Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 40:13
Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
13. lift up thine head ] i.e. “will lift it up with favour,” as in 2Ki 25:27; Jer 52:31. The “countenance,” which is sad, or in trouble, hangs down and needs to be lifted up: see note on Gen 4:6-7. As the phrase is also used of “the chief baker” in an unfavourable sense ( Gen 40:19-20), it might conceivably be employed for the official notice of release to a prisoner, either for pardon or for punishment. But this is not probable; see note on Gen 40:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Lift up thine head, i.e. advance thee to thy former dignity. So that phrase is used 2Ki 25:27; Psa 110:7. Or, reckon thy head, i.e. thy name or thy person, to wit, among his servants, which is added, Gen 40:20. According to the custom, which was this: at set times governors of families used to take an account of their servants, and to have the names of their servants read to them, and they either left them in the catalogue, or put any of them out, as they saw fit, and inflicted such further punishments upon any of them as they deserved. This seems the truer interpretation, because it is said that Pharaoh lifted up the head of his butler, and of his baker, Gen 40:20, and therefore the phrase must be so expounded, as to agree equally to both.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head,…. The Targum of Jonathan adds, with glory; and the sense is, either that Pharaoh would raise him up from the low estate in which he now was, to the same exalted station in which he had been before; or that he would reckon and number him among his servants, when he should take a catalogue of them, or make a new list, so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; and this phrase is used of taking the sum of persons, or the number of them, and is so rendered, Ex 30:12; the allusion is thought to be to a custom used by great personages, to have the names of their servants called over on a certain day, as Pharaoh perhaps used to do on his birthday, Ge 40:20; when they struck out of the list or put into it whom they pleased, and pardoned or punished such as had offended; and this sense is the rather inclined to, because Pharaoh is said to lift up the head of both the butler and the baker, Ge 40:20; yet it may be observed, that the phrases used by Joseph concerning them differ; for of the baker he says, “Pharaoh shall lift up thy head from off thee”, Ge 40:19; wherefore, though the heads of them both were lift up, yet in a different sense: the one was lifted up to the gallows, and the other to his former dignity, as follows:
and restore thee unto thy place: to his office in ministering: to Pharaoh as his cup bearer:
and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler; which was signified in the dream, by squeezing the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup he had in his hand, and gave unto him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
13. Lift up thine head Lift it up from its present degradation in prison and in sadness . Comp . Gen 40:19, note .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 40:13. Lift up thine head To lift up the head of another, is to shew him honour and respect; to raise him from the downcast state in which he is, and so to give him confidence and encouragement. See Parkhurst and Stockius on the word . Grief or adversity is expressed by hanging down the head; and therefore a contrary state is well expressed by the contrary phrase, which is very significative and beautiful. Pharaoh, Gen 40:20 lifted up the head, i.e.. called from prison, and encouraged to a justification of themselves, both the chief butler and chief baker; the one vindicated himself, and was restored to his place; the other could not do so, and was therefore punished.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 25:27 ; Psa 4:3 ; Jer 52:31 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 40:13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
Ver. 13. Yet within three days. ] Joseph foresaw the time of the butler’s deliverance; he knew not the time of his own. In good hope he was, that now he should have been delivered, upon the restoration of the butler, and his intercession for him; but he was fain to stay two years longer; “till the time that God’s word came: the word of the Lord tried him”; Psa 105:19 by trying, as in a fire, his faith and patience in afflictions.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
lift up thine head = uplift thee, i.e. restore thee to favour. For this was the highest honour that the cupbearer could have.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
within: Gen 7:4
shall: Gen 40:20-22, 2Ki 25:27, Psa 3:3, Jer 52:31
lift up thine head: or, reckon, Gen 40:19, *marg. Gen 40:20, *marg.
Reciprocal: Gen 40:21 – gave the cup Psa 27:6 – And
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 40:13. Lift up thy head Raise thee from thy state of dejection and sorrow, and advance thee to thy former dignity; for in this sense, the same phrase is used, 2Ki 25:27, and Psa 110:7. The expression, however, may be rendered, shall reckon thy head, that is, thy name or person, namely, among his servants, which interpretation seems to agree better with the verse where the same phrase is used also of the chief baker who was hanged. It is supposed to refer to a custom which the kings of Egypt, and probably other governors observed, of having the names of all their servants called over on their birthdays, and at other set times; when such as were judged to be guilty of great crimes were struck off the list and punished, and the less guilty were pardoned, and if they had been imprisoned, were released and restored to their former trusts and offices.