What is the “cup of his fury” and “cup of trembling” in this passage?

The “cup of his fury” and “cup of trembling” is a picture for God’s judgment. It is like a bitter drink that Jerusalem has had to take from God’s hand. War, famine, and shame are described as part of that cup. The people have not just sipped it, they have drunk it to the dregs and wrung it out, meaning their suffering has been very heavy and has gone on a long time. This image shows that their pain is not random, but under God’s rule, and that he can also bring it to an end.

Why does God tell Jerusalem to “awake, awake, stand up”?

Jerusalem is pictured like someone who has been knocked down and stunned by trouble, almost like being drunk, but not with wine. God calls the city to wake up and stand because the time of lying in despair is ending. He is about to act in mercy, take away the cup of wrath, and deal with their enemies. The call to awake is a call to pay attention, to believe God’s promise of help, and to rise from hopelessness because he is still their Lord and helper.

What were the “two things” that came on Jerusalem: desolation and destruction, famine and sword?

The passage speaks of “two things” that have come on Jerusalem, then lists desolation and destruction, famine and sword. These cover both outward and inward misery. Outwardly there were war, hunger, and ruin. Inwardly there was deep grief, fear, and no one to comfort or guide them. The questions “who shall be sorry for thee?” and “by whom shall I comfort thee?” stress how alone and helpless they were. It shows how far their suffering had gone before God stepped in to show mercy.

Why are Jerusalem’s sons pictured as fainting like a wild bull in a net?

Jerusalem’s sons lying at the head of the streets, like a wild bull in a net, shows how trapped, worn out, and confused the people are. A wild bull caught in a net struggles, exhausts itself, and cannot get free. In the same way, the people are full of the Lord’s rebuke and cannot escape their troubles by their own strength. This picture underlines their weakness and the weight of God’s anger on them, and it prepares the way for God to step in as the one who pleads their cause and brings relief.

What does it mean that the people are “drunken, but not with wine”?

“Drunken, but not with wine” means the people are overwhelmed by trouble, not by alcohol. Their fear, grief, and shame make them stagger as if they were drunk. They are confused and unsteady because of the blows they have received. This wording makes clear that their condition comes from suffering under God’s judgment and human oppression. It sets up God’s comforting word, because he speaks directly to these afflicted ones and promises to remove the cup that has made them reel and to act in their favor.

What promise does God give when he says he has taken the cup from Jerusalem’s hand?

God promises that he himself has taken the cup of trembling, even the dregs, from Jerusalem’s hand, and that they will not drink it again. This means their season of heavy judgment is coming to an end. The suffering described as God’s cup will not be their endless state. It shows God’s mercy and faithfulness, that he does not forget his people, even after severe discipline. He not only removes the cup but also pleads their cause, proving he is still their Lord and their God.

Why does God say he will give the cup to those who afflicted Jerusalem?

God says he will put the cup into the hand of those who afflicted Jerusalem, those who mocked them and ordered them to bow down so they could walk over them. This is a picture of God’s justice. The same kind of judgment and distress that fell on his people will now fall on their proud enemies. Those who shamed and crushed God’s people will themselves face shame and pain under God’s hand. This shows that oppression and arrogance against God’s people do not go unnoticed, and God will set things right in his time.

What does this passage teach about God’s character toward his suffering people?

This passage shows that God is both just and merciful. He does not ignore sin, and he lets hard discipline fall, pictured as a cup of fury. Yet he also calls his people to wake up, reminds them that he is their Lord and their God, and says he pleads their cause. He knows they are afflicted and promises that their drinking of the cup will end. At the same time, he will judge those who crushed them. So we see a God who rules over judgment, yet also comforts and restores his own.

How can someone today relate to the “cup of trembling” and God’s comfort here?

Someone today may feel overwhelmed by trouble, guilt, or shame, like Jerusalem did, as if life’s blows have made them stagger. This passage shows that God sees such affliction and can speak directly to the hurt person, calling them to wake up and look to him. While the words spoke first to Jerusalem, they reveal God’s heart to remove his anger from his people and to stand with them against what crushes them. A reader can take comfort that suffering is not the final word when God is their Lord and helper.

Isa.51.17

Isaiah 51:17

King James Version (KJV)

¶ Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

Chapter:

Context:

God’s Fury Removed

¶ Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.

¶ Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

Cross References

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