A utensil for holding a limited amount of liquid for individual consumption. Cups were made of precious metal (Gen 44:1-34; Jer 51:7; Rev 17:4); cf. the cuplike oil holder of the Temple lamp, (Exod 25:31-35). At a formal meal there was a cup of blessing (1Cor 10:16) marking a new stage in the meal and symbolizing the unity of meal participants (1Cor 10:21). The cup could also symbolize a person’s lot or fate (Jer 49:12; Ezek 23:31-33; Mark 10:38-39; Mark 14:36). All persons can be said to have their “cup,” i.e., the limited and fixed amount of whatever God has to offer them in life, either in entirety, such as a lifetime of devotedness to God (Ps 11:6; Ps 16:5) or a life of abundance (overflowing cup – Ps 23:5), or in part, such as rescue (cup of salvation, (Ps 116:13), or punishment (cup of wrath, (Isa 51:17; Hab 2:15); cup of “staggering” or “reeling,” (Isa 51:22; Zech 12:2).
