Cup-bearer. An officer of high dignity at Eastern courts, as the butler of Pharaoh. Genesis 40:1-23; Genesis 41:9. Cup-bearers are mentioned in the description of Solomon's court, 1 Kings 10:5; and Rabshakeh, as his name indicates, was cup-bearer to the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 18:17. Nehemiah held the same post under Artaxerxes. Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:1. And it was not only an honorable appointment, but must have been a source of great emolument, for Nehemiah was evidently a man of wealth. Nehemiah 5:14-19. The cup was washed in the king's presence, and when filled, after the officer had tasted a little of the wine, which he poured into his left hand, was presented on three fingers. So no modern Eastern attendant ever grasps any vessel he offers to his master, but places it on his left hand, and steadies it with his right.