Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Isaiah 51:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17Awake, 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah states or reports “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of…” at Isaiah 51:17 as a specific part of “Jerusalem Awakens after Drinking the Cup.”
You who have drunk the cup to the dregs
This verse is one part of that explanation in Isaiah 51:17–23. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Isaiah 51:17–23
Read Isaiah 51:17 with 51:17–23. By itself, “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Zion's incomparable devastation and absent guides are acknowledged before the cup of staggering is removed and transferred to tormentors.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “The People Call the Arm to Awake and Receive an Answer” into “Jerusalem Awakens after Drinking the Cup.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: Zion's incomparable devastation and absent guides are acknowledged before the cup of staggering is removed and transferred to tormentors. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah states or reports “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of…” at Isaiah 51:17 as a specific part of “Jerusalem Awakens after Drinking the Cup.”
Follow the Context
- The unit opens at 51:17 with the address, scene, poem, sign, question, or action named in its title.
- Zion's incomparable devastation and absent guides are acknowledged before the cup of staggering is removed and transferred to tormentors.
- By 51:23 the movement reaches its warning, promise, answer, response, or transition before the next unit begins.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Jerusalem's cup imagery does not make victims responsible for every violence inflicted by conquerors.
What Remains True
Hope for a community must hold justice, belonging, safety, worship, grief, and repair together. In Isaiah 51:17, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah states or reports “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of…” at Isaiah 51:17 as a specific part of “Jerusalem Awakens after Drinking the Cup.”
Teach It Back
Explain Isaiah 51:17's precise role in Isaiah 51:17–23. Include “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of…,” state the unit's historical or literary limit, give one proportionate truth and action, and explicitly reject one harmful use.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Isaiah 51:17–23 — Jerusalem Awakens after Drinking the CupSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 51:17–23, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 51:17–23 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 51:17–23 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗open university study guide series
Second Isaiah study-guide course
Robert R. Wilson and Stephen L. Cook
Yale Bible Study, 2019; current public course
Supports: Babylonian-exile and Persian horizons, new exodus, Cyrus, servant figures, Daughter Zion, nations, suffering, and transition to plural servants.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Second Isaiah course, Servant and Bride guide on Isaiah 49:1-52:12; applied to Isaiah 51:17–23
Open the Yale Second Isaiah course ↗modern scholarly book course
Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception
Fred Gaiser; revised by Michael Chan
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised August 2024
Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 2C, Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to Isaiah 51:17–23
Open the Enter the Bible Isaiah course ↗