Psalms 75:8

75:8 For the Lord holds in his hand a cup full

of foaming wine mixed with spices, ¹ 

and pours it out. ² 

Surely all the wicked of the earth

will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.” ³ 

Ezekiel 23:31

23:31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment ⁴  in your hand.

Matthew 20:22

20:22 Jesus ⁵  answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! ⁶  Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” ⁷  They said to him, “We are able.” ⁸ 

Matthew 26:39

26:39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, ⁹  “My Father, if possible, ¹⁰  let this cup ¹¹  pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Matthew 26:42

26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, ¹²  “My Father, if this cup ¹³  cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.”

Mark 10:38-39

10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?” ¹⁴  10:39 They said to him, “We are able.” ¹⁵  Then Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience,

Mark 14:35-36

14:35 Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him. 14:36 He said, “Abba, ¹⁶  Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup ¹⁷  away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Luke 22:42

22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take ¹⁸  this cup ¹⁹  away from me. Yet not my will but yours ²⁰  be done.”

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ²¹ 

¹ tn Heb “for a cup [is] in the hand of the Lord, and wine foams, it is full of a spiced drink.” The noun מֶסֶךְ (mesekh) refers to a “mixture” of wine and spices.

² tn Heb “and he pours out from this.”

³ tn Heb “surely its dregs they slurp up and drink, all the wicked of the earth.”

⁴ tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).

⁵ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶ tn The verbs in Greek are plural here, indicating that Jesus is not answering the mother but has turned his attention directly to the two disciples.

⁷ tc Most mss (C W 33 Ï, as well as some versional and patristic authorities) in addition have “or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” But this is surely due to a recollection of the fuller version of this dominical saying found in Mark 10:38. The same mss also have the Lord’s response, “and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized” in v. 23, again due to the parallel in Mark 10:39. The shorter reading, in both v. 22 and v. 23, is to be preferred both because it better explains the rise of the other reading and is found in superior witnesses (א B D L Z Θ 085 Ë^1,13 pc lat, as well as other versional and patristic authorities).

⁸ sn No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “We are able.” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.

⁹ tn Grk “ground, praying and saying.” Here the participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

¹⁰ tn Grk “if it is possible.”

¹¹ sn This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.

¹² tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.

¹³ tn Grk “this”; the referent (the cup) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn Grk “baptism I am baptized with.” This same change has been made in v. 39.

¹⁵ sn No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “We are able.” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.

¹⁶ tn The word means “Father” in Aramaic.

¹⁷ sn This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.

¹⁸ tn Luke’s term παρένεγκε is not as exact as the one in Matt 26:39. Luke’s means “take away” (BDAG 772 s.v. παρένεγκε 2.c) while Matthew’s means “take away without touching,” suggesting an alteration (if possible) in God’s plan. For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1759-60.

¹⁹ sn This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.

²⁰ sn With the statement “Not my will but yours be done” Jesus submitted fully to God’s will.

²¹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.