Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The "redness" isn't just a color; it's a deliberate, stark image of divine judgment. It connects directly to the imagery of treading grapes in a winepress, signifying that this blood-stained appearance comes from crushing enemies, not from personal suffering or battle wounds in the way a human warrior would.
Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet is questioning a powerful figure, whose crimson-stained garments resemble those of someone who has been treading grapes in a winepress. This imagery sparks curiosity about the source of this vivid color, leading to a dialogue about judgment and salvation. The context suggests a victorious return from a significant event, prompting an inquiry into its nature and consequences.
Imagine a triumphant soldier returning from battle. His armor is battered, his clothes stained. What does this image reveal about the nature of this warrior's victory?
The prophet Isaiah uses a vivid, almost shocking image to describe the Lord's return:
A Divine Warrior Returns
Isaiah sees someone coming from Edom, a land known for its hostility. The most striking feature is the color of his garments – they are stained red. The question, "Why is your apparel red, and your garments like him who treads in the winepress?" isn't just about curiosity; it's an inquiry into the source and meaning of this dramatic appearance.
The Winepress Metaphor
The comparison to someone treading grapes in a winepress is key. In ancient times, grapes were crushed underfoot to extract their juice. This process would inevitably splash the worker's clothes with the deep red juice. Here, however, the imagery points to a far more significant 'treading' – a decisive act of judgment and conquest.
Whose Blood? Whose Victory?
While the immediate visual is of stained garments, the underlying truth is about a profound victory. This isn't just any warrior; it's the Lord himself. His stained garments are a testament to a victorious, yet costly, battle against His enemies. This imagery powerfully communicates the severity of God's judgment and the completeness of His triumph.
Ask a follow-up
The imagery of a winepress being trodden suggests a forceful, thorough process. Who is doing the treading, and are they doing it alone?
Isaiah's vision emphasizes that this decisive victory is not a shared effort. The answer that follows the prophet's question makes this abundantly clear:
The Lord Treads Alone
The explanation reveals that the One with the stained garments is the Lord Himself, and He has achieved this victory alone. "I have trodden the winepress alone; and from the peoples no one was with me" (Isaiah 63:3, implied by the context of the question).
The Sole Agent of Vengeance
This declaration is crucial. It underscores that God's judgment and conquest over His adversaries are His own work. He doesn't need human armies or assistance to carry out His purposes. This emphasizes His sovereignty and absolute power.
The Purpose of Judgment
The imagery of the winepress also speaks to the completeness of the destruction of His enemies. Just as grapes are thoroughly crushed, so too will His enemies be utterly vanquished. This isn't a partial victory; it's a total triumph executed by God's singular might.
Understand the original words
gat · Hebrew Noun
A common biblical metaphor for divine judgment. The imagery depicts the crushing of grapes as a picture of God pouring out His wrath upon those who oppose Him or His people.
The imagery of stained, wine-red garments, reminiscent of treading grapes in a winepress, powerfully symbolizes the complete and final judgment and destruction awaiting Edom. This wasn't just a military defeat, but a thorough eradication of their hostile presence, a divine 'vintage' of wrath.
c. 730-700 BC
Assyrian Domination of Edom
The region of Edom, south of Judah, was under increasing Assyrian influence and control during this period. This geopolitical reality sets the stage for later prophetic judgments against Edom.
c. 605-586 BC
Babylonian Conquest of Judah
The Neo-Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, conquered Judah, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. Edomite actions during this crisis were hostile towards Judah.
c. 550 BC
Rise of the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, rose to power, eventually conquering Babylon. This marked a shift in regional powers and set the stage for the eventual return of some exiles.
c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
Following the Persian conquest of Babylon, Cyrus the Great permitted the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Edom remained a distinct, often antagonistic, neighbor.
c. 4th-2nd century BC
Hellenistic Period and Edom's Assimilation
Following Alexander the Great's conquests, the region, including Edom, came under Hellenistic rule. Over time, Edomites were gradually absorbed into the Jewish population, particularly in the southern regions of Judea.
c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
Idumean Influence in Judea
The descendants of the assimilated Edomites, known as Idumeans, gained significant political power in Judea, most notably with the rise of Herod the Great as king. This historical context of antagonism, albeit complex, underlies prophetic pronouncements.
c. 700 BC— this verse
Prophetic Judgment on Edom
Isaiah delivers oracles of judgment against Edom. The vivid imagery of stained garments and treading a winepress is employed to depict the complete and utter destruction of Edom's power and people.
This passage directly echoes Isaiah's imagery, describing Christ as 'clothed in a robe dipped in blood' and identified by the name 'the Word of God,' linking the victorious warrior image to Christ's ultimate triumph.
Isaiah 34:6This verse provides further context for the imagery, stating that the Lord's day of vengeance is like a great slaughter, likening His garments to those stained by treading grapes, reinforcing the idea of divine judgment and retribution.
Genesis 49:11This earlier prophetic passage uses the imagery of binding a colt to a choice vine and washing one's garments in wine, hinting at a future king whose victory and abundant provision would be so great that his garments would be stained with the fruits of his triumph.
Revelation 14:19-20Here, an angel gathers the grapes of wrath and casts them into the great winepress of God's fury, showing the same imagery of judgment but on a cosmic scale, directly connecting the 'winepress' metaphor to God's righteous anger against sin.
gillIsaiah 63:2: "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?"
Wherefore art thou red in thy apparel,.... Christ having satisfied the church as to her first question, concerning his person, who he was; she puts a second to him, about the colour of his garments, which was red, and the reason of it. His garments at his transfiguration were white as snow, whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten them; his robe of righteousness is fine linen, cle…
pulpitIsaiah 63:2: "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?"
Verse 2. - Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel? The prophet resumes his questioning. What means the redness of thine apparel? Whence the stains? Are they wine-stains consequent on treading the winepress? Among the Hebrews, as among the Egyptians (Wilkinson, 'Ancient Egyptians,' vol. 1. p. 46), the juice of the grape was trodden out by the feet of men, who often splashed some upon…
The "redness" isn't just a color; it's a deliberate, stark image of divine judgment. It connects directly to the imagery of treading grapes in a winepress, signifying that this blood-stained appearance comes from crushing enemies, not from personal suffering or battle wounds in the way a human warrior would.
The prophet is questioning a powerful figure, whose crimson-stained garments resemble those of someone who has been treading grapes in a winepress. This imagery sparks curiosity about the source of this vivid color, leading to a dialogue about judgment and salvation. The context suggests a victorious return from a significant event, prompting an inquiry into its nature and consequences.
The prophet is questioning a powerful figure, whose crimson-stained garments resemble those of someone who has been treading grapes in a winepress. This imagery sparks curiosity about the source of this vivid color, leading to a dialogue about judgment and salvation. The context suggests a victorious return from a significant event, prompting an inquiry into its nature and consequences.
"Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?" — The "redness" isn't just a color; it's a deliberate, stark image of divine judgment. It connects directly to the imagery of treading grapes in a winepress, signifying that this blood-stained appearan…
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Last reviewed October 2026