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Contemporary English Version

John 19:29

A jar of cheap wine was there. Someone then soaked a sponge with the wine and held it up to Jesus' mouth on the stem of a hyssop plant.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Hyssop;   Jesus, the Christ;   Prophecy;   Salvation;   Sponge;   Vinegar;   Wine;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hyssop;   Vinegar;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Hyssop;   Reed;   Vinegar;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Grapes;   Hyssop;   Quotations;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Christianity;   Humiliation of Christ;   Jesus Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Crucifixion;   Hyssop;   Reed;   Sponge;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hyssop;   Sponge;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hyssop;   John, the Gospel of;   Sponge;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hyssop;   Medicine;   Sponge;   Vinegar;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Appreciation (of Christ);   Crucifixion;   Hyssop (2);   Psalms (2);   Septuagint;   Soldiers;   Spear;   Vinegar ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hyssop;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sponge,;   Vinegar;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Cross;   Hyssop;   Vinegar;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hyssop;   Sponge;   Vinegar;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Crucifixion;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 13;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
A jar of sour wine was nearby. The soldiers dipped a sponge in the vinegar and held it up for him to drink.
Legacy Standard Bible
A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
Bible in Basic English
Now there was a vessel ready, full of bitter wine, and they put a sponge full of it on a stick and put it to his mouth.
Darby Translation
There was a vessel therefore there full of vinegar, and having filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting hyssop round it, they put it up to his mouth.
New King James Version
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
Christian Standard Bible®
A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth.
World English Bible
Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. And filling a sponge with vinegar, and putting it on a stalk of hyssop, they put it to his mouth.
Weymouth's New Testament
There was a jar of wine standing there. With this wine they filled a sponge, put it on the end of a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.
King James Version (1611)
Now there was set a vessell, full of vineger: And they filled a spunge with vineger, and put it vpon hyssope, and put it to his mouth.
Literal Translation
Then a vessel full of vinegar was set, and having filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting hyssop around, they brought it to His mouth. Psa. 69:21
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
There stode a vessell full of vyneger. They fylled a sponge with vyneger and wonde it aboute with ysope, and helde it to his mouth.
Mace New Testament (1729)
now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon a stick of hyssop, and held it to his mouth.
THE MESSAGE
A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done... complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
Amplified Bible
A jar full of sour wine was placed there; so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a branch of] hyssop and held it to His mouth.
American Standard Version
There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
Revised Standard Version
A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ther stode a vessell full of veneger by. And they filled a sponge with veneger and wounde it about with ysope and put it to his mouth.
Update Bible Version
There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put [it] upon hyssop, and put [it] to his mouth.
Young's Literal Translation
a vessel, therefore, was placed full of vinegar, and they having filled a sponge with vinegar, and having put [it] around a hyssop stalk, did put [it] to his mouth;
New Century Version
There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' mouth.
New English Translation
A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop and lifted it to his mouth.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
A jar full of cheap sour wine was there; so they soaked a sponge in the wine, coated it with oregano leaves and held it up to his mouth.
English Standard Version
A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And there was set a vessell full of vineger: and they filled a spondge with vineger: and put it about an Hyssope stalke, and put it to his mouth.
George Lamsa Translation
Now there was a pitcher full of vinegar placed there; so they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on the point of a reed, and placed it on his mouth.
Hebrew Names Version
Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
International Standard Version
A jar of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.Matthew 27:48;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And a vessel was set (there) filled with vinegar: then they filled a sponge from the vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and offered it to his mouth.
Murdock Translation
And a vessel was standing there, full of vinegar. And they filled a sponge with the vinegar, and put it on a hyssop [fn] , and bore it to his mouth.
New Living Translation
A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.
New Life Bible
There was a jar full of sour wine near. They filled a sponge and put it on a stick and put it to His mouth.
English Revised Version
There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
New Revised Standard
A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A vessel, was standing, full of vinegar. A sponge, therefore, full of the vinegar, put about, hyssop, brought they unto his mouth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now there was a vessel set there, full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it to his mouth.
King James Version
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
Lexham English Bible
A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it to his mouth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
So there stoode a vessell by, full of vineger: Therefore they fylled a sponge with vineger, and put it vpon Isope, & put it to his mouth.
Easy-to-Read Version
There was a jar full of sour wine there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus' mouth.
New American Standard Bible
A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
Good News Translation
A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And a vessel was set ful of vynegre. And thei `leiden in isope aboute the spounge ful of vynegre, and putten to his mouth.

Contextual Overview

19 Pilate ordered the charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." 20 The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The place where Jesus was taken wasn't far from the city, and many of the Jewish people read the charge against him. 21 So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, "Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, ‘He claimed to be King of the Jews.'" 22 But Pilate told them, "What is written will not be changed!" 23 After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they divided up his clothes into four parts, one for each of them. But his outer garment was made from a single piece of cloth, and it did not have any seams. 24 The soldiers said to each other, "Let's not rip it apart. We will gamble to see who gets it." This happened so that the Scriptures would come true, which say, "They divided up my clothes and gambled for my garments." The soldiers then did what they had decided. 25 Jesus' mother stood beside his cross with her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was standing there too. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and his favorite disciple with her, he said to his mother, "This man is now your son." 27 Then he said to the disciple, "She is now your mother." From then on, that disciple took her into his own home. 28 Jesus knew that he had now finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said, "I am thirsty!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

was set: Matthew 27:34, Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36

hyssop: This hyssop is termed a reed by Matthew and Mark; and it appears that a species of hyssop, with a reedy stalk, about two feet long, grew about Jerusalem. Exodus 12:22, Numbers 19:18, 1 Kings 4:33, Psalms 51:7

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 12:15 - that he might Psalms 69:21 - gall for my meat

Cross-References

Genesis 8:1
God did not forget about Noah and the animals with him in the boat. So God made a wind blow, and the water started going down.
Genesis 12:2
I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.
Genesis 19:23
The sun was coming up as Lot reached the town of Zoar,
Genesis 19:31
One day his older daughter said to her sister, "Our father is old, and there are no men anywhere for us to marry.
Genesis 19:32
Let's get our father drunk! Then we can sleep with him and have children."
Genesis 19:33
That night they got their father drunk, and the older daughter got in bed with him, but he was too drunk even to know she was there.
Genesis 30:22
Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. "God has taken away my disgrace," she said.
Nehemiah 13:14
I pray that my God will remember these good things that I have done for his temple and for those who worship there.
Nehemiah 13:22
I ordered the Levites to make themselves holy and to guard the gates on the Sabbath, so that it would be kept holy. God is truly merciful, and I pray that he will treat me with kindness and bless me for doing this.
Psalms 25:7
Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar,.... In a place near at hand, as Nonnus observes; not on purpose, for the sake of them that were crucified, either to refresh their spirits, or stop a too great effusion of blood, that they might continue the longer in their misery; but for the use of the soldiers who crucified Christ, vinegar being part of the allowance of Roman soldiers m, and what they used to drink: sometimes it was mixed with water; which mixed liquor they called "Posca" n, and was what even their generals sometimes used; as Scipio, Metellus, Trajan, Adrian, and others: vinegar was also used by the Jews for drink, as appears from Ruth 2:14 and "dip thy morsel in the vinegar", which Boaz's reapers had with them in the field; "because of heat", as the commentators say o; that being good to cool, and to extinguish thirst; for which reason the soldiers here offer it to Christ; though the Chaldee paraphrase of the above place makes it to be a kind of sauce or pap boiled in vinegar; and such an "Embamma" made of vinegar the Romans had, in which they dipped their food p; but this here seems to be pure vinegar, and to be different from that which the other evangelists speak of, which was mingled with gall, or was sour wine with myrrh, Matthew 27:34. Vinegar indeed is good to revive the spirits, and hyssop, which is after mentioned, is an herb of a sweet smell; and if the reed, which the other evangelists make mention of, was the sweet calamus, as some have thought, they were all of them things of a refreshing nature: vinegar was also used for stopping blood q, when it flowed from wounds in a large quantity; and of the same use were sponges; hence Tertullian r mentions "spongias retiariorum", the sponges of the fencers, which they had with them to stop any effusion of blood that should be made in their exercises; but then it can hardly be thought that these things should be in common prepared at crucifixions for such ends, on purpose to linger out a miserable life a little longer, which would be shocking barbarity; and especially such a provision would never be, made at this time, on such an account, since the Jews sabbath drew nigh, and they were in haste to have the executions over before that came on, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on that day; for which reason they would do nothing, at this time, however, to prolong the lives of the malefactors; wherefore it is most reasonable, that this vessel of vinegar was not set for any such purpose, but was for the use of the soldiers; and therefore this being at hand when Christ signified his thirst, they offered some of it in the following manner:

and they filled a sponge with vinegar; it being the nature of a sponge (which Nonnus here calls βλαστημα θλασσης, "a branch of the sea", because it grows there) to swallow up anything that is liquid, and which may be again squeezed and sucked out of it; hence the Jews say s of it, ספוג שבלע משקין, "the sponge which swallows up liquids"; and used it for such a purpose; "and put it upon hyssop"; meaning not the juice of hyssop, into which some have thought the sponge with vinegar was put, but the herb, and a stalk of it: the other evangelists say, it was put "upon a reed"; meaning either that the sponge with the hyssop were put about a reed, and so given him; or rather it was a stalk of hyssop, which was like a reed or cane; and in this country of Judea grew very large, sufficient for such a purpose. The hyssop with the Jews was not reckoned among herbs, but trees; see 1 Kings 4:33 and they speak t of hyssop which they gather לעצים, "for wood"; the stalks of which therefore must be of some size; yea, they call u a stalk which has a top to it,

קנה, "a reed", or cane; which observation seems to reconcile the other evangelists with this: and they distinguish their hyssop which was right for use from that which had an epithet joined to it; as, Roman hyssop, Grecian hyssop, wild and bastard hyssop w: and some writers x observe even of our common hyssop, that it has sometimes stalks of nine inches long, or longer, and hard and woody, nay, even a foot and a half; with one of which a man with his arms stretched out might possibly reach the mouth of a person on a cross: how high crosses usually were is not certain, nor was there any fixed measure for them; sometimes they were higher, and sometimes lower; the cross or gallows made by Haman for Mordecai was very high indeed, and the mouth of a person could not have been reached with an hyssop stalk; but such an one might, as was erected for Saul's sons, whose bodies on it could be reached by the beasts of the field, 2 Samuel 21:10 and so low was the cross on which Blandina the martyr suffered, as the church at Lyons relates y, when on the cross she was exposed to beasts of prey, and became food for them: so that there is no need to suppose any fault in the text, and that instead of "hyssop" it should be read "hyssos"; which was a kind of javelin the Romans call "Pilum", about five or six foot long, which, it is supposed, one of the soldiers might have, and on it put the hyssop with the sponge and vinegar; but this conjecture is not supported by any copy, or ancient version; the Syriac version, which is a very ancient one, reads "hyssop". The Arabic and Persic versions render it, "a reed", as in the other evangelists; and the Ethiopic version has both, "they filled a sponge with vinegar, and it was set round with hyssop, and they bound it upon a reed"; and so some have thought that a bunch of hyssop was stuck round about the sponge of vinegar, which was fastened to the top of a reed; and the words will bear to be rendered; "setting it about with hyssop": this they might have out of the gardens, which were near this place, or it might grow upon the mountain itself; for we are told z, it grew in great plenty upon the mountains about Jerusalem, and that its branches were almost a cubit long. Josephus a makes mention of a village beyond Jordan called Bethezob, which, as he says, signifies the house of hyssop; perhaps so called from the large quantity of hyssop that grew near it:

and put it to his mouth; whether Christ drank of it or no is not certain; it seems by what follows as if he did; at least he took it, being offered to him: the Jews themselves say b, that Jesus said, give me a little water to drink, and they gave him חומץ חזק, "sharp vinegar"; which so far confirms the evangelic history.

m Julian. Imperator. Epist. 27. p. 161. Vid. Lydium de re militari, l. 6. c. 7. p. 245. n Salmuth. in Panciroll. rerum memorab. par. 1. Tit. 53. p. 274. o Jarchi & Aben Ezra in loc. p Salmuth. ib. par. 2. Tit. 2. p. 83. q Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 31. c. 11. r De Spectaculis, c. 25. s Maimon. in Misn. Sabbat, c. 21. sect. 3. Misn. Celim, c. 9. sect. 4. t Misn. Parah, c. 11. sect. 8. Maimon. Hilch. Parah Adumah, c. 11. sect. 7. u Gloss. in T. Bab. Succa, fol. 13. 1. w Misn. Parah, c. 11. sect. 7. Negaim, c. 14. 6. T. Bab. Succa, fol. 13. 1. & Cholin, fol. 62. 2. x Dodonaeus, l. 4. c. 19. y Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 5. c. 1. p. 161. Vid. Lipsium de Cruce, l. 3. c. 11. z Arabes Lexicograph. apud de Dieu in loc. a De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 4. b Toklos Jesu, p. 17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 27:46-50.

That the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst - See Psalms 69:21. Thirst was one of the most distressing circumstances attending the crucifixion. The wounds were highly inflamed, and a raging fever was caused, usually, by the sufferings on the cross, and this was accompanied by insupportable thirst. See the notes at Matthew 27:35. A Mameluke, or Turkish officer, was crucified, it is said in an Arabic manuscript recently translated, on the banks of the Barada River, under the castle of Damascus. He was nailed to the cross on Friday, and remained until Sunday noon, when he died. After giving an account of the crucifixion, the narrator proceeds: “I have heard this from one who witnessed it; and he thus remained until he died, patient and silent, without wailing, but looking around him to the right and the left, upon the people. But he begged for water, and none was given him; and the hearts of the people were melted with compassion for him, and with pity on one of God’s creatures, who, yet a boy, was suffering under so grievous a trial. In the meantime the water was flowing around him, and he gazed upon it, and longed for one drop of it; and he complained of thirst all the first day, after which he was silent, for God gave him strength” - Wiseman’s Lectures, pp. 164, 165, ed.

John 19:30

It is finished - The sufferings and agonies in redeeming man are over. The work long contemplated, long promised, long expected by prophets and saints, is done. The toils in the ministry, the persecutions and mockeries, and the pangs of the garden and the cross, are ended, and man is redeemed. What a wonderful declaration was this! How full of consolation to man! And how should this dying declaration of the Saviour reach every heart and affect every soul!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 29. A vessel full of vinegar — This was probably that tart small wine which we are assured was the common drink of the Roman soldiers. Our word vinegar comes from the French vin aigre, sour or tart wine; and, although it is probable that it was brought at this time for the use of the four Roman soldiers who were employed in the crucifixion of our Lord, yet it is as probable that it might have been furnished for the use of the persons crucified; who, in that lingering kind of death, must necessarily be grievously tormented with thirst. This vinegar must not be confounded with the vinegar and gall mentioned Matthew 27:34, and Mark 15:23. That, being a stupifying potion, intended to alleviate his pain, he refused to drink; but of this he took a little, and then expired, John 19:30.

And put it upon hyssop — Or, according to others, putting hyssop about it. A great variety of conjectures have been produced to solve the difficulty in this text, which is occasioned by supposing that the sponge was put on a stalk of hyssop, and that this is the reed mentioned by Matthew and Mark. It is possible that the hyssop might grow to such a size in Judea as that a stalk of it might answer the end of a reed or cane in the case mentioned here; but still it appears to me more natural to suppose that the reed was a distinct thing and that the hyssop was used only to bind the sponge fast to the reed; unless we may suppose it was added for some mystical purpose, as we find it frequently used in the Old Testament in rites of purification. The various conjectures on this point may be seen in Bowyer's Conject. and in Calmet.


 
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