Homez in Hebrew, Oxus in Greek, is mentioned five times in the Old
Testament, and five times in the New Testament. It was used as a relish
by the Jews, the food being dipped into it before eating. The passages
where vinegar is mentioned in the accounts of the Crucifixion in the
several Gospels are not fully explained by Biblical scholars. The first
administration of vinegar to the Saviour was, according to St. Matthew,
vinegar mixed with gall; according to St. Mark, vinegar mixed with
myrrh. There are linguistic reasons for assuming that the additional
ingredient may have been opium, given with a merciful intention. But
both evangelists state that Jesus refused it. The second time vinegar
was given to him on a sponge, and St. Luke seems to suggest that this
was given in mockery. It is supposed that the vinegar was the posca, a
sour wine which was largely drunk by the Roman soldiers.