Hyssop serves as a profound symbol of cleansing within the biblical narrative. In the solemn Passover event of Exodus 12, a bunch of hyssop was dipped into the blood of the sacrificial lamb, and per God's instructions, that blood was sprinkled or brushed on the doorposts and lintel of each home, marking a separation from the Egyptian people and their ways. In the final moments of His physical life on earth, God orchestrated that Jesus Christ be given hyssop, an identifying element connecting Him to the Passover lamb of centuries past and associating Him with the sacrificial and cleansing ceremonies of old. Through this, hyssop typifies the ultimate spiritual cleansing and purification made possible by the life, shed blood, death, and resurrected, eternal, glorious life of our God and Savior.

Hyssop holds a significant place as a symbol of cleansing, reflecting the profound transformation from impurity to purity. In the context of healing and restoration, hyssop represents the process through which God, as the Eternal-Who-Heals, purifies and renews. Just as a leper, once defiled and isolated, could be restored through divine intervention, hyssop symbolizes the means by which uncleanness is washed away. It is through such symbolic cleansing that one is made whole, able to return to fellowship with God and community. The use of hyssop underscores the necessity of divine action in overcoming the deep-rooted effects of sin, mirroring the slow, devastating progression of leprosy. Only through the power of Jesus Christ, who commands cleansing, can true restoration be achieved, echoing the symbolic purification associated with hyssop.

Sin, akin to physical filth, contaminates us spiritually, creating a revulsion akin to encountering dirt or disease. It defiles, making us feel unclean and in need of purification. In Psalm 51:7, David pleads for cleansing, using the imagery of hyssop, an aromatic plant employed in ritual purification. He prays, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." This reflects the Old Testament practice where a priest would dip hyssop in water and sprinkle it on the unclean, such as lepers, to declare them ritually clean. David, however, bypasses the physical priest, appealing directly to God as his priest to remove his spiritual guilt and declare him clean. He recognizes that the ritual act with hyssop symbolizes a deeper spiritual cleansing and forgiveness that only God can provide, restoring him to a state of purity.