40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olive shall cast (its fruit).
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Cast - Some prefer "shall be spoiled" or "plundered."
Thou shalt have olive trees throughout thy coasts,.... In the several parts of the land of Canaan, which is therefore called a land of olive oil, Deuteronomy 8:8,
but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; nor any other relations, friends, guests, as was usual at entertainments; see Psalm 23:5; for the phrase "thyself" is not in the text. The reason why they should not anoint is, because they would have no oil to anoint with:
for thine olive shall cast his fruit; before it is ripe, by one means or another, as by winds, or blasting and mildew; see Amos 4:9.
They would have many olive-trees in the land, but not anoint themselves with oil, because the olive-tree would be rooted out or plundered (ישּׁל, Niphal of שׁלל, as in Deuteronomy 19:5, not the Kal of נשׁל, which cannot be shown to have the intransitive meaning elabi).
*More commentary available at chapter level.