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Bible Dictionaries
Cup
Holman Bible Dictionary
In the Bible the word “cup” frequently is used in a figurative sense. The contents of the cup are accentuated, since symbolically God serves the drink. Thus the cup might represent blessings or prosperity for a righteous person (Psalm 16:5; Psalm 23:5; Psalm 116:13 ). Likewise, it portrayed the totality of divine judgment on the wicked (Psalm 11:6; Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17 ,Isaiah 51:17,51:22; Jeremiah 25:15; Jeremiah 49:12; Jeremiah 51:7; Ezekiel 23:31-34; Revelation 14:10; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:4; Revelation 18:6 ). Jesus voluntarily drank the cup of suffering (Matthew 20:22; Matthew 26:39 ,Matthew 26:39,26:42; Mark 10:38; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 18:11 ). For Jesus that cup was His death and everything that it involved.
The cup had a prominent place in the liturgy of the Jewish Passover meal, and so, subsequently, in the Lord's Supper. In the Christian ordinance the cup is a symbolic reminder of the atoning death of Jesus (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 14:23-24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 ). See Divination; Lampstand; Lord's Supper; Passover; Pottery.
LeBron Matthews
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Cup'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hbd/​c/cup.html. 1991.