The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this verse, unlocking layers of meaning and offering us a glimpse into the divine justice that awaits. It’s not just about wine, but about consequences, about the bitter taste of deeds coming back to haunt you.
The Talmud, in its characteristic fashion, presents a paradox: a cup can be emptied, yet still be said to contain "wine, a full measure." It can even hold old wine, hinting at the accumulated weight of past actions. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Nachman bar Chanina, and Rabbi Yitzchak bar Chaya, as cited in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), paint a fascinating picture of the future. Imagine God presenting a cup to Pharaoh and demanding he drink. Pharaoh, unbelievably, protests that he hasn't even tasted a cup in this world! God's response? What he has tasted is but a "small coin" compared to what awaits. The passage references (Isaiah 29:9-10), driving home the point: the wicked may drink, stagger, and feel nothing now, but their wickedness will be paid in full. They drink, but find no refreshment.
Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Yosi the Galilean asks if the cup standing before him is a "cup of disgrace," referencing (Deuteronomy 32:34). Rabbi Acha then raises a crucial point: how do you mix the cup so that all the bitterness isn't concentrated in one overwhelming dose? The answer, according to the Midrash, is to pour it out like a jug with a wide mouth that tapers towards the top. This image, drawn from (Ezekiel 23:32) ("You shall drink your sister's cup, which is deep and wide"), suggests a slow, agonizing realization of the consequences.
But the Midrash doesn't stop there. It introduces the idea of contrasting cups: four cups for good and four for evil. We have the overflowing cup of (Psalm 23:5), filled with abundance. There's the cup representing God as our "allotted portion," from (Psalm 16:5). And the "cup of salvation" we lift up in gratitude, as (Psalm 116:13) reminds us. These are the cups of blessing. But opposing them are four cups of punishment awaiting the nations in the future. The ultimate outcome? "All the horns of the wicked shall be cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up" (Psalm 75:11).
Now, what's with the "horns"? The Midrash continues by listing ten horns given to Israel by God. These aren't literal horns, of course, but symbols of strength, power, and divine favor. We have the horn of Abraham, tied to the promise of the land. Then comes the horn of Moses, representing his radiant face after receiving the Torah, described in (Exodus 34:35). There's the horn of prophecy, the horn of Torah itself, the horn of priesthood, and the horn of the tribe of Levi. We also have the horn of Jerusalem and, perhaps most significantly, the horn of the King Messiah.
But the Midrash doesn't shy away from a difficult truth. When the Jews sinned, these horns were taken from them and given to the gentiles. (Daniel 7:24) is quoted: "And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise." The gentiles, the Midrash explains, were compared to beasts represented by these horns. As long as the horns of the gentiles are raised, the horns of Israel are lowered, a sentiment echoing the mournful words of (Lamentations 2:3): "He has cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel."
But the message isn't one of despair. The Midrash Tehillim offers a powerful vision of hope. In the future, in our days, the horns of Israel will be lifted up once more! (Psalm 75:11) is invoked again: "And all the horns of the wicked will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted." Those horns that diminished the righteous will themselves be shattered.
So, what do we take away from this? The image of the cup, filled with wine and drained to its dregs, serves as a potent reminder that actions have consequences. But it's also a reminder that justice, though sometimes delayed, will ultimately prevail. And the horns – symbols of strength and divine favor – offer a vision of hope, a promise that even in the darkest of times, redemption is always possible. What kind of cup are we filling, and what kind of horn are we trying to raise? That's a question worth pondering.
"For the cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams; it is fully mixed and he pours out of it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to its dregs." (Psalm 75:8)
"The Talmud teaches that the cup can be emptied yet still say 'wine, a full measure, is in it.' It can also contain old wine. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Nachman bar Chanina, and Rabbi Yitzchak bar Chaya said that in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to Pharaoh, 'Drink your cup,' but Pharaoh will reply, 'Master of the Universe, I have not drunk a cup in this world.' And He will say to him, 'What you have drunk is like a small coin.' As it says, 'And he will gulp it down and stagger, yet he will not be able to avoid it.' But now, they shall drink and stagger and be as though they had not drunk; for their wickedness shall be paid in full. They drink but do not feel refreshed." (Isaiah 29:9-10) "Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Yosi the Galilean said, 'Is not the cup standing before me like a cup of disgrace?' (Deuteronomy 32:34) Rabbi Acha said, 'In which cup will you mix it, so that it is not all mixed in one cup?' Rather, he will pour it all out like a jug with a wide mouth that tapers towards the top. As it says, 'You shall drink your sister's cup, which is deep and wide.' (Ezekiel 23:32) "You shall find four cups for good and four for evil. For good, as it says, 'My cup overflows with oil' (Psalm 23:5), 'The Lord is my allotted portion and cup' (Psalm 16:5), and 'I lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord' (Psalm 116:13). These are the four cups for good. And against them are the four cups of punishment for the nations in the future, and afterwards all the horns of the wicked shall be cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up." (Psalm 75:11) "There are ten horns that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Israel. The horn of Abraham, as it says, 'I will sing to my Beloved a song of love concerning His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a wine-press as well. Then He looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.' (Isaiah 5:1-6)" The Horns of Israel (Genesis 22:13): "And behold, a ram caught in the thicket by its horns." The horn of Moses (Exodus 34:35): "Because the skin of his face shone, and he put a veil upon his face." The horn of prophecy (1 Samuel 2:1): "And Hannah prayed and said...My horn is exalted in the Lord." The horn of Torah (Habakkuk 3:4): "And rays streamed from His hand; and there was the hiding of His power." The horn of priesthood (Psalm 132:17): "There I will make a horn to bud for David; I have ordained a lamp for my anointed." The horn of Levi (1 Chronicles 25:5): "All these were the sons of Haman, the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn." The horn of Jerusalem (Psalm 22:22): "From the horns of the wild oxen You answered me." The horn of the King Messiah (1 Samuel 2:10): "The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed." It is also said (Psalm 132:17), "There I will make a horn to bud for David." When the Jews sinned, these [horns] were taken from them and given to the gentiles, as it says (Daniel 7:24): "And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise." The gentiles were compared to these beasts [represented by the horns], and as long as the horns of the gentiles are in existence, the horns of Israel are lowered, as it says (Lamentations 2:3): "He has cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel." But when the horns of Israel are lifted up in the future, in our days, the horns of the nations of the gentiles will be lowered, and the horns of Israel will be lifted up, as it says (Psalm 75:11): "And all the horns of the wicked will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted." The horns that lowered the horn of the righteous of the world will themselves be cut off.
