“Prophesy to the understanding of men” (v. 13) is to speak as the Lord God would. According to Nephi, “the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3; see also D&C 1:24). This is the second time Jacob has defined the truth. The first time he equated “things which are, and things which are to come” with the words of Isaiah (2 Nephi 6:4). On this occasion, he equates it with the Spirit, and gives a fuller definition. The Spirit “speaketh things as they really are, and of things as they really will be” (Jacob 4:13). The Lord has given even a fuller definition: “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (D&C 93:24). Jacob adds a purpose of prophecy: “the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13). These words of Jacob were apparently written to prepare us for the prophecy he was about to make, but he wanted us to know that the prophets of old had also spoken of what he was about to prophesy (v. 13). He also wants us to have a little background on the previous prophecies and learn why another one is needed.
The Jews, who were a stiffnecked people, killed the prophets and sought for things they could not understand. When it was given to them, it caused them to stumble and fall. They looked beyond the mark (v. 14). Elder Dean L. Larsen commented on these words of Jacob:
Jacob speaks of people who placed themselves in serious jeopardy in spiritual things because they were unwilling to accept, simple, basic principles of the truth. They entertained and intrigued themselves with “things that they could not understand” (Jacob 4:14). They were apparently afflicted with a pseudo sophistication and a snobbishness that gave them a false sense of superiority over those who came among them with the Lord’s words of plainness. They went beyond the mark of wisdom and prudence, and obviously failed to stay within the circle of fundamental gospel truths, which provide a basis for faith. They must have reveled in speculative and theoretical matters that obscured for them the fundamental spiritual truths. As they became infatuated by these “things that they could not understand,” their comprehension of and faith in the redeeming role of a true Messiah was lost, and the purpose of life became confused. A study of Israel’s history will confirm Jacob’s allegations. [Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 12]
Another possible way the Jews looked beyond the mark was to confuse the prophecies of the Second Coming of Christ with the prophecies of his first Coming. Both of these explanations are plausible and caused Jacob to prophesy that because of “the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation” (v. 15). The scriptures to which Jacob refers are in the Psalms: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes (Psalms 118:22–23). Jesus quoted the same scripture to the chief priests and Pharisees in the last week of his ministry and they perceived that he spoke of them (see Matthew 21:42–46). He also identified himself as “the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:11). Jacob asks his brethren how it is possible for the Jews to build on this sure foundation and promises to “unfold this mystery unto [them]” (Jacob 4:17–18). He then quotes the allegory of the house of Israel, spoken by Zenos and written upon the plates of brass, to fulfill the promise.
The fifth chapter of Jacob is one of the most challenging in the Book of Mormon. Although it is the longest chapter in the book, the analysis and interpretation of the chapter, not its length, present the challenge. The interpretation is difficult because the elements of the story stand for something outside the story. In this way, the allegory and the parable are similar. Both illustrate a principle under the guise of another story, but the allegory is longer and more involved. The apostles asked Jesus why he taught in parables. He answered, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matthew 13:11). According to Joseph Smith: “it is given unto you [the disciples of Jesus], to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them [that is, unbelievers] it is not given, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath” ( TPJS, 95). These unbelievers could be divided into two categories: those who were not yet ready to receive the truth, and those who had hardened their hearts against it. Therefore, a parable rewards the faithful, but is an act of mercy to those who are not yet spiritually attuned, and a condemnation to those who reject the spirit of truth (see Matthew 13:10–17).
The importance and difficulty of the Allegory of the Olive Tree were noted by President Joseph Fielding Smith: “In this chapter we have a parable that nobody could have written unless he had the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. It would have been impossible. I think that as many as ninety-nine out of every hundred who read the Book of Mormon read this parable through without grasping the fulness and meaning of it. And I think this is one of the greatest passages in the Book of Mormon.”
Imagery of the Allegory
Moses called the promised land; “a land of oil olive” (Deuteronomy 8:8). An understanding of the prevalence and significance of the olive tree to the land of Palestine is helpful in understanding why it is used in the allegory.
In the earliest times the olive was cultivated throughout Palestine (Deuteronomy 28:48); and olive-oil has always been one of the chief products of the country (Deuteronomy 8:8; Joel 1:10; Amos 4:9)… . Olives were eaten everywhere, either raw or pickled, after the bitter taste had been removed by allowing them to lie in brine… .
The wild olive, or oleaster (Romans 11:17 seq.), which is also referred to in the Old Testament, but by a different name (1 Kings 6:23, 31; Nehemiah 8:15), must not be confused with the cultivated olive. This had short, broad leaves and thorny branches, and yielded an inferior quality of oil used only in the preparation of ointment. The wood, on the other hand, furnished good timber. The olive-tree, perennially green and always rejuvenating itself, was a favorite symbol of prosperity (Psalms 52:8; 128:3; Jeremiah 11:16); and the falling off of the leaves after a frost was typical of the early destruction of the wicked (Job 15:33). In case the tree lost its branches, wild olive branches were grafted on the cultivated stock (Romans 11:17). For the Orientals olives and olive-oil are necessities, and the failure of the olive crop is a national calamity (Amos 4:9; Habakkuk 3:17; cf. 2 Kings 4:2 seq.).
Before analyzing the allegory, it is essential to understand its imagery (what each of the figures in the allegory represents). The allegory itself identifies most of the imagery. Those images not identified by the allegory can be identified from other scriptural sources or from latter-day prophets (see table 1).