Cup(goblet)
Summary
A drinking vessel of various materials used throughout Scripture, carrying profound figurative significance as a symbol of one's allotted portion in life—whether blessing or suffering—and central to the institution of the Lord's Supper.
☩Physical Description
Ancient cups were made of various materials—gold, silver, earthenware, and later glass. Egyptian and Phoenician designs influenced Hebrew craftsmanship. Solomon's drinking vessels were all gold, with none of silver (1 Kings 10:21). The 'great laver' in the temple had a rim 'like the edge of a cup, with flowers of lilies' (1 Kings 7:26). New Testament cups were often formed on Greek and Roman models, sometimes of gold (Revelation 17:4).
☩The Cup of Sorrow and Judgment
Throughout Scripture, the 'cup' symbolizes one's allotted experience—particularly suffering and divine judgment. God holds 'a cup, and the wine is red... the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them' (Psalm 75:8). Babylon is called 'a golden cup' that made nations drunk (Jeremiah 51:7). Most significantly, Jesus spoke of His coming sufferings as a 'cup': 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me' (Matthew 26:39).
☩The Cup of Blessing
The cup also represents blessing and salvation. 'I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord' (Psalm 116:13). 'My cup runneth over' expresses the fullness of divine provision (Psalm 23:5). In the Lord's Supper, Paul calls the Eucharistic cup 'the cup of blessing which we bless' (1 Corinthians 10:16), connecting it to the Jewish Paschal 'cup of blessing' (kos shel berakah)—the third of four Paschal cups.
☩The Cup in the Lord's Supper
At the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup saying, 'This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many' (Mark 14:24). The cup became a pledge and seal of the new covenant established by Christ's blood (Hebrews 10:16-17). Paul contrasts 'the cup of the Lord' with 'the cup of devils' (1 Corinthians 10:21)—participation in either involves fellowship with that which it represents. The prominence of the cup in apostolic practice is evident throughout the New Testament.
Related Verses66 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Cup," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Cup," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Cup," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).