And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

EXODUS 12:22KJV
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Exodus 12:22 (KJV)

What does Exodus 12:22 mean?

Exodus 12:22 instructs the Israelites to use a bunch of hyssop to apply lamb’s blood to the top and sides of their doorframes, and then to stay inside their homes until morning. This act was a specific command from God, given through Moses, as part of the preparations for the first Passover in Egypt.

Moses is speaking to the Israelite families on the night before their departure from slavery. The blood on the doorposts marked their homes for protection during the final plague, when God would strike down the firstborn in Egypt. The command to stay inside shows the seriousness and urgency of following God’s instructions exactly for their safety.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 12:22

  • "Hyssop" (אֵזוֹב, ezov) refers to a small, bushy plant often used in purification rituals. Its use here highlights the idea of cleansing and setting apart.
  • "Strike" (נָגַע, naga‘) means to touch or apply, not to hit forcefully. The Israelites were to carefully mark their doorframes, not damage them.
  • "Bason" (סַף, saf) can mean a bowl or a threshold. In this context, it likely refers to a container holding the blood, but some readers see a possible connection to the threshold of the door itself.

Why Exodus 12:22 matters

  • Exodus 12:22 clarifies that the Israelites’ protection depended on both the visible sign of the blood and their obedience to stay inside, not just one or the other.
  • The use of hyssop connects this event to later purification practices in Israel’s worship, showing a thread of meaning about cleansing and being set apart for God.
  • This verse shows the practical steps of faith required in a moment of crisis, emphasizing that God’s instructions were detailed and required careful attention.

Where else these words appear

“lintel” Hebrew H4947 · used in 3 verses

  • Exodus 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
  • Exodus 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

“bunch” Hebrew H92 · used in 4 verses

  • 2 Samuel 2:25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.
  • Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
  • Amos 9:6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.

“hyssop” Hebrew H231 · used in 10 verses

  • Leviticus 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
  • Leviticus 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
  • Numbers 19:18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:

“dip” Hebrew H2881 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 37:31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
  • Leviticus 14:16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:
  • Ruth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.