Isaiah 51:17
Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse isn't just about punishment; it reveals God's deep empathy by using the intimate, human imagery of a cup being drained to its absolute last drop. The repetition of "awake, awake" and the vivid "wrung them out" highlight that Jerusalem's suffering was complete, a full measure of God's wrath, yet this description also emphasizes God's intimate knowledge of her deepest pain.
This verse begins a lament over Jerusalem's severe suffering and desolate state, describing her as having drunk God's wrath to the very last drop. It follows immediately after promises of comfort and restoration, highlighting the contrast between God's ultimate plan and the current reality of her pain. The prophet is urging Jerusalem to "wake up" from her despair, even amidst the depth of her punishment, because her restoration is still on the horizon.
Understand the original words
chemah · Hebrew Noun
A metaphorical term representing God's holy, righteous judgment and judicial anger against sin and rebellion, which must be poured out upon the unrepentant.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant Lord, the self-existent One who enters into a personal, binding, and redeeming relationship with His people. The name signifies His faithfulness to His covenant promises.
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tar'elah · Hebrew Noun
A figure for a state of spiritual or judicial confusion, helplessness, and reeling caused by experiencing the consequences of divine judgment.
This powerful image of Jerusalem drinking the 'cup of wrath' speaks directly to the profound devastation and despair following the destruction of the city and the exile in Babylon. The prophet is calling Jerusalem to 'wake up' from its stupor, not to deny its suffering, but to recognize that even in its deepest agony, there is a divine purpose and a future hope for restoration.
c. 626 BC
Babylonian Empire Rises
Nabopolassar establishes the Babylonian Empire, beginning a period of Neo-Babylonian dominance that would eventually lead to the destruction of Jerusalem.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Jerusalem is besieged, and members of the royal family and elite are deported to Babylon, marking the beginning of the exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Jerusalem's population, including the prophet Ezekiel, further intensifying the exile experience.
587/586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, its Temple, and the city walls, exiling the remaining population and marking the nadir of Judah's existence.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, leading to the eventual decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
516 BC
Second Temple Rebuilt in Jerusalem
The returned exiles, after significant challenges, complete the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, a symbol of restored worship and hope.
This passage also uses the powerful metaphor of God handing a 'cup of fury' to the nations, illustrating how judgment is poured out from God's hand.
Psalm 75:8This Psalm echoes the imagery of a cup in God's hand filled with 'mixed wine,' the dregs of which all the wicked will wring out and drink, reinforcing the idea of complete divine judgment.
Luke 22:42Jesus Himself refers to 'the cup' that the Father has given Him, showing the profound connection between enduring God's wrath and the suffering of God's people, even to the point of Jesus asking if it could be taken away.
Revelation 14:10This verse in Revelation describes the wine of the wrath of God poured out 'without mixture' into the cup of His indignation, further emphasizing the severity and completeness of God's judgment symbolized by the cup.
barnesIsaiah 51:17: "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."
Awake, awake - (See the notes at Isaiah 51:9 ). This verse commences an address to Jerusalem under a new figure or image. The figure employed is that of a man who has been overcome by the cup of the wrath of Yahweh, that had produced the same effect as inebriation. Jerusalem had reeled and fallen prostrate. Th…
pulpitIsaiah 51:17: "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."
Verses 17-23. - AN ADDRESS OF THE PROPHET TO JERUSALEM. The comfort afforded to Israel generally is now concentrated on Jerusalem. Her condition during the long period of the Captivity is deplored, and her want of a champion to assert her cause and raise her out of the dust is lamented (vers. 17-20). After thi…
This verse isn't just about punishment; it reveals God's deep empathy by using the intimate, human imagery of a cup being drained to its absolute last drop. The repetition of "awake, awake" and the vivid "wrung them out" highlight that Jerusalem's suffering was complete, a full measure of God's wrath, yet this description also emphasizes God's intimate knowledge of her deepest pain.
This verse begins a lament over Jerusalem's severe suffering and desolate state, describing her as having drunk God's wrath to the very last drop. It follows immediately after promises of comfort and restoration, highlighting the contrast between God's ultimate plan and the current reality of her pain. The prophet is urging Jerusalem to "wake up" from her despair, even amidst the depth of her punishment, because her restoration is still on the horizon.
This verse begins a lament over Jerusalem's severe suffering and desolate state, describing her as having drunk God's wrath to the very last drop. It follows immediately after promises of comfort and restoration, highlighting the contrast between God's ultimate plan and the current reality of her pain. The prophet is urging Jerusalem to "wake up" from her despair, even amidst the depth of her punishment, because her restoration is still on the horizon.
"Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering." — This verse isn't just about punishment; it reveals God's deep empathy by using the intimate, human imagery of a cup being drained to its absolute last drop. The repetition of "awake, awake" and the v…
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