His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
Parallel translations
- WEB His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.
- KJV His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
- BSB His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
- NASB “His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.
- NLT His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Eyes dark with wine and teeth white with milk depict the fruitfulness and prosperity of Judah's land.
Overview
The vivid image conveys health, abundance, and the bounty of a flourishing inheritance for the tribe. It completes the portrait of Judah's blessed and royal future. Such fullness anticipates the rich provision of the messianic kingdom that flows from Judah's Son, who satisfies His people's deepest needs.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Prov 23:29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 49:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.