Isaiah 63:1-6

The Triumph of Yahweh. In this poem, isolated from its context, the poet, looking into the future, sees a solitary but majestic warrior striding along, his splendid garments all bloodstained. Who, he asks, is this? To which Yahweh Himself, for it is He, makes answer, I, resplendent in triumph, mighty to deliver. Why, asks the poet, is Thine apparel stained red like the garments of the grape-treader? Yahweh answers, A wine-trough indeed have I trodden and the nations lent Me no aid. In fury I trampled them, so that their juice spurted out and I stained all My garments. This terrible figure is explained in Isaiah 63:4. Yahweh's day of vengeance on the nations that oppressed His people, the year (cf. Isaiah 61:2) of ransom (cf. mg.) was come. He sought an ally among the nations but to His astonishment found none to support Him. So His own strength and fury wrought deliverance for Him. The nations in passion He trampled and smashed (so read with some MSS for made drunk) in His fury, spilling their life-blood (literally juice, the same word as in Isaiah 63:3) on the ground. The poem ends abruptly; the end of it seems to have been lost.

Isaiah 63:1. Edom, Bozrah: if the text is right Edom, and its chief city Bozrah, are used as typical of the nations. Cf. Isaiah 34. But with the slightest change we might translate cometh all crimsoned, his garments redder than a vintager. We might read in the last clause: I resplendent in righteousness (i.e. triumph), mighty to save.