- ὕσσωπος
- ὕσσωπος, ου, ἡ and ὁ, also ὕσσωπον, τό (in wr. outside our lit. [Nicander: II B.C., Ther. 872; Alexiph. 603; Chaeremon 44, 6 al.; ins, pap] all three genders are quotable; for the LXX the masc. and fem. are certain; Philo, Vi. Cont. 73 excludes the neut. for that author; in Jos., Bell. 6, 201, Ant. 2, 312; 4, 80 the matter is not clear. In our lit. the neut. is certain only for Barnabas.—אֵזוֹב) the hyssop (acc. to Zohary, Plants 96f = the Origanum Syriacum, not the European Hyssopus), a small bush w. blue flowers and highly aromatic leaves; used in purificatory sacrifices (Ex 12:22; Lev 14:4; Num 19:6, 18.—SIG 1218, 16 [V B.C.], where the word is beyond doubt correctly restored, the hyssop serves to purify a house in which a corpse had lain; Chaeremon also mentions its purifying power) Hb 9:19; 1 Cl 18:7 (Ps 50:9); B 8:1, 6.—In J 19:29 hyssop appears as a plant w. a long, firm stem or stalk, which creates some difficulty. The conjecture by JCamerarius († 1574), ὑσσῷ (=javelin [s. ὑσσός]: ὑσσῷ is actually found in mss. 476 and 1242, both antedating the conjecture) προπεριθέντες, has been accepted by many (e.g. Dalman, Jesus 187; Lagrange, JBernard; Field, Notes 106–8; M-M.; Goodsp., Probs. 115f; Mft.; NEB; w. reserve, Bultmann). Against the rdg. ὑσσός (not accepted by Weymouth, NAB [the margin suggests probability of ‘symbolic’ usage], NRSV, REB [marginal ref. to ‘javelin’]; 20th Century ‘hyssop-stalk’) it has been urged (by WBauer et al.) that the purifying effect of the hyssop (used acc. to Ex 12:22 specif. at the Passover) is the most important consideration here.—ILöw, Die Flora der Juden II 1924, 72f; 84–101, on J 19:29 esp. 99–101; LFonck, Streifzüge durch die biblische Flora 1900, 109; EbNestle, Zum Ysop bei Johannes, Josephus u. Philo: ZNW 14, 1913, 263–65; LBaldensperger and GCrowfoot, Hyssop: PEF 63, ’31, 89–98; Metzger 253f; BHHW III 2197f.—DELG. M-M.
Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά παλαιοχριστιανική Λογοτεχνία. 2015.