I've been working on a talk I'll be giving next week and while reading Psalm 51:7 I wondered what a 'hyssop' is.
This is what I discovered....
"Purge me with hyssop," the Bible records, "and I will be clean."
Hyssop has been used for millennia as a holy herb, consecrated
for cleaning holy places. Its name comes from the Hebrew word
adobe or ezob, which literally means*"holy herb"*.
Hyssop is an evergreen bushy herb growing 1 to 2 feet(60 to 90 cm) high on a square stem with linear leaves andflowers in whorls of 6 to 15 blooms. Native to southern Europe,it is grown in gardens in cooler climates around the world.Hyssop has a mint-like taste (which is understandable as it ispart of the mint family) that makes it a tasty addition to salads, provided it is used in small quantities. It has been considered anaphrodisiac when combined with ginger, thyme, and pepper. Hyssop has been hung in homes to provide protection from theevil eye, and from witches. It has also been planted frequentlyon graves as protection for the dead from the living.information from the website http://www.mountainroseherbs.
com/learn/hyssop.php
