Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
Jacob's dying words over Judah turn from a sceptre to a strange picture: a donkey tied to a vine, and clothes washed in wine. Commentators read a coming kingdom of peace and plenty here, and the King who brings it in, yet they differ over whose blood the "blood of grapes" means.
A ruler promised, not yet arrived
The verse hangs on the promise just before it. One writer names the ruler, then asks a hard question about His first coming.
T. B. BainesWhatever the difficulties of this passage, one thing is clear. God promises a ruler from the tribe of Judah. The people will gather around Him, and He will bring in a period of peace and plenty. Most agree that this ruler is the Christ. But how does the prediction fit His first coming? At that time He was not the ruler. He was the One who had nowhere to lay His head.
The donkey and the vine
A king tying his animal to a vine is a picture of lowliness, not of royal display. Later prophecy says the same, and the Gospels record the day it happened.
Leslie M. GrantVerse 11 hints at His lowly character: He identifies Himself with the godly in Israel. People did not expect a king to ride a donkey, but a horse. Yet Zechariah 9:9 foretells the Lord Jesus coming to Jerusalem on a donkey, and the Gospels record how it happened (Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:35-38).
The verse names two animals, not one, and two vines — a vine, then a choice vine. One writer sees meaning in the pairing.
An Outline of Sound WordsBinding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, may point to the lowly ties of Messiah with Israel at His first coming. The first speaks of His link with the nation as a whole. The second speaks of His link with the remnant, the disciples.
Wine as blood: two readings
The verse calls wine the blood of grapes. Some commentators read the stained garments as the blood Christ shed Himself.
Leslie M. GrantBut the vine and the "blood of the grapes" in which He washes His clothes stand for the voluntary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on Calvary.
Other commentators take the stain the opposite way. It is not blood given, but blood spilled in judgment, as in Isaiah 63.
An Outline of Sound WordsThe washing of His dress in wine, and His garment in the blood of the grapes, is in harmony with Isaiah 63:1-6, where He comes in judgment.
This reading turns on one question: whose blood is it?
J. N. DarbyIt is hard to see how this passage could apply to the work of Jesus on the cross. He wears glorious clothing. He is in all the greatness of His strength. He treads the winepress and tramples down the people in His anger. His garments are sprinkled with their blood, not theirs with His.
Wine as unmixed joy
Wine also stands for gladness. One writer reads Judah's wine as a joy with no shadow over it.
Numerical Bible NotesThe wine of joy stands for the remembrance of Christ's precious sacrifice… With this there is no drunkenness, no spoiled taste, no evil, but only good. Of Judah, the worshipper, it can be said, "He has washed his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes; his eyes shall be red with wine." The fear of drinking too much never enters the soul here.
Still waiting on its day
Israel refused its King, but the prophecy still stands. Only part of it has come true so far.
The Christian's FriendAs it is, only the first part — the negative part — has been fulfilled. The rest waits for the coming thousand-year kingdom, when all nations will gather to the Shiloh of Judah and find blessing in Him.
Summary
- Ruler. Jacob promises a King from Judah who brings peace and plenty. That did not fit the One who had nowhere to lay His head.
- Lowly. A colt tied to a vine fits a King who entered Jerusalem on a donkey, not a war horse, as the Gospels record.
- Blood. Commentators differ on the stained garments. Some see the sacrifice of Christ. Others see the winepress of Isaiah 63, where the blood is His enemies'.
- Joy. Judah's wine is joy without excess, joy bound up with the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice.
- Waiting. Only the first part of Jacob's prophecy has come true. The gathering and blessing of the nations still lies ahead.