Lexical Summary kowc: Cup Original Word: כּוֹס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cup, small owl From an unused root meaning to hold together; a cup (as a container), often figuratively, a lot (as if a potion); also some unclean bird, probably an owl (perhaps from the cup-like cavity of its eye) -- cup, (small) owl. Compare kiyc. see HEBREW kiyc Brown-Driver-Briggs I. כּוֺס noun feminineLamentations 4:21 cup (√ unknown; perhaps kindred with כִּיס, q. v.; Late Hebrew id.; Phoenician כסת; Aramaic כָּס,  ; Arabic  is Aramaic loan-word according to Frä171, but see DHMVOJ i. 27) — ׳כ absolute Genesis 40:11 +; כּ֯יֹס Proverbs 23:31; construct Genesis 40:11 +; suffix כּוֺסִי Psalm 16:5; Psalm 23:5 etc.; plural absolute כֹּסוֺת Jeremiah 35:5; — cup 2 Samuel 12:3; for wine Genesis 40:11 (3 t. in verse); Genesis 40:13,21 (all E), Proverbs 23:31; Jeremiah 35:5; שְׂפַתאכּוֺס 1 Kings 7:26; 2Chronicles 4:5; תַּנְחוּמִים ׳כ Jeremiah 16:7 the cup offered to mourners; figurative (wine-) cup of judgement of ׳י, from which the nations, or Israel, must drink Jeremiah 49:12; Lamentations 4:21; Psalm 75:9; חֲמָתוֺ ׳כ Isaiah 51:17,22; הַיַּיִן ׳כ הַחֵמָה Jeremiah 25:15, compare Jeremiah 25:17; Jeremiah 25:28; הַתַּרְעֵלָה ׳כ Isaiah 51:17,22; ׳כ שַׁמָּה וּשְׁמָמָה Ezekiel 23:33, compare Ezekiel 23:31; Ezekiel 23:32; Ezekiel 23:33; ׳יְמִין י ׳כ Habakkuk 2:16; by bold metaphor Babylon is such a cup זָהָב ׳כ ׳בְּיַד י Jeremiah 51:7; so of wicked persons, fire, brimstone, and burning wind are מְנָתאכּוֺסָם Psalm 11:6 the portion of their cup; ׳כ in good sense, cup of blessing Psalm 23:5 (overflowing); מְנָת חֶלְקִי וְכוֺסִי ׳י Psalm 16:5; יְשׁוּעוֺת ׳כ Psalm 116:13. II. כּוֺס noun [masculine] a kind of owl (according to Vrss.; see Kn-Di Leviticus 11:17; word perhaps onomatopoetic) — unclean bird Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:16, dwelling in ruins חֳרָבוֺת ׳כִ Psalm 102:7. I. כור (√ of following; perhaps be or make round, hence furnace, pot, basin, from shape; Arabic Topical Lexicon Literal Vessel in Cultic and Royal Contexts כּוֹס appears first in the instructions for the tabernacle (Exodus 25:29; 37:16) where cups fashioned of pure gold are part of the bread-table service. Solomon’s craftsmen likewise fashioned ornate cups for the temple (1 Kings 7:26, 1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chronicles 4:5, 2 Chronicles 4:22). These texts establish כּוֹס as a sanctified utensil, set apart for worship, reminding readers that even common implements become holy when devoted to the LORD. They also reveal the prosperity of Israel under covenant blessing, a prosperity that reaches its peak in the splendor of Solomon’s sanctuary. Symbol of Blessing and Salvation The psalmists elevate כּוֹס from a physical vessel to a metaphor for divine favor: Overflowing and uplifting imagery portrays God’s bounty and deliverance. The believer’s “cup” is not merely full but running over, indicating superabundant grace. Israel’s worshipers responded by publicly “lifting” that cup in thanksgiving, a liturgical act that anticipates Christian communion celebrations where the cup testifies to salvation in Messiah. Symbol of Judgment and Wrath Conversely, כּוֹס often signifies the inescapable retribution prepared by God for the wicked: This cup is forced upon rebels; refusal is impossible. The prophets’ language underscores moral accountability in history and points forward to ultimate eschatological judgment. The same vessel that offers salvation to the righteous becomes an instrument of staggering doom for the unrepentant. Determined Portion or Lot in Life Several passages use כּוֹס to describe the life-portion assigned by God: The metaphor reassures the faithful that God personally allots every individual’s destiny. No circumstance is random; each “cup” is measured by divine sovereignty, whether for discipline or delight. Covenantal and Eschatological Overtones Zechariah 12:2 portrays Jerusalem itself as “a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling,” forecasting a future day when nations that assault God’s city will stumble. The image links historical Jerusalem with end-time prophecy, inviting readers to trust in the unbreakable promises regarding Israel’s ultimate vindication. Foreshadowing of the Messiah’s Passion Though כּוֹס is an Old Testament term, its theology flows naturally into the New Testament. When Jesus prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39), He identifies Himself with Isaiah’s Suffering Servant who bears the cup of wrath for others. His acceptance of that cup secures the believer’s cup of salvation (1 Corinthians 10:16). Thus the Old Testament imagery finds its climax in the cross. Liturgical and Devotional Usage Jewish tradition incorporated four cups into the Passover liturgy, echoing the Exodus promises (Exodus 6:6-7). While the Old Testament does not explicitly list this ritual, the prevalence of כּוֹס in worship settings prepared the ground. Early Christian worship re-purposed the cup in the Lord’s Supper, celebrating the New Covenant “in My blood” (Luke 22:20). The dual themes of blessing and judgment embedded in כּוֹס guide modern worshippers to examine themselves (1 Corinthians 11:28) and to rejoice in redemption. Pastoral and Practical Implications 1. Assurance in Providence: Believers can face suffering trusting that the Father has mixed the contents of their cup for ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Summary כּוֹס traverses Scripture as both vessel and metaphor—holding wine in the sanctuary, blessing in the Psalms, wrath in the prophets, and redemption in the Gospel. Its 33 occurrences weave together God’s holiness, justice, mercy, and sovereign ordering of human destiny, culminating in the Messiah’s decisive acceptance of the Father’s cup so that His people might forever raise the cup of salvation. Forms and Transliterations הַכּ֖וֹס הַכּ֥וֹס הַכּוֹס֙ הכוס וְכ֥וֹס וְכֹס֑וֹת וְכוֹסִ֑י וּמִכֹּס֤וֹ וכוס וכוסי וכסות ומכסו כ֪וֹס כְּכ֣וֹס כּ֔וֹס כּ֖וֹס כּ֚וֹס כּ֣וֹס כּ֤וֹס כּ֧וֹס כּ֨וֹס כּוֹסִ֥י כּוֹסָֽם׃ כּוֹס־ כוֹסָ֖הּ כוֹס־ כוס כוס־ כוסה כוסי כוסם׃ ככוס chos choSah hak·kō·ws hakKos hakkōws kə·ḵō·ws keChos kəḵōws ḵō·w·sāh kō·w·sām kō·w·sî kō·ws ḵō·ws kō·ws- ḵō·ws- Kos koSam koSi kōws ḵōws kōws- ḵōws- ḵōwsāh kōwsām kōwsî ū·mik·kō·sōw umikkoSo ūmikkōsōw veChos vechoSi vechoSot wə·ḵō·sō·wṯ wə·ḵō·w·sî wə·ḵō·ws wəḵōsōwṯ wəḵōws wəḵōwsîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 40:11 HEB: וְכ֥וֹס פַּרְעֹ֖ה בְּיָדִ֑י NAS: Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; KJV: And Pharaoh's cup [was] in my hand: INT: cup now Pharaoh's my hand Genesis 40:11 Genesis 40:11 Genesis 40:13 Genesis 40:21 Leviticus 11:17 Deuteronomy 14:16 2 Samuel 12:3 1 Kings 7:26 2 Chronicles 4:5 Psalm 11:6 Psalm 16:5 Psalm 23:5 Psalm 75:8 Psalm 102:6 Psalm 116:13 Isaiah 51:17 Isaiah 51:17 Isaiah 51:22 Isaiah 51:22 Jeremiah 16:7 Jeremiah 25:15 Jeremiah 25:17 Jeremiah 25:28 Jeremiah 35:5 33 Occurrences |
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wind about (e.g. a turban), 
turn or twist (of turban), 
blacksmith's fire-place, hornet's or bees' nest, **
means also a camel's saddle (or 'howdah') with its apparatus, see Frey, Lane; 
bundle; > Thes compare Syriac 
incaluit (Lexicons aestuavit, calefactus est)).