Heb. pachim, “traps.” The translation “coals of fire and brimstone” (RSV) is obtained by an alteration of the Hebrew text, reading pachame for pachim. Such changes are mere conjecture. In this instance the LXX supports the Hebrew. There may be an allusion to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24, 28). Compare the destruction of the wicked at Christ’s coming (Luke 17:29, 30).
Cup.
Figuratively, God holds out to the wicked a cup for them to drink. In ancient Greece punishment was often administered by requiring the victim to drink a poisonous draught. In Scripture the cup often represents the fate of the wicked (see Ps. 75:8; Rev. 14:10; 16:19).