4/07/2008

Cups

i.ucc.org is launching an updated version tomorrow, so this week's Bible study blog entry is appearing here first! (It'll be at i.ucc.org, along with a Bible study forum late Tuesday or early Wednesday.)

You’ve done the "cup is half full" or "cup is half empty" test, right? But have you done the "cup is full" or the "cup is overflowing" test?

When you read the 23rd Psalm, in particular the 5th verse, how do you imagine a cup? Is it full? Is it overflowing? Is it running over? Is it brimming? Is there more than the cup can hold?

There are many different ways the 23rd Psalm is translated into English. I’d like to explore the different translations of the sentence that the King James Version of the Bible renders, "My cup runneth over." How do these translations strike you?

My cup overflows.
My cup overflows with blessings.
My cup is full!
You give me more than I can hold.
Blessings overflow!
My cup brims with blessing.
You fill my cup to the brim.
My cup brims over.
My cup is full and spilling over.
My drink is abundant.

What other translations of the end of Psalm 23:5 can you find? How do they relate to the whole character of the Psalm?

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