In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "lift up your head" isn't just about being happy again; it specifically refers to being officially recognized and restored to one's former position, a key detail lost in modern casual use of the idiom. This restoration wasn't just a return to work, but an elevation from the degradation of prison, signifying a profound reversal of fortune ordained by God.
In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Joseph is interpreting the dreams of two high-ranking officials imprisoned alongside him: the king's cupbearer and baker. After the cupbearer recounts his dream of a vine bearing ripe grapes which he squeezed into Pharaoh's cup, Joseph reveals its hopeful meaning. This interpretation foretells the cupbearer's imminent release and restoration to his former esteemed position serving Pharaoh.
Have you ever heard the phrase 'lift up your head'? It sounds hopeful, right? But in the ancient world, it could mean very different things.
The phrase "lift up your head" appears in Genesis 40:13, referring to the butler's restoration to his position. However, the exact same phrasing is used for the baker in verse 19, but it signifies his impending death.
A Double-Edged Word
This linguistic nuance shows how a seemingly simple statement could carry vastly different meanings based on context and the divine message being conveyed. It highlights the power of words and the critical importance of understanding their full implications.
Joseph was thrown into prison unjustly. You might expect God to simply open the prison doors. But His plans often involve more intricate paths.
Joseph's journey through slavery and imprisonment wasn't a straight line to his destiny. Genesis 40 shows God working through seemingly negative circumstances to prepare Joseph and bring about His purposes.
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The Prison as a Proving Ground
Joseph's story reminds us that God's path for us may not always be the most direct or comfortable, but it is always purposeful. He often uses detours to refine us and prepare us for greater things.
Understand the original words
mashqeh · Hebrew Noun
A royal official responsible for testing and serving wine to a king, ensuring its quality and safety. In this context, it represents a high-ranking position of trust within the royal court.
The interpretation of the dreams happens within the context of Egyptian court customs, possibly related to specific celebrations like Pharaoh's birthday, where promotions or punishments were publicly announced or enacted.
c. 1729 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph, son of Jacob, is sold by his brothers into slavery and taken to Egypt.
c. 1716 BC
Joseph imprisoned
Potiphar, Joseph's master, imprisons him after his wife falsely accuses him of attempted rape. Joseph is placed in the charge of the captain of the guard.
c. 1715 BC— this verse
Butler and baker imprisoned
The chief butler and chief baker of Pharaoh offend their lord and are imprisoned in the same place as Joseph.
c. 1715 BC
Butler and baker's dreams
Both the butler and the baker have significant dreams, which they share with Joseph.
c. 1715 BC
Dreams interpreted
Joseph interprets the dreams: the butler's signifies his restoration to his position within three days, and the baker's signifies his execution within three days.
c. 1715 BC
Pharaoh's birthday feast
Pharaoh holds a feast for his birthday and acts upon Joseph's interpretations, restoring the butler and executing the baker.
c. 1713 BC
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams
After two years of continued imprisonment and being forgotten by the butler, Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams, leading to his release and rise to power.
This passage uses the same phrase, 'lift up your head,' to describe a king showing favor and restoring a captive to a position of honor, directly paralleling the butler's restoration.
Psalm 110:7This psalm speaks of the one who drinks from a brook by the way, then lifts his head, suggesting a restoration and exultation after a period of hardship, mirroring the butler's hopeful future.
Jeremiah 28:9This verse highlights how a true prophet is recognized by the accurate fulfillment of their word, a principle demonstrated by Joseph's prophetic word to the butler coming true.
Luke 1:52This verse describes God casting down the mighty and lifting up the humble, reflecting the divine power at play in Joseph's ability to interpret dreams and bring about the butler's restoration.
calvinGenesis 40:1-23: "And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt."
Fuit autem, posthaec peccaverunt pincerna regis AEgypti, et pistor contra dominum suum regem. Aegypti, et pistor conra dominum suum regen. Aegypti.
And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
Itaque iratus est Pharao contra utrumque satrapam suum, contra pr…
cambridgeGenesis 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 2 Kings 25:27 ; Jeremiah 52:31 . The “countenance,” which is sad, or in trouble, hangs down and needs to be lifted up: see note on Genesis 4:6-7 . As the phrase is also used of “the chief baker” in an unfavourable sense (…
The phrase "lift up your head" isn't just about being happy again; it specifically refers to being officially recognized and restored to one's former position, a key detail lost in modern casual use of the idiom. This restoration wasn't just a return to work, but an elevation from the degradation of prison, signifying a profound reversal of fortune ordained by God.
Joseph is interpreting the dreams of two high-ranking officials imprisoned alongside him: the king's cupbearer and baker. After the cupbearer recounts his dream of a vine bearing ripe grapes which he squeezed into Pharaoh's cup, Joseph reveals its hopeful meaning. This interpretation foretells the cupbearer's imminent release and restoration to his former esteemed position serving Pharaoh.
Joseph is interpreting the dreams of two high-ranking officials imprisoned alongside him: the king's cupbearer and baker. After the cupbearer recounts his dream of a vine bearing ripe grapes which he squeezed into Pharaoh's cup, Joseph reveals its hopeful meaning. This interpretation foretells the cupbearer's imminent release and restoration to his former esteemed position serving Pharaoh.
"In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer." — The phrase "lift up your head" isn't just about being happy again; it specifically refers to being officially recognized and restored to one's former position, a key detail lost in modern casual use…
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Last reviewed October 2026