Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 49:12
His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
12. His eyes ] It may be doubted whether our rendering “red” gives the right meaning. The passage is usually illustrated from Pro 23:29, “who hath redness of eyes?” But, surely, the poet would hardly eulogize Judah by attributing to his eyes the redness of continuous drinking! It will be better to assume that the writer meant “sparkling.” The versions, LXX and Vulg., give another rendering, which is probably to be preferred, “his eyes are more sparkling than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.” In this case, the verse will symbolically describe the beauty of his personal appearance, rather than the productiveness of his territory.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Which shows not only the plenty of wine, but also the excellency and strength of it, which, though not drunk in great quantity, or to excess, will make the eyes red. See Pro 23:29.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
His eyes shall be red with wine,…. Signifying, not the intemperance of this tribe, and their immoderate use of wine, and the effect of it on them; but the goodness and generosity of their wine, that if drank plentifully of, and especially to excess, would have such an effect, see Pr 23:29 and, as applied to the Messiah, the antitype of Judah, and who was of this tribe, it may denote not so much the beauty of his eyes, as the Targums paraphrase it; as the joy and pleasure that sparkled in his eyes when he shed his blood on the cross, enduring that, and despising the shame of it, for the joy of the salvation of his people; or the clearness of his sight in beholding the actions of his enemies, and especially of the fierceness and fury of his wrath against them, whose eyes are said to be an flames of fire, Re 1:14
and his teeth white with milk; denoting the fruitfulness of his land, producing fine pastures, on which flocks and herds fed, and gave abundance of milk; and so Onkelos paraphrases the whole verse,
“his mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills shall drop wine, and his valleys shall be white with corn and flocks of sheep;”
and much the same are the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem: the mystical sense may respect Christ and his people, and be expressive of the purity of his nature, life, and doctrine, and of the holiness of his members, their faith and conversation; or the clauses may be rendered, redder than wine, whiter than milk; but though whiteness recommends teeth, yet not redness the eyes; wherefore some a by transposing the first letters of the word for “red”, make it to signify black, as it does with the Arabs, and that colour of the eye is reckoned beautiful.
a Danzius apud Stockium, p. 334.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) His eyes shall be red with wine.The word rendered red occurs only here, and is rendered in the Versions, bright, sparkling, and in the Vulg., beautiful. They also give the word rendered in our Version with a comparative force, which seems to be right: His eyes shall be brighter than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. The words do not refer to Judahs person, but describe the prosperity of his descendants, whose temporal welfare will show itself in their bright and healthy countenances.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. Lustrous the eyes from wine The Septuagint, Vulgate, and some expositors construe the preposition , from, as denoting a comparison; more lustrous, or more joyful than wine, and whiter than milk . This is allowable; but inasmuch as the previous verse speaks of the great abundance of wine, and fertility of the land of Judah, the more suitable thought in this verse is, that from the superabundance of wine and milk, (as the originating cause,) the eyes and teeth are affected .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Joh 15:1 ; 1Ki 4:25 ; Rev 19:18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 49:12 His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Ver. 12. His eyes shall be red, &c. ] Wine and milk are used to signify plenty of spiritual blessings in heavenly things. Isa 55:1 ; Isa 25:6
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 23:29
Reciprocal: Gen 50:23 – the children