Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ausra Pazera <apazera AT yahoo.co.uk>]

Shalom Dear Ben, 

Thank you. What I'm interested in is the fact that the
blood was used for sprinkling upon the worshipper as
such (differently from Temple and altar) in Lev 14,1-9
was not the blood of sacrificial animal (of guilt
offering), because guilt offering's animals for
atonement was quite differrent ritual). In Lev 14,1-9
the ritual using Hyssop is the ritual for cleansing of
the body, not soul. I was wondering what kind of
unclean Ps 51:9 is speaking about...

Ausra   

> 
>  You are right. The twigs of Hyssop were used as an
> Asperge or Applicator
>  to dip in the sacrificial blood, and then sprinkle
> it upon the worshipper
>  or the building to be cleansed. In Catholic
> churches, an Asperge is used to
>  sprinkle holy water for liturgical purposes.
> Compare Numbers 19:18-19, where
>  hyssop is used for sprinkling holy water in
> connection with funeral rites
>  and the field burial of corpses.
> 
>  It was used in the Passover (Exodus 12:22-23) and
> in the Law of the Leper
>  (Leviticus 14:1-9). In the Passover, it was used to
> sanctify the Household
>  of believers, and to ward off the death of the
> eldest son. In spite of being
>  sprinkled upon the lintels and doorposts, the blood
> effectively protected
>  the believing family and their firstborn. In the
> case of cleansing the
>  leper, it clearly concerns a human being, a
> sufferer from leprosy TsaRa`aT.
> 
>  Hyssop 'eZoB is a shrub, used for religious and
> medicinal purposes. The
>  name is a foreign word imported into Hebrew.
> 
>  In Psalm 51:9 MT (51:7 English Versions) it is not
> the *hyssop* that purges
>  the sin from the sinner, but the *sacrificial
> blood* applied therewith.
>  Compare Isaiah 6:6-7, where forgiveness is effected
> by the application with
>  tongs of an ember from the altar of burnt offering.
> Burnt offerings were not
>  applicable to cleanse David's deliberate sin (Psalm
> 51:18 [16]); so the
>  reference to Hyssop is symbolical, or metaphorical,
> or rhetorical.
> 
>  Shalom
>  Ben
> -- 
>  Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
>  <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
>  232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD
> (UK)
>  http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm


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