Hyssop

From Esob, an herb. The Lord pointed to the use of this shrub for sprinkling at the Passover. (Exod. x2: 22.) The shrub itself is a very humble, not to say uninviting plant; like him to outward appearance who had no beauty that we should desire him;" but like him, the fragrancy of it is sweet, though mingled with bitter. Christ and his cross are two that cannot be separated, but must be received together. Reader! depend upon it, both are blessed guests worth receiving; and however painful to flesh and blood the cross may be, yet, like the waters of Marah to Israel, Jesus’s presence sweetens and sanctifies.

אזוב Exo 12:22; Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:49; Lev 14:51-52; Num 19:6; Num 19:18; 1Ki 4:33; Psa 51:7; Mat 27:48; Mar 15:36; υσσωπος, Joh 19:29; Heb 9:19. It grows plentifully on the mountains near Jerusalem. It is of a bitter taste; and, from being considered as possessing detersive and cleansing qualities, derived probably its Hebrew name. The original word has been variously translated; and Celsius has devoted forty-two pages to remove difficulties, occasioned by the discordant opinions of the Talmudical writers, and to ascertain the plant intended. That it is the hyssop seems most probable: the passage in Heb 9:19, sufficiently identifies it. Under the law, it was commonly used in purifications as a sprinkler. When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they were commanded to take a bunch of hyssop, to dip it in the blood of the paschal lamb, and sprinkle it on the lintel and the two side-posts of the door. It was also used in sprinkling the leper. The hyssop is extremely well adapted to such purposes, as it grows in bunches, and puts out many suckers from a single root.

A great variety of opinions have been entertained respecting the plant called esobh, translated ’hyssop’ in the Authorized Version both of the Old and the New Testament; but it is difficult to fix with certainty on the plant intended. The first notice of it occurs in Exo 12:22, where a bunch of hyssop is directed to be dipped in blood and struck on the lintels and the two side-posts of the doors of the houses in which the Israelites resided. It is next mentioned in Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:52, in the ceremony for declaring lepers to be cleansed; and again, in Num 19:6; Num 19:18, in preparing the water of separation. To these passages the apostle alludes in Heb 9:19: ’For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according to the law, he took the blood of calves, and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people.’ From these texts we find that the plant must have been leafy, and large enough to serve for the purposes of sprinkling, and that it must have been found in Lower Egypt, as well as in the country towards Mount Sinai, and onwards to Palestine. From the following passages we get some information respecting the habits and the supposed properties of the plant. Thus, in 1Ki 4:33, it is said, ’Solomon spoke of trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall;’ and in the penitential psalm of David (Psa 51:7), ’Purge me with hyssop, and shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.’ In this passage it is, no doubt, considered by some commentators that hyssop is used in a figurative sense; but still it is possible that the plant may have possessed some general cleansing properties, and thus come to be employed in preference to other plants in the ceremonies of purification. It ought, at all events, to be found growing upon walls, and in Palestine. In the account of the crucifixion of our Savior, the Apostle John says (Joh 19:29), ’Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.’ In the parallel passages of Matthew (Mat 27:48) and Mark (Mar 15:36), it is stated that the sponge filled with vinegar was put upon a reed or stick. To reconcile these statements, some commentators have supposed that both the sponge and the hyssop were tied to a stick, and that one apostle mentions only the hyssop, because he considered it as the most important; while, for the same reason, the other two mention only the stick; but the simplest mode of explaining the apparent discrepancy is to consider the hyssop and the stick to be the same thing—in other words, that the sponge was affixed to a stick of hyssop.

A great variety of plants have been adduced by different authors as that alluded to in the above passages. Some contend for several plants belonging to the class of ferns, such as maiden-hair, wall-rue, pearlwort, and hair-moss: others for a species of wormwood, that it might be more distasteful to our Savior. The majority, however, have selected different kinds of fragrant plants belonging to the natural family of Labiatae, several of which are found in dry and barren situations in Palestine, and also in some parts of the Desert. Of these may be mentioned the rosemary, species of lavender, of mint, of marjoram, of thyme, of savory, of thymbra, and others of the same tribe, resembling each other much in characters as well as in properties: but it does not appear that any of them grow on walls, or are possessed of cleansing properties; and, with the exception of the rosemary, they are not capable of yielding a stick, nor are they found in all the required situations. Dr. Royle, who has recently investigated the subject, is of opinion that as the caper plant has an Arabic name, asuf, similar to the Hebrew esob or esof; as it is found in Lower Egypt, in the deserts of Sinai, and in New Jerusalem; as it grows upon rocks and walls, was always supposed to be possessed of cleansing qualities, is large enough to yield a stick; and as its different parts used to be preserved in vinegar, as its buds now are, he is warranted, from the union of all these properties in this plant, corresponding so closely to those of the original esof, in considering it as proved that the caper plant is the hyssop of Scripture.

Is often mentioned in Scripture, and is directed to be used in the sprinklings which made part of the Jewish ceremonial law, Exo 12:22 Lev 14:4-6 Psa 51:9 Heb 9:19 . It is some low shrub, which is contrasted with the lofty cedar, 1Ki 4:33 . In Joh 19:29, the soldiers are said to have "filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop," that is, upon a rod of hyssop, two feet or more in length, which was long enough to enable one to reach the mouth of a person on the cross. Many different plants have been taken for the hyssop of Scripture, and among others, the caper-plant.\par

Hyssop. (Hebrew, ezob). The ezob was used for sprinkling, in some of the sacrifices and purifications of the Jews. In consequence of its detergent qualities, or from its being associated with the purificatory services, the psalmist makes use of the expression, "Purge me with ezob." Psa 51:7. It is described in 1Ki 4:33 as growing on or near walls.

(Besides being thus fit for sprinkling, having cleansing properties and growing on walls, the true hyssop should be a plant common to Egypt, Sinai and Palestine, and capable of producing a stick three or four feet long since, on a stalk of hyssop, the sponge of vinegar was held up to Christ on the cross. Joh 19:29.

It is impossible to precisely identify the plant because the name was given not to a particular plant, but to a family of plants associated together by Hyssop qualities easily noticed, rather than by close botanical affinities. Different species of the family may have been used at different times. The hyssop of the Bible is probably one (or all) of three plants: --

1. The common hyssop is "a shrub with low, bushy stalks 1 1/2 feet high, small pear shaped, close-setting opposite leaves on all the stalks and branches terminated by erect whorled spikes of flowers of different colors in the varieties. It is a hardy plant, with an aromatic smell and a warm, pungent taste; a native of the south of Europe and the East." -- Editor).

2. Bochart decides in favor of marjoram, or some plant like it, and to this conclusion, it must be admitted, all ancient tradition points. (This is the Origanum maru, the z’atar of the Arabs. The French consul at Sidon, exhibited to Dr. Thomson ("The Land and the Book," i. 161), a specimen of this "having the fragrance of thyme, with a hot, pungent taste, and long slender stems." Dr. Post of Beirut, in the American edition of Smith’s large Dictionary, favors this view. -- Editor).

3. But Dr.Royle, after a careful investigation of the subject, arrives at the conclusion that the hyssop is no other than the caperplant, or Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. The Arabic name of this plant, asuf, by which it is sometimes, though not commonly, described, bears considerable resemblance to the Hebrew. "It is a bright-green creeper, which climbs from the fissures of the rocks, is supposed to possess cleansing properties, and is capable of yielding a stick to which a sponge might be attached." -- Stanky, "Sinai and Palestine," 23. -- It produces a fruit the size of a walnut, called the mountain pepper.

ezob. Not our "hyssop," the Hyssopus officinalis, which is not found in Syria or Arabia. "The hyssop that springeth out of the wall," being the smallest of plants, can hardly be the one used for sprinkling, but is a tufty wall fern, a miniature hyssop with lance-shaped leaves (1Ki 4:33). Maimonides makes the sprinkling hyssop to be the marjoram (origanum) with long, straight stalk, downy leaf, and white blossom (Exo 12:22); common in Palestine and near mount Sinai; an aromatic plant. J. F. Royle thought that the caper plant (Capparis spinosa) meets all the requirements of Scripture:

1. It is found in Egypt, the desert, and Palestine.

2. It grows among stones and upon walls, and trails like a bramble, in contrast to the stately cedar of Lebanon (compare Jdg 9:15).

3. It has a long stick or stem (Joh 19:29, compare Mat 27:48) wherewith the sponge of vinegar might be lifted to our Lord.

4. It has the requisites needed for purifying. Its Arab name asuf is akin to ezowb). It is "a bright green creeper which climbs out of the fissures of the rocks" (Stanley). It is used medicinally for cleansing, as in ulcers, leprosy, etc. (Pliny H.N., 20, section 59). However, the "scarlet" band may have tied the hyssop on the cedar to make it convenient for sprinkling. Septuagint and Heb 9:19 translates ezob "hyssop." Maimonides says the legal hyssop was used as a condiment. Porphyry (De Abstin., 4:7) says the Egyptian priests ate it mixed with their bread; so the marjoram (zaatar) is used in a mixture, dukkah, a food of the poorer classes (Lane, Modern Egypt, 1:200; Exo 12:22; Lev 14:4-51; Num 19:6; Num 19:18; Psa 51:7).

The reason why the soldiers presented to Christ a sponge attached to the end of a "reed" (calamus), with hyssop, was, as the vinegar would quench His thirst, so the aromatic scent of the hyssop would refresh Him. So it is associated with the fragrant "cedar wood" in Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:51. So that the Greek "hyssop" and the origanum or marjoram of the Jewish tradition seem the plant intended. Gesenius includes under ezob the hyssop of the shops, and other aromatic plants, mint, wild marjoram, etc.; so that a suitable sprinkler could be always found, whether in Jerusalem or the desert.

Hyssop. Exo 12:22. A plant often used in the ceremonies of purification. Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:51; Psa 51:7. One of its characteristics is referred to in 1Ki 4:33. It is associated with our Saviours last hours. Joh 19:29. More than twenty different plants have been urged as the species intended. Tristram and other recent authorities favor the caper-bush. Dr. Post, of Syria, argues very conclusively in favor of a species of marjoram.

A plant used in the Jewish observances. It is often associated with cedar wood and scarlet, and was used in sprinkling the unclean. It is described as springing out of the wall showing its littleness, though some of its stems may have been long enough to be used as a reed on which the sponge was placed to give the Lord vinegar when on the cross. Others however suppose that the hyssop was added because of its aroma, and both the sponge and the hyssop were tied to a reed. The hyssop is in contrast to the stately cedar, and is symbolical of man’s littleness. The words ezob and ὕσσωπος doubtless point to the well-known hyssop which is extensive in Palestine, though some suppose other aromatic plants are included, as the wild marjoram. Exo 12:22; Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:51-52; Num 19:6; Num 19:18; 1Ki 4:33; Psa 51:7; Joh 19:29; Heb 9:19.

HYSSOP (אִזוֹב, ὕσσωπος) is twice mentioned in the NT (Joh 19:29, Heb 9:19). We know that it was used for sprinkling (Exo 12:22), and that it grew on walls (1Ki 4:33). By Tristram it is identified with the caper-plant (spinosa); and this view is very generally accepted. It is open, however, to the serious objection that the caper is not well adapted for use as a sprinkler. Many still favour the opinion of Maimonides that it was the satar of the Arabs. This plant, which ‘springs out of the walls, those of the garden especially’ (Thomson, ^{B [Note: The Land and the Book.]} p. 112), is a species of Satureia. In Morocco, the name saʽtar is given to marjoram (Origanum). Carruthers (Bible Educator, iv. 226) suggests that hyssop was a name applied to various plants of the genera Thymus, Origanus, and others nearly allied in form and habit. The balance of probability is in favour of this view.

Hugh Duncan.

(Hebr. ; so rendered after the Septuagint and the Vulgate; comp. also Josephus, "B. J." vi. 3, § 4):

By: Emil G. Hirsch, I. M. Casanowicz

There is great uncertainty as to what specific plant is intended either by the Hebrew "ezob" or by the Greek ύσσωπος, nor is it clear that the words are identical. The Greek ὕσσωπος was credited with purifying qualities (comp. Dioscorides, i. 105, iii. 30; Pliny, "Hist. Naturalis," xxvi. 15 et seq.; Porphyry, "De Abstin." iv. 6), and is commonly identified with the Origanum Smyrnœum or O. Syriacum, belonging to the order Labiatœ. The Hebrew "ezob" is described as a small plant found on or near walls (I Kings iv. 33), apparently of aromatic odor, so that it was burned with the Red Heifer (Num. xix. 6). It was also used in the purification of lepers and leprous houses (Lev. xiv. 4, 6, 49, 51; comp. Num. xix. 18; Ps. li. 9), and in the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb on the door-posts (Ex. xii. 22).

The "ezob" is evidently not common hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), which is not a native of Palestine. The Talmud (see below) also distinguishes the ezob of the Pentateuch from the Greek and Roman hyssop. Maimonides (on Neg. xiv. 6) interprets "ezob" by the Arabic "ṣa'tar," denoting some species of Satureia, which is cognate to the Origanum and of which the S. Thymbra is found in Palestine; so also the other old Jewish exegetes, as Saadia in his Arabic translation of the Pentateuch; Ḳimḥi in his "Oẓar ha-Shorashim," s.v.; Abu al-Walid, etc. Some modern authorities would identify the ezob with the caper-plant (Capparis spinosa), which abounds in Egypt, in the Sinaitic peninsula, and in Palestine, and the cleansing properties of which seem to have been traditional in the Orient. This view finds support in the similarity of "ezob" to "aṣaf," the Arabic name for the caper.

In Neg. xiv. 6 and parallels are enumerated, besides the ezob of the Pentateuch, five other kinds, namely, the Greek, the colored, the wild, the Roman, and that "with some [other] epithet." For the regulations of the ritual use of the ezob, see Parah xi., xii.; in Parah xi. 8 the ezob is considered as a wood; while in Suk. 13a it is counted among the reeds and branches with which the booth may be covered. With allusion to I Kings iv. 33 the ezob is metaphorically applied to the humble and lowly (M. Ḳ. 25b).

Bibliography:

J. Forbes Royle, On the Hyssop of Scripture, in Jour. Royal Asiatic Soc. viii. 193-212;

Tristram, Nat. Hist. p. 455.

HYSSOP is mentioned several times in the Bible. It was used for sprinkling blood (Exo 12:22), and in the ritual of the cleansing of lepers (Lev 14:4, Num 19:6); it was an insignificant plant growing out of the wall (1Ki 4:33); it could afford a branch strong enough to support a wet sponge (Joh 19:29). It is possible that all these references are not to a single species. Among many suggested plants the most probable is either a species of marjoram, e.g., Origanum maru, or the common caper-plant (Capparis spinosa), which may be seen growing out of crevices in walls all over Palestine. See Caper-berry.

E. W. G. Masterman.

A plant of unknown identity, mentioned in Scripture, and found in Egypt, Sinai, and Chanaan, used in sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb or victims of sacrifice. The plant of the Mosaic ritual is the Origanum maru of the family of labiatre, growing on the terrace walls of Palestine and Syria. It is referred to in the Miserere (Psalm 50).

(Septuagint hyssopos).A plant which is referred to in a few passages of Holy Writ, and which cannot be identified with certainty at the present day. Its existence in Egypt is proved by Ex., xii, 22, wherein Moses is represented as bidding the elders of Israel to take a bunch of hyssop and to sprinkle with it the blood of the paschal lamb upon the lintel and the side posts of the doors of their dwellings. In the wilderness hyssop was also ready at hand, as can be inferred from Ex., xxiv, 8, completed by Heb., ix, 19, according to which Israel’s great lawgiver sprinkled the Hebrews with hyssop dipped in the blood of victims, at the sealing of the old covenant between Yahweh and His people. The references to hyssop contained in the Mosaic ritual show clearly that it was a common plant in the peninsula of Sinai and in the land of Chanaan, and disclose its principal uses among the Hebrews. Thus, it is with hyssop that the blood of a bird offered in sacrifice is to be sprinkled for the cleansing of a man or a house affected with leprosy (Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-51); it is with it, too, that the sprinkling of the water of purification must be made at the cleansing of a tent, a person, or a vessel polluted by the touch of a dead body (Numbers 19:8). Besides being thus used as an instrument in the act of sprinkling, hyssop was employed as one of the elements to be burned in the preparation of the water of purification itself (Numbers 19:6). It is not therefore surprising to find that this manifold and intimate connexion of hyssop with the various purifications of the Old Law led the Psalmist (Ps. 1 [Heb. li] 9) to regard the sprinkling with hyssop as symbolical of a thorough purification of the heart, a view which the Catholic Church has made her own in the ceremony of the Asperges which usually begins the solemn offering of Holy Mass. Nor is it surprising to find that this same connexion of hyssop with the various cleansings of the Mosaic Law suggested to many writers the identification of that plant with the Hyssopus officinalis, or common hyssop, with which they were particularly acquainted, and the detergent properties of which they not unnaturally thought had induced the Hebrew legislator to select it as especially fit for the purificatory services in Israel. However widely received in the past, such identification is now commonly rejected for this reason, among others, that the Hyssopus officinalis appears to have been unknown in ancient Syria and Egypt. The plant, which at the present day, is considered as more probably the hyssop of the Mosaic ritual, is the Origanum maru. Like the Hyssopus officinalis it belongs to the family of the labiatæ, has aromatic and detergent properties, and can be easily made into a bunch for purposes of sprinkling. The following are some of its particular claims to be considered as the hyssop spoken of in the Old Testament. In the first place, it is to the Origanum--not to the Hyssopus officinalis--that all ancient tradition points when referring to the hyssop of the Scriptures. In the next place, its Egyptian name of supho, is clearly allied to the Aramaic zufo and the Hebrew equivalent. Lastly, the Origanum maru grows on the walls of all the terraces throughout Palestine and Syria. This last claim in favour of the identification of the hyssop of the Old Testament with the Origanum maru, is in distinct harmony with III Kings, iv, 33 (Hebrew 1 Samuel 4:33) where we read that Solomon "treated about trees from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall". The chief difficulty in the way of this identification is drawn from John, xix, 29, where it is stated that some of those present at Christ’s Passion "putting a sponge full of vinegar about (or rather: upon) hyssop, put it in his mouth". It is oftentimes supposed that the stalk of the Origanum maru would be too short and too slender for the purposes described in this passage, and that another plant with a longer and firmer stem, for instance, the caper-plant (capparis spinosa) is the one meant by the Fourth Evangelist. This supposition, however, does not appear necessary to many commentators. They think that the cross whereon Jesus lay was not such a lofty object as is assumed by the opponents of the identification, and that in consequence the Origanum maru, some 40 or 50 centimetres in length, and undoubtedly near at hand on Calvary, was used either alone, or together with a reed (cf. Matthew 26:29; Mark 15:36) to carry the sponge dipped in vinegar to the lips of the Savior. Numerous other plants, more or less akin to the Origanum maru are also regarded, and indeed with some probability, as the hyssop spoken of in Holy Writ.-----------------------------------(Catholic authors are marked with an asterisk.) GESENIUS, Thesaurus linguæ hebrææ et chaldæ&aelig, I (Leipzig, 1829); ROYLE, On the Hyssop of Scripture in the Journal of the Asiatic Society, VIII; TRISTRAM,Natural History of the Bible (2nd ed., London, 1868); Fauna and Flora of Palestine, (London, 1885); FILLION*, Atlas d’histoire naturelle de la Bible (Lyons, 1884); GROSER, Trees and Plants Mentioned in the Bible (London, 1895); FONCK*, Streifzüge durch die biblische Flora (Freiburg im Br., 1900); LEVESQUE*, in VIGOUROUX, Dict. de la Bible, s. v. (Paris, 1901); LE CAMUS*, Life of Christ, tr., III (New York, 1908).FRANCIS E. GIGOT Transcribed by Thomas J. Bress The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

his´up (אזוב, ’ēzōbh; ὕσσωπος, hússōpos, Exo 12:22; Lev 14:4, Lev 14:6; Lev 14:9; Num 19:6, Num 19:18; 1Ki 4:33; Psa 51:7; Joh 19:29; Heb 9:19): A plant used for ritual cleansing purposes; a humble plant springing out of the wall (1Ki 4:33), the extreme contrast to the cedar.

The common hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) of the Natural Order Labiatae, an aromatic plant with stomatic properties, cannot be the hyssop of the Bible as it is unknown in Palestine, but allied aromatic plants of the same Natural Order have by Maimonides (Neg. xiv.6) and other Jewish writers been identified with it. Probably hyssop is identical with the Arabic zat‛ar, a name applied to a group of aromatic plants of the genus marjoram and thyme. They would any of them furnish a bunch suitable for sprinkling, and they have the important recommendation that they grow everywhere, being found even in the desert. Post thinks of all varieties the Origanum maru, a special variety of marjoram which favors terrace walls and rocks, is the most probable.

The proposal (Royle, Jour. Royal Asiatic Soc., VII, 193-213) to identify the caper (Capparis spinosa) with hyssop, which has been popularized by the works of Tristram, has not much to recommend it. It is true that the caper is very commonly seen growing out of walls all over Palestine (1Ki 4:33), but in no other respect is it suitable to the requirements of the Biblical references. The supposed similarity between the Arabic ’aṣaf (“caper”) and the Hebrew ’ēzōbh is fanciful; the caper with its stiff, prickly stems and smooth, flat leaves would not furnish a bunch for sprinkling as serviceable as many species of zat‛āř. It has been specially urged that the hyssop suits the conditions of Joh 19:29, it being maintained that a stem of caper would make a good object on which to raise the “sponge full of vinegar” to the Saviour’s face, the equivalent of the “reed” of Mat 27:48; Mar 15:36. For such a purpose the flexible, prickly stems of the hyssop would be most unsuitable; indeed, it would be no easy matter to find one of sufficient length. It is necessary to suppose either that a bunch of hyssop accompanied the sponge with the vinegar upon the reed, or, as has been proposed by several writers (for references see article “Hyssop,” EB), that hussō̇pō is a corruption of hussō̇, “javelin,” and that the passage should read “They put a sponge full of vinegar upon a javelin.”

I

I; I Am; I Am That I Am

See GOD, NAMES OF.

(ὕóóùðïò, àֵæåֹá)

Hyssop is a wall-growing plant used by the Jews in ritual sprinklings. It is mentioned by the writer of Hebrews in his review of the ordinances of the OT (Heb_9:19). Scarcely any other Scriptural plant has given rise to so much discussion. The hyssop cannot be the ὕóóùðïò of Greek authors (Hyssopus officinalis), which is not a native of Syria. Among the many suggestions that have been made (see J. G. B. Winer, Bibl. Realwörterbuch3, Leipzig, 1847-48, s.v. ‘Ysop’), the choice seems to lie between the caper (Capparis spinosa) and a kind of wild marjoram (Satureja thymus) which the Arabs call ṣa‘tar. Both these plants grow on Syrian rocks and walls. Tristram argues for the caper (Nat. Hist. of the Bible, 1867, p. 455f.). One objection to this plant is that its prickly branches and stiff leaves make it unsuitable for forming a bunch or wisp; another, that it is differently named in Scripture (àֲáִéåֹðָä in Ecc_12:5). The ṣa‘tar was first suggested by Maimonides (de Vacca Rufa, iii. 2), followed by D. Kimchi (Lex. s.v.). It is excellently adapted for use as a sprinkler. Its identity with the hyssop is accepted by Thomson (Land and Book, new ed., London, 1910, p. 93), who describes it as ‘having the fragrance of thyme, with a hot, pungent taste, and long, slender stems, and by G. E. Post, who says (Smith’s Dict. of the Bible , Am. ed., p. 1115, foot-note): ‘The fact that many stalks grow up from one root eminently fits this species for the purpose intended. The hand could easily gather in a single grasp the requisite bundle or bunch all ready for use.’

James Strahan.

Exo 12:22 (c) A type of faith in action wherein the precious Blood of CHRIST is applied to the door of the heart.

Psa 51:7 (b) A type of the blessed work of the Lord wherein He applies to us the precious Blood and cleanses from all sin.

Hyssop. A species of marjoram and a member of the mint family. Hyssop was an aromatic shrub under one meter (three feet) tall with clusters of yellow flowers. It grew in rocky crevices and was cultivated on terraced walls ( 1Ki 4:33). Bunches of hyssop were used to sprinkle blood on the doorposts in Egypt ( Exo 12:22), and in purification ceremonies ( Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:51-52). David mentioned it as an instrument of inner cleansing ( Psa 51:7). It was used at the crucifixion to relieve Jesus’ thirst ( Joh 19:29).

The hyssop was very similar to the caper plant. It is sometimes rendered marjoram by the NEB.

It seems that hyssop was some sort of cereal plant that grew in Palestine. When several stalks were tied together it made a good brush, and as such was used to apply blood in some of the Jewish rituals (Exo 12:22; Lev 14:4; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:49-52; Num 19:2-6; Psa 51:7; Heb 9:19). Its strong stalk enabled it to be used to pass a sponge of vinegar up to Jesus as he hung on the cross (Joh 19:29).

A plant with fine branches and

leaves used for sprinkling blood or water

in cleansing ceremonies.