The remarkable allegory or parable of Zenos contained in the fifth chapter of Jacob makes up the longest single chapter in the Book of Mormon. One of the difficulties of the allegory—and of all allegories—is to know how literally it should be interpreted. The dictionary defines an allegory as “the veiled presentation, in a figurative story, of a meaning metaphorically implied but not expressly stated.” In other words, an allegory is the description of one thing under the image of another. The images (or symbols) used by Zenos in his allegory together with their possible meanings are as follows:
1. A tame olive tree: this represents the house of Israel.
2. A wild olive tree: this refers to the gentiles—those who are not of the house of Israel by birth.
3. Natural branches of the tame olive tree that are grafted (planted) in the vineyard: these refer to various scatterings of portions of the house of Israel throughout the world.
4. The vineyard: this represents the world.
5. The grafting in of the branches of the wild olive tree into the tame olive tree: this refers to the conversion of the gentiles or the adoption by the gentiles of the covenants of the house of Israel.
6. The master or Lord of the vineyard: this evidently refersto the Lord of the earth—Jesus Christ.
7. The servant: this apparently refers to the prophet of the Lord; perhaps there was a different servant during each of these scatterings and gatherings.
These identical symbols were used by Paul in his letter to the Romans (see Romans 11:17-24), which might indicate Paul was acquainted with the allegory by Zenos. The ten “lost” tribes of Israel and the Lehite and Mulekite colonies could all be included among the various graftings (plantings) of the natural branches of the tame olive tree into the “nethermost part” of the vineyard. The last planting referred to (in Jacob 5:25, 40, 43-44) evidently refers to the Nephite-Lamanite groups that descended from the Lehite colony.
Concerning the importance of this parable by Zenos, Joseph Fielding Smith has written:
The parable of Zenos, recorded by Jacob in chapter five of his book, is one of the greatest parables ever recorded. This parable in and of itself stamps the Book of Mormon with convincing truth. No mortal man, without the inspiration of the Lord, could have written such a parable… . It is simple and very clear to the minds of those who earnestly seek to know the truth… .In brief, it records the history of Israel down through the ages, the scattering of the tribes to all parts of the earth; their mingling with, or being grafted in, the wild olive trees, or in other words the mixing of the blood of Israel among the Gentiles… .
This remarkable parable portrays how, … branches of the olive tree (Israelites) were carried to all parts of the earth (the Lord’s vineyard) and grafted into the wild olive trees (the Gentile nations)… .
Today Latter-day Saints are going to all parts of the world as servants in the vineyard to gather this fruit and lay it in store for the time of the coming of the Master. This parable is one of the most enlightening and interesting in the Book of Mormon. How can any person read it without feeling the inspiration of this ancient prophet? (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:141-42.)