, ἐλαία consistently refers to the olive tree and its fruit, a key agricultural product of the Mediterranean basin. Olive cultivation was central to the economy, diet, and ritual life, with oil used for food, lighting, anointing, and purification. The Septuagint regularly uses ἐλαία to translate the Hebrew זַיִת (zayit), denoting both the tree and fruit, underscoring its agricultural and symbolic importance. In the New Testament, ἐλαία is used literally (e.g., Romans 11:17-24) and also as a metaphor for Israelite/Judean people in Paul's analogy of the cultivated and wild olive branches. English translations typically render it as 'olive tree' or 'olive,' but miss nuances such as the symbolic use for the people of Israel or for spiritual principles. The word does not distinguish cultivated from wild olives without an adjective (see ἄγριος ἐλαία for 'wild olive').

Translation Consistency

primary "olive" 13 occurrences

The primary lexical sense is the olive tree/plant and its fruit; using the single, natural English noun “olive” covers both the tree and the fruit and reads naturally in context. It also allows the expected plural/generative forms (olives, olive‑tree/olive grove by modifiers) and works for metonymic senses (oil, prosperity) without forcing a more cumbersome two‑word base like “olive tree.”

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive (the tree or the fruit):--olive (berry, tree).

Root Family

ἐλαία (elaía) — olive tree, olive (fruit/berry)

Root ἐλαί- olive tree, olive (fruit/berry)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1638 ἐλαιών of olive trees

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1636-04 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees 9
G1636-03 ἐλαίας elaias N GEN F SG olives of an olive tree of an olive 2
G1636-01 ἐλαίᾳ elaia N DAT F SG olive tree to an olive tree olive tree 1
G1636-02 ἐλαῖαι elaiai N NOM F PL olive trees olive trees olive trees 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1636-04 Matthew 21:1 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Matthew 24:3 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL of Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Matthew 26:30 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Mark 11:1 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Mark 13:3 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Mark 14:26 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Luke 19:37 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL of Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 Luke 22:39 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-04 John 8:1 Ἐλαιῶν elaion N GEN F PL Olives of olive trees of olive trees
G1636-03 Romans 11:17 ἐλαίας elaias N GEN F SG olive tree of an olive tree olive tree
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