In biblical times, the sponge is mentioned in the context of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The sponge, a porous and absorbent material, was used to offer Jesus a drink while He was on the cross. This event is recorded in the New Testament, specifically in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John.

Biblical References:

1. Matthew 27:48 : "One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink." This passage describes the moment when, during the crucifixion, a bystander offered Jesus a drink of sour wine or vinegar using a sponge attached to a reed. This act was likely intended to provide some relief to Jesus in His suffering.

2. Mark 15:36 : "And someone ran and filled a sponge with vinegar. He put it on a stick and offered it to Jesus to drink, saying, 'Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.'" Similar to the account in Matthew, this verse highlights the use of a sponge to offer Jesus vinegar, a common drink for Roman soldiers, which was cheaper and more accessible than wine.

3. John 19:29 : "A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth." In John's Gospel, the detail of the hyssop stalk is added, which carries symbolic significance, as hyssop was used in the Old Testament for purification rituals (Exodus 12:22, Psalm 51:7).

Cultural and Historical Context:

The use of a sponge in this context reflects the Roman practice of offering a drink to those being crucified. The sour wine, or posca, was a diluted vinegar drink commonly consumed by Roman soldiers and the lower classes. It was more affordable and less intoxicating than regular wine, making it a practical choice for sustaining hydration.

The act of offering Jesus a drink with a sponge can be seen as both an act of mercy and mockery. While it provided temporary relief, it also fulfilled the prophecy found in Psalm 69:21 : "They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst."

Symbolic Significance:

The sponge, in this context, serves as a symbol of the suffering and humility of Christ. It underscores the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and highlights the humanity of Jesus, who experienced physical thirst and pain. The use of a sponge to offer vinegar also emphasizes the stark contrast between the world's response to Jesus' suffering and the spiritual significance of His sacrifice.

In summary, the sponge in the biblical narrative of the crucifixion is a small yet significant detail that enriches the understanding of the events surrounding Jesus' death. It serves as a reminder of the fulfillment of prophecy and the depth of Christ's suffering for humanity's redemption.Sponge

a soft, porous marine substance. Sponges were for a long time supposed to be plants, but are now considered by the best naturalists to belong to the animal kingdom. Sponge is mentioned only in the New Testament. (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; John 19:29) The commercial value of the sponge was known from very early times; and although there appears to be no notice of it in the Old Testament, yet it is probable that it was used by the ancient Hebrews, who could readily have obtained it good from the Mediterranean, where it was principally found.

Occurs only in the narrative of the crucifixion (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; John 19:29). It is ranked as a zoophyte. It is found attached to rocks at the bottom of the sea. 1. (n.) Any one of numerous species of Spongiae, or Porifera. See Spongiae.

2. (n.) The elastic fibrous skeleton of many species of horny Spongiae (keratosa), used for many purposes, especially the varieties of the genus Spongia. The most valuable sponges are found in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and on the coasts of Florida and the West Indies.

3. (n.) One who lives upon others; a pertinaceous and indolent dependent; a parasite; a sponger.

4. (n.) Any spongelike substance.

5. (n.) Dough before it is kneaded and formed into loaves, and after it is converted into a light, spongy mass by the agency of the yeast or leaven.

6. (n.) Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.

7. (n.) Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.

8. (n.) A mop for cleaning the bore of a cannon after a discharge. It consists of a cylinder of wood, covered with sheepskin with the wool on, or cloth with a heavy looped nap, and having a handle, or staff.

9. (n.) The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, answering to the heel.

10. (v. t.) To cleanse or wipe with a sponge; as, to sponge a slate or a cannon; to wet with a sponge; as, to sponge cloth.

11. (v. t.) To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of.

12. (v. t.) Fig.: To deprive of something by imposition.

13. (v. t.) Fig.: To get by imposition or mean arts without cost; as, to sponge a breakfast.

14. (v. i.) To suck in, or imbile, as a sponge.

15. (v. i.) Fig.: To gain by mean arts, by intrusion, or hanging on; as, an idler sponges on his neighbor.

16. (v. i.) To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast, or leaven.

SPONGE

spunj (spoggos): The word "sponge," the King James Version "spunge," occurs only in the accounts of our Lord's crucifixion in Matthew 27:48 Mark 15:36 John 19:29. Sponges have been known from the earliest periods. They are mentioned by Homer, Aeschylus, Aristophanes and other ancient writers. The sponge fisheries of the Eastern Mediterranean are still among the most important in the world. Sponges are animals of a very simple organization, fixed to rocks or other objects in the sea or in fresh water. The marketable sponge consists of a mass of soft interlacing fibers which constituted the skeleton of the living animal. The sponge fishers of the Levant dive from boats, with or without diving apparatus, and tear the sponges from the rocks with their hands. The sponges are allowed to die and rot in the air and are then thoroughly washed until nothing but the skeleton remains. Sponges which have calcareous or silicious skeletons are unfit for use.

Alfred Ely Day

4699. spoggos -- a sponge
... a sponge. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: spoggos Phonetic Spelling:
(spong'-gos) Short Definition: a sponge Definition: a sponge. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4699.htm - 6k

Sponges and Watering-Cans
... The most noticeable feature of a sponge is its power of absorbing a liquid and
retaining it within itself. ... Are you a sponge? A watering-can is different. ...
/.../naylor/heart talks/talk fifty-eight sponges and watering-cans.htm

The Disciple, -- O Master, Fountain of Life! Why Dost Thou Hide ...
... 8. Just as the sponge lies in the water, and the water fills the sponge, but the
water is not the sponge and the sponge is not the water, but they ever remain ...
//christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section i the disciple .htm

Of the Harmony of the Four Evangelists in their Notices of the ...
... Matthew next makes this statement: "And straightway one of them ran, and took a
sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter xvii of the harmony of.htm

John Chapter xix. 24-30.
... Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with
vinegar, and fixed it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cxix john chapter xix.htm

The Crucifixion.
... might be accomplished, saith, I thirst.29 There was set there a vessel full of vinegar:
^a 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxiii the crucifixion 3.htm

How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him
... Here are two pieces of sponge, and we wish to fill them: you shall place one of
them in a pool of foul water, it will be filled, and filled with that which it ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/how a mans conduct comes.htm

And I Sought "Whence is Evil," and Sought in an Evil Way...
... as if there were a sea, every where, and on every side, through unmeasured space,
one only boundless sea, and it contained within it some sponge, huge, but ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter v and i sought.htm

Questions Concerning the Origin of Evil in Regard to God, Who ...
... as if there were a sea everywhere, and on every side through immensity nothing but
an infinite sea; and it contained within itself some sponge, huge, though ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter v questions concerning the origin.htm

The Power and Glory of God Shine Forth in the Weakness of Human ...
... It is just as if anybody were to take up a sponge full of water, or a torch on fire,
and to declare that the sponge could not possibly partake of the water, or ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter iii the power and glory.htm

The Crucifixion.
... There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full
of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to His mouth. ...
/.../dods/the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol ii/xxi the crucifixion.htm

Sponge (3 Occurrences)
... heel. 10. (vt) To cleanse or wipe with a sponge; as, to sponge a slate or
a cannon; to wet with a sponge; as, to sponge cloth. 11. ...
/s/sponge.htm - 10k

Vinegar (11 Occurrences)
... reach (Luke 23:36). But at the end the drink was given Him on a sponge
(Mark 15:36 Matthew 27:48 John 19:29, 30). In addition, the ...
/v/vinegar.htm - 13k

Hyssop (12 Occurrences)
... that the hyssop suits the conditions of John 19:29, it being maintained that a stem
of caper would make a good object on which to raise the "sponge full of ...
/h/hyssop.htm - 14k

Sour (15 Occurrences)
... (WEB). Matthew 27:48 One of them ran forthwith, and filling a sponge with sour wine
put it on the end of a cane and offered it Him to drink; (WEY NAS). ...
/s/sour.htm - 12k

Stick (47 Occurrences)
... (WEY BBE). Matthew 27:48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled
it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. (See NIV). ...
/s/stick.htm - 23k

Reed (41 Occurrences)
... The "reed" on which they put the sponge filled with vinegar (Matthew 27:48) was,
according to John (19:29), a hyssop stalk, which must have been of some length ...
/r/reed.htm - 29k

Bitter (203 Occurrences)
... Matthew 27:48 And straight away one of them went quickly, and took a sponge, and
made it full of bitter wine, and put it on a rod and gave him drink. (BBE). ...
/b/bitter.htm - 42k

Quickly (254 Occurrences)
... Matthew 27:48 And straight away one of them went quickly, and took a sponge, and
made it full of bitter wine, and put it on a rod and gave him drink. (BBE). ...
/q/quickly.htm - 35k

Offered (320 Occurrences)
... (See RSV NIV). Matthew 27:48 One of them ran forthwith, and filling a sponge with
sour wine put it on the end of a cane and offered it Him to drink; (WEY NIV). ...
/o/offered.htm - 37k

Fixed (284 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Matthew 27:48 And immediately one of them running and getting a sponge, having
filled it with vinegar and fixed it on a reed, gave him to drink. (DBY). ...
/f/fixed.htm - 35k

Why did Jesus say, “I thirst,” from the cross? | GotQuestions.org

What is grave sucking / grave soaking / mantle grabbing? | GotQuestions.org

What is hyssop? What was hyssop used for in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Sponge: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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