And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
And he took the cup. Several cups of wine were partaken of, or tasted, during the somewhat elaborate rites observed in the celebration of the Passover. This was probably the first one: but it is not to be confounded with the Eucharistic cup mentioned in Luke 22:29, and then partaken of for the first time; this Paschal cup was now partaken of for the last time.
And gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. A false inference has been drawn from this by some expositors-that Christ did not Himself drink of it. The contrary is obvious from His earnest desire to "eat this Passover with them," and of course to drink the Paschal cup; and in what follows. He expressly says that He did drink of it.