Hyssop
“Uncertain etymology; possibly related to Arabic azaf or zufa”
Summary
Hyssop was a humble plant used in Israelite purification rituals, notably for sprinkling blood at the Passover, cleansing lepers, and preparing the water of separation.
☩Botanical Identification
The precise identification of the biblical hyssop has generated considerable scholarly debate. Celsius enumerated no less than eighteen different plants proposed by various authors. The common hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) of Greek authors cannot be the biblical plant as it is not native to Palestine, Syria, or Egypt. The most probable identification is with the Arabic za'tar, a name applied to aromatic plants of the marjoram and thyme family, particularly Origanum maru. This identification, first suggested by Maimonides, is supported by the plant's excellently suited structure for sprinkling—many stalks growing from one root that could be easily gathered in a single grasp. Some scholars have proposed the caper plant (Capparis spinosa) because it commonly grows out of walls throughout Palestine, but its stiff prickly stems and smooth flat leaves make it unsuitable for forming a bunch for sprinkling.
☩Purification Ceremonies
Hyssop played a central role in Israelite purification rites. At the Passover in Egypt, a bunch of hyssop was dipped in blood and struck on the lintels and doorposts of Israelite houses. In the ceremony for declaring lepers cleansed, hyssop was associated with cedar wood, scarlet wool, and the blood of a slain bird. The water of separation, prepared with the ashes of a red heifer, required hyssop in its preparation and application. The author of Hebrews refers to Moses using hyssop with water, scarlet wool, and blood to sprinkle both the book of the covenant and all the people.
☩Symbolic Significance
Solomon's wisdom encompassed all plants, "from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall." This contrast between the stately cedar and the humble hyssop growing from wall crevices represents the full range from grandeur to lowliness. David's penitential prayer, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean," employs hyssop as a symbol of spiritual cleansing, likely due to both its ceremonial associations and possibly some perceived cleansing properties of the plant itself.
☩At the Crucifixion
When Jesus was offered vinegar on the cross, John records that a sponge filled with vinegar was "put upon hyssop" and raised to his mouth. Matthew and Mark describe this sponge as placed upon a reed or stick. Various explanations reconcile these accounts: the hyssop may have been tied to a reed, the aromatic scent of hyssop may have been intended to refresh Jesus alongside the thirst-quenching vinegar, or some scholars have proposed that the Greek hussōpos is a corruption of hussos ("javelin"). Others suggest symbolic significance, connecting Jesus as the Lamb of God with the Passover offering where hyssop was used to apply the lamb's blood.
Related Verses12 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hyssop," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Hyssop," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Hyssop," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "HYSSOP," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. V (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 5.George Morrish, "Hyssop," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 6.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Hyssop," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).