But the olive tree said to them …: The olive tree declines the offer to be king. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered But lets the reader or hearer know that the offer will be denied. Another possible connector is “However.” Although the Hebrew text uses the simple verb said, translators can say “answered” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation), “replied” (Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible), “rejected,” or “declined.”
Shall I leave my fatness…?: This is the olive tree’s way of saying it considers itself a prosperous source of oil and does not intend to abandon this task. Leave here means “give up” or “abandon.” Fatness refers to the richness of olive oil, which is a sign of luxury and prosperity. In modern English the word fatness has negative connotations, so New Revised Standard Version says “rich oil.” This question is rhetorical, so it may be rendered as such or as an affirmation: “Surely I cannot leave my rich oil….” Good News Translation has “In order to govern you, I would have to stop producing my oil…,” which seems to miss some of the playful tone of this fable. Revised English Bible captures the spirit well with “What, leave my rich oil…?”
By which gods and men are honored: This relative clause describing fatness is ambiguous. Hebrew has “which in/by me they honor ʾelohim and men.” The first problem is to identify the referent of the pronoun “they.” Revised Standard Version avoids this problem by using an impersonal passive. The Hebrew verb rendered are honored comes from the same root (k-b-d) as the word for “glory,” which often expresses “heaviness” in the sense of being important. Another problem here is the interpretation of the Hebrew word ʾelohim. Because olive oil was used in the ritual anointing of kings and priests in the Old Testament, as well as being part of worship ceremonies, the word could refer to the God of Israel (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). However, most versions take it to be a reference to the many gods the Israelites worshiped (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version). The Hebrew word for men can refer uniquely to males, but here it has a wider meaning, so it is better rendered “mortals” (New Revised Standard Version), “human beings” (Good News Translation), or “people” (Contemporary English Version). There is a contrast here between the divine and the human. The olive tree says its rich oil honors both divine and human beings. Contemporary English Version tries to avoid this awkward relative clause by saying “My oil brings honor to people and gods.” We could also say “People use my precious oil to honor both gods and mortals.”
And go to sway over the trees: The Hebrew verb rendered sway is used elsewhere to mean “tremble with fear” (Exo 20.18) or “move” (verse 1 Sam 1.13). Here its first meaning is “sway” in movement, as trees sway in the breeze. But it also seems to have a figurative sense here, which is “have authority” or “exercise power and control.” With these two meanings in view, there may be a kind of wordplay here. The waving action may also be a way to show off or to flaunt one’s authority. The trees refers to all the other trees of the forest, but here may refer to the Israelites. By responding in this ironic manner, it is clear that the role of king is not considered very highly, and this is one of the main points of Jotham’s fable. To express some of the irony we may express this clause as “Why should I give up my position of status to just wave my branches over a few trees?”
The three clauses of this rhetorical question can be rearranged if necessary. For example, Contemporary English Version says “My oil brings honor to people and gods. I won’t stop making oil, just to have my branches wave above the other trees.”
Translation possibilities for this verse are:
• But Olive Tree declined their offer, saying, ‘People use my rich oil to show honor to both gods and humans. How can I possibly stop producing it, just to rule over some trees?’
• But the olive tree answered, ‘What, give up production of my rich oil? My oil is used to glorify gods and humans. I won’t give this up to rule trees!’
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .