Oil-tree

The oil-tree (ets shemen in Hebrew, literally tree of oil) is mentioned in Isaiah 41:19 in a promise of wilderness transformation — along with cedar, myrtle, and fir — and in 1 Kings 6:23 and 6:31–33, where the cherubim in Solomon's temple and the doors of the inner sanctuary were made from oil-tree wood. The exact species is debated: proposed identifications include the oleaster or wild olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), the Aleppo pine, or simply a richly oiled variety of olive. It is distinct from the common olive tree (zayith).