Yisakhar ~ Zevulun

Today I noticed something that I had originally noticed last year, when doing "original flavor" Shnayim Miqra’ ve’Ehhad Targum (this year i've moved on from targum Unqelos to peirush RaSh"Y, next year who knows?

Anyway, remember how Ya‘aqov/Yisra’eil blesses his 12 sons/tribes in Bereishit/Genesis 49?

Zevulun and Yisakhar are told:

Zevulun will dwell at the seas' shore;
and he, a shore for ships, with his flank by Tzidon.

Yisakhar is a large-boned donkey,
sprawling among the sheepfolds
(or: fireplaces, rows of household vessels).
And he saw a resting place, that it's good,
and the land, that it's pleasant;
and he tilted-down his shoulder to bear,
and became a working serf.

(translation based on JPS, Fox, and RShR"H)

The most common explanation for this seems to be that the tribe of Zevulun participated on commerce and international trade, supporting the tribe of Yisakhar, who spent all their time 'bearing' the 'burden' of learning Torah, teaching Torah, and making Halakhic decisions.

Unqelos, however, has a very different interpretation:

זְבוּלוּן, עַל סְפַר יַמְמַיָּא יִשְׁרֵי;
וְהוּא יְכַבֵּישׁ מָחוֹזִין בִּסְפִינָן וְטוּב יַמָּא יֵיכוֹל,
וּתְחוּמֵיהּ יְהֵי מָטֵי עַד צִידוֹן.

יִשָּׂשכָר, עַתִּיר בְּנִכְסִין — אַחְסָנְתֵיהּ, בֵּין תְּחוּמַיָּא.
וַחֲזָא חוּלָקָא אֲרֵי טָב, וְיָת אַרְעָא אֲרֵי מַעְבְּדָא פֵּירִין;
וִיכַבֵּישׁ מָחוֹזֵי עַמְמַיָּא וִישֵׁיצֵי יָת דָּיְרֵיהוֹן,
וּדְיִשְׁתְּאַרוּן בְּהוֹן יְהוֹן לֵיהּ פָּלְחִין וּמַסְּקֵי מִסִּין.

(my Aramaic is rusty, but i believe it means something like...)

Zevulun will dwell on the coast of seas;
and he will conquer regions by ships and eat the sea's bounty,
and his territory will stretch to Tzidon.

Yisakhar is burdened(?) with property(?) —
his storehouses(?) are between territories.
And he saw the earth that it's good, and the land that it produces fruits;
and he conquered the regions of nations and destroyed their inhabitants,
and those that remained there, they made them work and pay labor-taxes.

Completely different image of the tribes of Yisakhar and Zevulun, eh?

No sitting around the beit midrash "shtaiging" it up for these guys.
No supporting the 'learners' with peaceful trading voyages.

Nope, just lots of war. War and conquering, with (possibly coordinated) land and sea-based invasions! Not to mention the killing people part, or the forcing the survivors to work for you part.

Which do you think is a more realistic portrait of Lei’a's youngest tribes?