Of all the parables we have discussed so far, the one appearing in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 has received the least amount of scholarly attention. Many commentators seem to agree implicitly with John Gray's assessment in this chapter's second epigraph, namely, they see the parable's interpretation as self-evident. As with Gray, they seem content to go no further than labeling it as a fable and noting that it shares arboreal imagery with Judges 9. Occasionally, they cite similar imagery in other ancient Near Eastern fables. This dearth of scholarly attention means that relatively few have considered how it addresses the conflict in the surrounding narrative in much detail.

As in 1 Kings 20, the parable in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 addresses an international conflict. In this case, the conflict involves the northern kingdom of Israel, the southern kingdom of Judah, and their neighbor Edom. The Judean king Amaziah trounces the Edomites, killing thousands (2 Kgs 14:7; 2 Chr 25:5–16).