Olive-yard
Olive-Yard (זִיַת, za'yith, Ex 23:11; Jos 24:13; 1Sa 8:14; 2Ki 5:26; Ne 5:11; Ne 9:25, an olive, as elsewhere rendered), an orchard or grove of olive-trees, tended for the sake of the fruit. The olive "grows freely almost everywhere on the shores of the Mediterranean; but it was peculiarly abundant in Palestine. (See De 6:11; De 8:8; De 28:40.) Olive-yards are a matter of course. in descriptions of the country, like vineyards and corn-fields (Jg 15:5; 1Sa 8:14). The kings had very extensive ones (1Ch 27:28). Even now the tree is very abundant in the country. Almost every village has its olive-grove. Certain districts may be specified where at various times this tree has been very luxuriant. Of Asher, on the skirts of the Lebanon, it was prophesied that he should 'dip his foot in oil' (De 33:24)" (Smith). The immediate neighborhood of Jerusalem is thus mentioned under OLIVET. SEE GAZA. We may refer to Van de Velde's Syria (1:386) for the extent and beauty of the olive-groves in the vale of Shechem. The abundance of these trees near Akka is thus spoken of by a modern traveler: "We turned out of the road, and entered an extensive olivegrove. Picturesque groups of men, women, and children, in bright-colored garments, were busy among the trees, or hastening along the road. I had always seen the olive- plantations so silent and deserted that it was quite a surprise to me. Saleh explained that it was the beginning of the olive harvest (October 19), and all of these people had been hired to gather the fruit. The men beat the trees with long sticks, and the women and children pick up the berries" (Rogers, Domestic Life in Palestine, p. 140). SEE OLIVE.
