primarily "a spearhead," then, "a lance or spear," occurs in John 19:34; some texts have it in Matthew 27:49 . As to John 19:29 , there is an old conjecture, mentioned by Field (Notes on the Trans. of the NT), to the effect that the sponge was put on a spear (hussos, "a javelin," the Roman pilum, instead of hussopos, "hyssop").