“We Will Pluck Off Those Main Branches”

Jana Reiss

As a desperate measure, the gardener decides to perform a kind of botanical surgery on the tree by grafting in the branches of a wild olive tree to revive the tame one. The wild branches represent the Gentiles, who have a role in preserving God’s people of Israel. It is clear from this verse and others that God feels great pain at the thought that Israel might be lost to him.

The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained

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