The olive tree refers to the nation of Israel. The Lord once called you a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.
The Lord of hosts
is the one who had powerfully rescued Israel from Egypt and established them as his covenant people. He had planted
them in the land to bear the fruit of covenant faithfulness. But now the Lord is the one who with the roar of a great tempest will set fire
to the tree and its branches will be consumed.
The all-powerful Lord of hosts
who was able to give the tree all it needed to flourish is the same powerful God who can condemn it for its fruitlessness.1
Judah has followed the same path as Israel in the north. They have provoked the Lord to anger by making offerings to Baal, and now Judah will face the same destiny as northern Israel.
16 The LORD once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.