Who is the wild olive tree in Romans 11:17?
In Romans 11:17 the wild olive tree represents Gentiles. The verse says Gentiles were grafted in among the Jews, the good olive tree, and partook of the root and fatness. This is opposite normal grafting because the wild olive was worthless, fruitless, and like a bad weed, yet it was grafted in.
Les explains that Romans 11:17 uses horticulture. The good olive tree is the Jews; the wild olive tree is Gentiles. Normally a horticulturist keeps the native root and grafts in a better hybrid, as with a pecan tree. Here it is reversed: the beautiful tree is cast aside and a wild olive, which produced no fruit and was worthless like a bad weed, is grafted in. The Gentiles are grafted in among the Jews and partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree.
And 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;
More Questions
Who is Romans 11:17 addressing when it talks about the wild olive tree being grafted in, and who is the good olive tree?
In Romans 11:17 Paul is speaking to Gentiles, who are pictured as a wild olive tree that has been grafted in among the Jews (the good olive tree) and now shares in the root and the fatness of the olive tree.
How is the grafting in Romans 11 different from normal grafting?
The grafting Paul describes in Romans 11 is the direct opposite of the way people normally graft trees.