The noun hymn is used only with reference to the services of the Greeks,
and was distinguished from the psalm. The Greek tunes required Greek
hymns. Our information regarding the hymnology of the early Christians is
very limited.
- HYPOCRITE one who puts on a mask and feigns himself to be what he is
not; a dissembler in religion. Our Lord severely rebuked the scribes and
Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). “The hypocrite’s
hope shall perish” (Job 8:13). The Hebrew word here rendered
“hypocrite” rather means the “godless” or “profane,” as it is rendered in
Jeremiah 23:11, i.e., polluted with crimes. - HYSSOP (Hebrews ‘ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned in Exodus
12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it
afterwards mentioned in Leviticus 14:4, 6, 52; Numbers 19:6, 18; Hebrews
9:19. It is spoken of as a plant “springing out of the wall” (1 Kings 4:33).
Many conjectures have been formed as to what this plant really was. Some
contend that it was a species of marjoram (origanum), six species of which
are found in Palestine. Others with more probability think that it was the
caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt,
in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It was capable of producing a stem
three or four feet in length (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36. Comp. John
19:29).