Bowl

Bowl translates several Hebrew terms in the Old Testament, applied to a range of vessels from the ornamental cups of the tabernacle lampstand to large ceremonial basins. The Hebrew gullah designates the oil reservoirs of the golden lampstand (Ex. 25:31–34; Zech. 4:2), while mizraq refers to the large basins used to receive and sprinkle sacrificial blood at the altar. The golden bowls (“vials”) of Revelation 5:8 contain the prayers of the saints, and the seven bowls of God's wrath (Rev. 15–16) are poured out in the final sequence of plagues.

Amos 6:6 condemns those who “drink wine in bowls” as a sign of luxurious indulgence while being indifferent to the ruin of Joseph—the oversized bowl replacing the modest cup as a symbol of excess. Zechariah 9:15 envisions the victorious people of God “full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.” The bowl's ritual associations—with sacrifice, oil, and wine—gave it a sacramental resonance across the range of biblical contexts in which it appears.