Joh 19:29 | NETfull | STEP | 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.

John 19:29

29 A jar full of sour wine ^{▼▼ The cheap sour wine was called in Latin posca, and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.} was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop ^{▼▼ Hyssop was a small aromatic bush; exact identification of the plant is uncertain. The hyssop used to lift the wet sponge may have been a form of reed (κάλαμος, kalamos, “reed,” is used in Matt 27:48 and Mark 15:36); the biblical name can refer to several different species of plant (at least eighteen different plants have been suggested).} and lifted it ^{▼▼ Or “and brought it.”} to his mouth.