What are “dregs?”

WHAT ARE “DREGS?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

“Dregs” is found three times in the King James Bible:

  • Psalm 75:8: “For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.”
  • Isaiah 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.”
  • Isaiah 51:22: “Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:….”

As implied in these verses, “dregs” are something in a cup. Of course, this is figurative, but that does not detract from the fact a literal truth is being communicated. “Dregs” are the grounds at the bottom of the glass: they are the leftovers of the substance that has given the beverage its flavor, plus the last few remnants of the liquid itself. In Scripture, God’s righteous wrath against sin is likened unto a cup that sinners drink—and, as the LORD God promises, sinners will drink every last drop!

Also see:
» What are “victuals?”
» What does, “bray a fool,” mean?
» What does “gainsaying” mean?