UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: hyssop

Semantic entry: 3.26

Semantic domains: Plants

Subdomains: Plants That Are Not Trees

Definition: small aromatic bush with a shrub-like base and stems which are stiff, many-branched, hairy, and strong, 50-80 cm tall; Origanum syriacum or Majorana syriaca; used by the Jews in the ritual purification process as a sprinkling brush

Notes: The hyssop bush may reach a height of one meter (three feet) and has a number of woody stems.|In some translations a term for ‘hyssop’ is borrowed with a classifier such as ‘plant,’ for example, ‘a branch of a plant called hyssop.’|In OET JHN 19:29 some translators have simply used ‘a twig’ or ‘a branch,’ but this may not be adequate, since some persons see a good deal of symbolism in the use of the term ‘hyssop’ because of its relationship to ritual uses in the OT.|According to an old conjecture, the text of OET JHN 19:29 could have contained the term ὑσσός ‘javelin’ (6.35: ὑσσός) rather than ὕσσωπος ‘hyssop’ (this reading is actually found in one eleventh century minuscule manuscript), and this has been followed by the NEB translation (“they soaked a sponge with the wine, fixed it on a javelin …”), but this form of the text has very little support and is not recommended.

Further resources: flora:5.2.4