Greek word · G5301

ὕσσωπος

hyssōpos

hyssop

A small bushy aromatic plant, most likely Syrian marjoram (Origanum syriacum), not the modern garden hyssop. Its leafy stems held liquid well and served as a ritual brush.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

ὕσσωπος, -ου, ἡ

[in LXX for אֵזוֹב ;]

hyssop, of which a bunch was used in ritual sprinklings: Hebrews 9:19; of a branch or rod (?) of hyssop, John 19:29 (but see Field, Notes, 106 ff., for suggestion to substitute ὑσσῷ here).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 9:19

Range of meaning: A small bushy aromatic plant, most likely Syrian marjoram (Origanum syriacum), not the modern garden hyssop. Its leafy stems held liquid well and served as a ritual brush.
Against the English: English "hyssop" names a European plant (Hyssopus officinalis) that probably did not grow in Israel. The word refers to the biblical plant, whatever its exact species.
How it drifted: English kept the Greek and Hebrew name (Greek hyssōpos, from Hebrew ʾēzôb) but attached it to a different plant.
Used elsewhere in the period: Exodus 12:22 (Passover blood on the doorposts); Leviticus 14:4–7, 49–52 (cleansing of skin disease and of a house, with cedar wood and scarlet); Numbers 19:6, 18 (red heifer ashes and the water for impurity); Psalm 51:7; John 19:29. The Mishnah tractate Parah (2nd century AD, but recording earlier practice) has detailed rules about which hyssop counts as valid for the heifer rite.

From the study of John 19:29

Range of meaning: The Greek name for the plant called ezov in Hebrew. It was a small bushy herb, most likely Syrian marjoram (Origanum syriacum, the plant behind za'atar), with woody stems up to roughly a metre long. In Israelite ritual it served as a sprinkler or daubing brush.
Against the English: 'Hyssop' in English usually means the European garden herb Hyssopus officinalis, which does not grow wild in Palestine and is not the biblical plant. BSB and NIV say 'stalk' and ESV and NLT say 'branch', which suggests something sturdier than the plant really was.
How it drifted: The name passed from Greek into European languages and was given to a different European herb, so the word now points to the wrong plant.
Used elsewhere in the period: Exodus 12:22: hyssop dipped in the Passover lamb's blood and daubed on the doorposts. Leviticus 14:4–6 and Numbers 19:6, 18: purification after skin disease and after contact with a corpse. Psalm 51:7: 'Purge me with hyssop.' Hebrews 9:19 also links hyssop with blood rites. Josephus and the Mishnah (Parah 11–12) treat it as a ritual plant.

Where it appears

John · 1

John 19:29 ὑσσώπῳ on a hyssop stalk

A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.

Here: The plant the Israelites used to daub the Passover blood on their doorframes (Exodus 12:22) and to sprinkle in purification rites. John puts the word first in its clause, before the verb, which draws attention to it. Mark and Matthew say only 'a reed'.

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 9:19 ὑσσώπου, hyssop,

For when Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people,

Here: A bushy aromatic plant used as a brush for applying blood or water: at Passover (Exodus 12:22), for cleansing skin disease (Leviticus 14), with the red heifer (Numbers 19:6, 18), and in the prayer "purge me with hyssop" (Psalm 51:7). To Jewish ears it meant cleansing.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.