Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 49:11
Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
11. Binding vine ] Judah is represented as having so fruitful a soil that the vines grew richly by the wayside. The vine stem which would usually be protected from animals is used by Judah for fastening up the animal on which he rides.
The “ass” is the universal beast of burden in the East for all classes. See Jdg 5:10; Jdg 10:4 ; 2Sa 16:1-2; Zec 9:9.
washed ] The same hyperbolical description is maintained in this and the following couplet. Grapes in the land of Judah are to be so plentiful that he will wash garments in their juice.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He signifies the plenty of vines in Judahs portion, that they shall be planted every where, even in the commons and highways where men travel, and where upon occasion they use to tie the beasts on which they ride to any tree which is near them. Such shall be the plenty of it, that if it were convenient, men might use wine instead of water to wash their garments.
The blood of grapes; so the wine is called also in Deu 32:14; 1Ma 6:34; and by Pliny, Hesiod, and others. As oil is called the blood of the olive.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine,…. Which may be understood either of the tribe of Judah, and signify that vines should grow in such plenty, and so large and strong, that a man might fasten his ass to one of them, and if it ate and destroyed it, it would give no great concern, since the country abounded with them; or they would be so full of clusters that a man might load an ass from one of them. Some parts of the tribe of Judah were famous for vines, especially Engedi; hence we read of the vineyards of Engedi, So 1:14 or else of Shiloh the Messiah, which some interpret literally of him, when the prophecy in Zec 9:9 was fulfilled, as is recorded in Mt 21:2 but others better, figuratively, of Christ’s causing the Gentiles, comparable to an ass’s colt, for their impurity, ignorance of, and sluggishness in spiritual things, to cleave to him the true vine,
Joh 15:1 in the exercise of faith, hope, and love, or to join themselves to his church and people, sometimes compared to a vine or vineyard, Isa 5:1
and he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: an hyperbolical expression, setting forth the great abundance of wine in this tribe, of which there was such plenty, that if they would, they might have used it instead of water to wash their clothes in, but not that they did do so, only might if they would; and may denote the great quantity of spiritual blessings flowing from the love of God, which come by Christ; and of his word and ordinances, which are comparable to wine and milk, and are a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees, well refined, Isa 26:6 and may be applied to Christ, to the garment of his human nature, which, through his sufferings and death, was like a vesture dipped in blood, and he became red in his apparel, Isa 63:1 or to his church and people, which cleave to him as a garment, and whose garments are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, Re 1:5 these words are interpreted of the Messiah in the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, and are applied to him and his times in the Talmud y, and in other Jewish writings z: so wine is called the blood of the grape by the son of Sirach in the Apocrypha:
“The principal things for the whole use of man’s life are water, fire, iron, and salt, flour of wheat, honey, milk, and the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.” (Sirach 39:26)
“He stretched out his hand to the cup, and poured of the blood of the grape, he poured out at the foot of the altar a sweetsmelling savour unto the most high King of all.” (Sirach 50:15)
y T. Bab. Berac. fol. 57. 1. z Zohar in Gen. fol. 127. 3. & 128. 2, 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. Binding his fole unto the vine, and his ass’s colt, etc He now speaks of the situation of the territory which fell by lot to the sons of Judah; and intimates, that so great would be the abundance of vines there, that they would everywhere present themselves as readily as brambles, or unfruitful shrubs, in other places. For since asses are wont to be bound to the hedges, he here reduces vines to this contemptible use. The hyperbolical forms of speech which follow are to be applied to the same purpose; namely, that Judah shall wash his garments in wine, and his eyes be red there-with. He means that the abundance of wine shall be so great, that it may be poured out to wash with, like water, at no great expense; but that, by constant copious drinking, the eyes would contract redness. But it seems by no means proper, that a profuse intemperance or extravagance should be accounted a blessing. I answer, although fertility and affluence are here described, still the abuse of them is not sanctioned. If the Lord deals very bountifully with us, yet he frequently prescribes the rule of using his gifts with purity and frugality, lest they should stimulate the incontinence of the flesh. But in this place Jacob, omitting to state what is lawful, extols that abundance which would suffice for luxury, and even for vicious and perverse excesses, unless the sons of Judah should voluntarily use self-government. I abstain from those allegories which to some appear plausible; because, as I said at the beginning of the chapter, I do not choose to sport with such great mysteries of God. To these lofty speculators the partition of the land which God prescribed, for the purpose of accrediting his servant Moses, seems a mean and abject thing. But unless our ingratitude has attained a senseless stupor, we ought to be wholly transported with admiration at the thought, that Moses, who had never seen the land of Canaan, should treat of its separate parts as correctly as he could have done, of a few acres cultivated by his own hand. Now, supposing he had heard a general report of the existence of vines in the land; yet he could not have assigned to Judah abundant vineyards, nor could he have assigned to him rich pastures, by saying that his teeth should be white with drinking milk, unless he had been guided by the Spirit.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Binding his foal . . . Having declared the spiritual prerogative of Judah, the patriarch now foretells that his land would be so rich in vineyards that the traveller would tie his ass to the vine, as the tree abundant everywhere.
Choice vine is, literally, the vine of Sorek, a kind much valued, as bearing a purple berry, small but luscious, and destitute of stones. The abundance of grapes is next hyperbolically described as so great that their juice would be used like water for the commonest purposes.
Blood of grapes especially refers to the juice of the red kinds, which were more valued in the East than white.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Binding to the vine his young ass This verse contains a composite picture of princely wealth and peaceful industry . Judah will be rich in vineyards and wine and milk . In the more ancient times the ass, like the camel, served for carrying the rich and noble; (Jdg 5:10; Jdg 10:4; Jdg 12:14😉 and the thought here is, that Judah will have possessions of this costly kind. The picture of abundance and luxury is enhanced by the thought that the vines of his soil will grow to such strength that the asses may be tied to them without harm. The territory allotted to Judah was noted for its vineyards and pastures. Here grew the grapes of Eshcol and En-gedi; (Num 13:23-24; Son 1:14😉 here were Maon and Carmel and Tekoa, famous for pastures and numerous flocks . 1Sa 25:2; Amo 1:7; 2Ch 26:10. It is not improbable that this picture of abundance and repose was added to that of Judah’s conquests and power in order to denote the plentiful peace and quiet which he should enjoy after his great victories. But to adduce, as parallel to this Scripture, the ass and foal of Zec 9:9, and Mat 21:5, and the wine-press and blood-stained garments of Isa 63:1-6, and explain all alike as a special prophecy of Christ, would be extravagant a reading into the language of this poem the ideas of a later time .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 49:11-12. Binding his foal unto the vine, &c. In the 8th and 9th verses the pre-eminence and military power of Judah is predicted; in the 10th, the continuance of that power till a certain period; and in these two verses, the fertility of the land which Judah should inherit, and wherein he should exercise this power, is described, under such images as particularly correspond to that part of Judea which fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah. Dr. Durell translates thus: “Tied to the vine is her foal, and the ass’s colt to her choice vine; and her garment is washed in wine, and her clothes in the blood of grapes.” And he observes, “That the whole expresses but one general sense. To tie asses in vineyards, and to wash clothes in wine, are generally understood to be hyperbolical phrases, denoting such extraordinary abundance, that grapes would hardly be more regarded than grass, or wine than water. To attribute eyes, teeth, and clothes to a country, might seem a great licence; but prosopopoeias are so frequent in the prophets, that they need not be cited to justify Jacob’s considering Judah here under that image, or in the light of his virgin daughter.”
The vineyards of Engedi, and of Sorek, so famous in Scripture, Son 1:14; Son 1:17. were in this tribe; and so was the brook of Eshcol, whence the spies brought those extraordinary bunches of grapes, Num 13:23-24. That this portion also abounded with good pasture-grounds is probable, from its being the place in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sojourned, who had all numerous herds of cattle. Besides, the vales of Bethlehem and Hebron, one of the vales of Sharon, celebrated for its rich and extensive pastures, is supposed by some to have belonged to Judah. See Univ. Hist. vol. 1: p. 415. 8vo. Josephus observes of Judea in general, that it is a good pasture-country. “The blessing of Jacob,” says Dr. Shaw, Travels, p. 366, 367. Which was given to Judah, was not of the same kind with the blessing of Asher, or of Issachar, that his bread should be fat, or his land should be pleasant, but that his eyes should be red with wine, and his teeth should be white with milk;” And he observes, that “the mountains of this country abound with shrubs, and a delicate short grass; both which the cattle are more fond of, than of such plants as are more common to fallow grounds and meadows. Nor was this method of grazing peculiar to this country; inasmuch as it is still practised all over mount Libanus, the Castravan mountains, and Barbary; in all which places, the higher grounds are set apart for this use, and the plains and vallies for tillage. For, besides the good management and oeconomy, there is this further advantage, that the milk of cattle, fed in this manner, is far more rich and delicious, as their flesh is more sweet and nourishing. It may be presumed likewise, that the vine was not neglected, in a soil and exposition so proper for it to thrive in.” And he mentions particularly the many tokens which are to be met with “of the ancient vineyards about Jerusalem and Hebron,” and “the great quantity of grapes and raisins, which are thence brought daily to the markets of Jerusalem, and sent yearly to Egypt.”
Most of the fathers, and many late interpreters, have considered these two verses as prophetical of Christ; because he calls himself a vine, and rode upon an ass, the foal of an ass: and they explain the washing of his garment in wine, of his flesh being covered with blood; which the wine in the sacrament represents. His eyes, say they, were more red than wine at his passion: and the meaning of his teeth are whiter than milk is, that in his mouth was found no guile; or the words signify, in general, the purity of his doctrine.
We here subjoin a brief paraphrase of this blessing. “JUDAH, thy name signifies praise; and accordingly, thou shalt have the praise of all thy brethren. They shall fall prostrate before thee, as before their king and sovereign, and thine enemies shall be forced to submit their necks to thy yoke. Like a young lion shall my son fall upon his prey, and, like an old lion, or a fierce lioness, ready to rush upon it; who shall dare to rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh, the Messiah, come, and the people be gathered unto him. His portion shall abound with such fertile vineyards, fruitful fields, and pasture-grounds, that he shall tie his ass to the vine and palm-tree, and wash his garments in the juice of the grape, and his teeth with the milk of his kine.” Note; In a more glorious sense, Jesus is this lion of the tribe of Judah, Head over all, to whom his enemies must bow, and whom his saints adore. He is the Law-giver; to him will the gathering of the people be; and in him are the rivers of wine and milk, every Gospel-blessing, richly and freely dispersed without money and without price.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 63:2
This prophecy was completed, when the tribe of Zebulun had by lot assigned it the border of the sea. Jos 19:10-11 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Ver. 11. Binding his foal unto the vine. ] Vines shall be so plentiful, that as countrymen tie their asses to briers and shrubs, so shall Judah to the vines, that shall grow thick everywhere. Where Christ is set up in the power and purity of his ordinances, there is usually a confluence of all inward and outward comforts and contentments. He is the Cornucopia of both to his Church and chosen.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
vine. So plentiful in Judah, that people were without care in such matters.
wine. Hebrew. yayin (App-27). There was more than enough to lavish.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
his foal: Isa 63:1-3
he washed: 1Ki 4:20, 1Ki 4:25, 2Ki 18:32, Joe 3:18, Mic 4:4, Rev 7:14, Rev 19:18
Reciprocal: Gen 40:11 – pressed Deu 32:14 – blood Job 29:6 – I washed Joh 15:1 – vine Rev 7:7 – Issachar
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 49:11. Binding his foal unto the vine It is here foretold that the tribe of Judah should inhabit a fruitful land, and especially that it should abound with milk and wine: that vines should be so common and so strong that they should tie their asses to them, and so fruitful that they should load their asses from them, wine being as plentiful as water, so that the men of that tribe should be very healthful and lively, their eyes brisk and sparkling, and their teeth white. In Christ there is plenty of all that which is nourishing and refreshing to the soul, and which maintains and cheers the divine life in it: in him we may have wine and milk, the riches of Judahs tribe without money and without price, Isa 55:1.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
49:11 Binding his foal unto the {k} vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
(k) A country most abundant with vines and pastures is promised to him.