HYSSOP
The plant used by the Israelites in Egypt to splash the blood of the passover victim on the two doorposts and the upper part of the doorway of their houses. (Ex. 12:21, 22) At the inauguration of the Law covenant, Moses employed hyssop in sprinkling the book of the Law and the people. (Heb. 9:19) Hyssop also figured in the cleansing ceremony for persons or houses previously infected with leprosy (Lev. 14:2-7, 48-53; see LEPROSY), and in preparing the ashes to be used in the ‘water for cleansing,’ as well as in spattering this water on certain things and persons. (Num. 19:6, 9, 18) David thus appropriately prayed to be purified from sin with hyssop.—Ps. 51:7.
Uncertainty surrounds the exact identification of hyssop. The Hebrew term ʼe·zohvʹ and its Greek equivalent hysʹso·pos may, in fact, embrace several different kinds of plants. Among those that have been suggested are the common caper, the thorny caper, common sorghum, marjoram, wall rue and maidenhair spleenwort.
According to various modern scholars, the hyssop of the Hebrew Scriptures is probably marjoram. This plant of the mint family is common in Palestine. Under favorable conditions it attains a height of one and a half to three feet (46 to 91 centimeters). Its branches and thick leaves are hairy and, if bunched together, can easily hold liquids for splashing. The fact that marjoram is found growing in rock crevices and walls harmonizes with 1 Kings 4:33. However, other scholars, although identifying hyssop with marjoram in all other Hebrew Scripture passages, believe that in this verse “the hyssop that is coming forth on the wall” may denote a fern such as wall rue or maidenhair spleenwort.
The hyssop mentioned in connection with Jesus Christ’s impalement (John 19:29) is thought by some to refer to common sorghum, a tall, small-grained plant with long, broad leaves. Since this plant commonly attains a height of at least six feet (1.8 meters) in Palestine, it could have provided a stalk or “reed” of sufficient length to convey the sponge of sour wine to Jesus’ mouth. (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36) Others think that even in this case hyssop may be marjoram and suggest that a bunch of marjoram may have been attached to the “reed” mentioned by Matthew and Mark. Still another view is that John 19:29 originally read hys·soiʹ (pike, javelin), not hys·soʹpoi (hyssop); hence the renderings “on a pike” (AT) and “on a spear” (Mo).