Herbs of the Bible: Hyssop

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7. How does hyssop purge to clean us?

The Hyssop plant of the Bible is Origanum syriacum” which is actually Marjoram or Bible Hyssop, that is found growing in dry places among the rocks, in a sandy loam soil. The Bible Hyssop is often confused with the Hyssop of the mint family. The Bible Hyssop is a spice whose leaves are used medicinally as a tonic, antiflatulent, and digestive aide, as well as for its aromatic oil. In Leviticus and Numbers the Bible Hyssop is used for cleansing after contact with the dead or lepers and purification of lepers and their houses. 

The Bible Hyssop is known to aid with colds, colic, polyps, rheumatism, sprains and swelling. But it is best known for its aromatic properties. It was at one point dried, crushed and stuffed into mattresses and scattered on floors in homes to cover the odor of “unclean” people. God has His people use the Bible Hyssop to purify themselves after contacting the dead or unclean which defile His people. King David’s prayer to have God purge him with the Bible Hyssop was his acknowledgement that he had been made unclean via his behavior with the relationship between he, Bathsheba and Uriah. In God’s eye, until David repented he was not only unclean but as one dead… the dead are unclean and God’s people use the Bible Hyssop to cleanse with when in contact with a dead body because the living body, especially the clothing absorb the death odors. Cleansing with the Bible Hyssop’s oil removes the body’s stench thus purifying it. Lastly, while in Egypt, God’s people dipped the Bible Hyssop into the blood of the paschal lamb, to paint onto the lintel’s of the doorway, to protect them from the destroying angel. This thus symbolizes Christ’s intercession between us and God’s judgements to come, His atoning blood  washes us clean, that we may be whiter than snow.