Ezov

There is some controversy as to which plant is meant by the Hebrew word Ezob that is rendered as hyssop in many English translations of the Old Testament. Smith's Bible Dictionary considers three possibilities: the common hyssop; a species of wild marjoram (za'atar); and the caper plant. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that the common hyssop was probably unknown in the Biblical area, and so is unlikely to be the plant meant. It also states that many commentators think that the identification with the caper plant is unnecessary. It strongly favours the identification with the marjoram species.