For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that Moses sprinkled both the book of the covenant and the people with blood, a detail not explicitly in Exodus but understood to signify that God's Word itself, the very foundation of the covenant, needed this blood-ratification to be made effective and pure for humanity. This points to the inseparable connection between God's promises and the atoning sacrifice that underpins them.
For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses has just finished recounting the Law to the entire nation, and in a solemn ceremony to ratify their covenant with God, he takes the blood from the sacrifices. He then sprinkles the covenant book itself and the assembled people with this blood, mixed with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, signifying the binding nature of the agreement.
Why did Moses sprinkle blood on the people and the very book of the law?
The ratification of the Old Covenant wasn't just a verbal agreement; it was a physical and spiritual sealing. Moses, acting as mediator, took the blood of sacrificed animals – calves and goats – mixed with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop. This potent mixture wasn't just decorative; it was symbolic.
The Blood and the Book
Moses sprinkled both the book of the covenant and all the people. This signified that the covenant's terms, written in the book, were now binding and sealed in blood. It represented God's commitment and the people's obligation, with the blood acting as the solemn seal.
A Comprehensive Ceremony
While Exodus 24 details this event, the writer of Hebrews includes additional elements like goats, water, scarlet wool, and hyssop. These likely drew from other purification rituals described in the Law, emphasizing the thoroughness and sanctity of the covenant-making. The scarlet wool and hyssop, specifically, were common tools for sprinkling, linking this act to broader themes of cleansing and purification within Israel's worship.
What did the sprinkling of both the book and the people truly represent?
The act of sprinkling symbolized a profound connection between God and humanity, mediated through the covenant.
God's Words, Sealed
Sprinkling the itself was significant. It wasn't just a record; it was the tangible representation of God's revealed will and promises. Sealing the book with blood declared that God's word was now ratified and made binding through the sacrifice.
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People Under the Covenant
Similarly, sprinkling all the people signified that they were brought under the terms and blessings of this covenant. It was a public declaration and a spiritual marking, integrating them into God's redemptive plan. This ritual underscored that the covenant wasn't merely an external law but an internal bond that affected every aspect of their lives and relationship with God.
Understand the original words
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine law given through Moses at Sinai, which reveals God's holiness and man's need for atonement. It includes both moral and ceremonial aspects.
hyssopos · Greek Noun
A small, bushy plant used in the Old Testament ritual laws, particularly in ceremonies involving the application of blood or water for purification.
rhantizō · Greek Verb
The act of applying blood or water to a person or object to ceremonially cleanse them from defilement and set them apart for holy service.
The Apostle Paul draws on the vivid imagery of the covenant ratification at Mount Sinai, detailing the sprinkling of blood, the book, and the people. He highlights elements not explicitly in Exodus but known from broader Israelite ritual practice, like the use of goats, water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, to emphasize the thoroughness of the old covenant's inauguration and to prepare for his argument about Christ's superior, eternal covenant.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Covenant Ratified at Mount Sinai
Moses communicates God's law to the Israelites, who agree to obey. Sacrifices are offered, and blood is sprinkled on the altar and the people to seal the covenant. The book containing the covenant is also involved in the ceremony.
c. 1446 BC
Tabernacle Construction Begins
Following God's detailed instructions, the Israelites construct the Tabernacle as a place for God's presence and a center for worship and sacrifice.
c. 1445 BC - 430 BC
Period of Tabernacle and Temple Worship
Israelites engage in ongoing sacrificial and purification rituals according to Mosaic Law, using various elements like blood, water, scarlet wool, and hyssop.
c. 970 BC
Solomon's Temple Dedicated
The magnificent Temple in Jerusalem is dedicated, replacing the Tabernacle and continuing the sacrificial system as the focal point of Israelite worship.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile many Israelites, marking a profound crisis for the covenant people.
c. 516 BC
Second Temple Completed
After returning from exile, the Israelites rebuild the Temple, though it is less grand than Solomon's original structure. Worship and sacrifice resume.
This passage is the primary Old Testament account of the covenant ratification ceremony that Hebrews 9:19 describes, showing Moses reading God's words and then sprinkling the people with blood.
Leviticus 14:4-7This Levitical passage describes the ritual for cleansing a leper, which uses scarlet wool and hyssop for sprinkling, details that are also mentioned in Hebrews 9:19 but not in the Exodus account of the covenant ceremony.
Psalm 51:7This psalm is a direct prayer for cleansing, referencing the use of hyssop ('Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean'), echoing the purification imagery found in Hebrews 9:19.
1 Corinthians 10:16Paul connects the cup and the bread of communion to the 'blood of Christ' and the 'covenant in his blood', drawing a parallel to the blood-ratified covenant described in Hebrews 9:19 and its antitype.
Jeremiah 31:31-34This prophecy foretells a new covenant that God will make with His people, which will be internal and forgiving, contrasting with the external, blood-ratified covenant described in Exodus and Hebrews.
vincentHebrews 9:19: "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,"
The statement of Hebrews 9:18 historically confirmed by the story of the establishment of the law-covenant, Exodus 24.Of calves and goats (τῶν μόσχων καὶ τῶν τράγων)Not mentioned in the O.T. account. The goat was always for a sin-offering, and the sacrifices on thi…
calvinHebrews 9:18-23: "Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood."
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Nam postquam exposuisset Moses secundum legem totum mandatum universo populo, accipiens sanguinem vitulorum et hircorum, cum aqua et lana coccinea et hysopo, librum et totum populum aspersit,…
The text highlights that Moses sprinkled both the book of the covenant and the people with blood, a detail not explicitly in Exodus but understood to signify that God's Word itself, the very foundation of the covenant, needed this blood-ratification to be made effective and pure for humanity. This points to the inseparable connection between God's promises and the atoning sacrifice that underpins them.
Moses has just finished recounting the Law to the entire nation, and in a solemn ceremony to ratify their covenant with God, he takes the blood from the sacrifices. He then sprinkles the covenant book itself and the assembled people with this blood, mixed with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, signifying the binding nature of the agreement.
Moses has just finished recounting the Law to the entire nation, and in a solemn ceremony to ratify their covenant with God, he takes the blood from the sacrifices. He then sprinkles the covenant book itself and the assembled people with this blood, mixed with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, signifying the binding nature of the agreement.
"For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people," — The text highlights that Moses sprinkled both the book of the covenant and the people with blood, a detail not explicitly in Exodus but understood to signify that God's Word itself, the very founda…
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Last reviewed October 2026