Meaning
a diminutive of poter, denotes, primarily, a "drinking vessel;" hence, "a cup" (a) literal, as, e.g., in Mat 10:42. The "cup" of blessing, 1Co 10:16, is so named from the third (the fourth according to Edersheim) "cup" in the Jewish Passover feast, over which thanks and praise were given to God. This connection is not to be rejected on the ground that the church at Corinth was unfamiliar with Jewish customs. That the contrary was the case, see 1Co 5:7; (b) figurative, of one's lot or experience, joyous or sorrowful (frequent in the Psalms; cp. Psa 116:18, "cup of salvation"); in the NT it is used most frequently of the sufferings of Christ, Mat 1:20-23, Mat 26:39, Mar 1:10-39, Mar 14:36, Luk 22:42, Joh 18:11; also of the evil deeds of Babylon, Rev 17:4, Rev 18:6; of Divine punishments to be inflicted, Rev 14:10, Rev 16:19. Cp. Psa 11:6, Psa 75:8, Isa 51:17, Jer 25:15, Eze 1:23-34, Zec 12:2.
