Genesis 40:19 kjv

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

Genesis 40:19 nkjv

Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you."

Genesis 40:19 niv

Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh."

Genesis 40:19 esv

In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head ? from you! ? and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you."

Genesis 40:19 nlt

Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh."

Genesis 40 verses

Genesis 40 19 Meaning

Gen 40:19 declares Joseph's prophetic interpretation to Pharaoh's chief baker: within three days, Pharaoh would execute the baker by hanging him, and his body would be left exposed for birds to consume. This starkly contrasts the favorable interpretation given to the chief butler, signifying a divinely revealed fate of judgment and dishonor for the baker.

Genesis 40 19 Context

Genesis chapter 40 takes place during Joseph's imprisonment in Egypt, a result of false accusations from Potiphar's wife. Despite his unjust suffering, God's favor remains upon him, leading the keeper of the prison to entrust him with all prisoners, including Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker, who are themselves confined due to offenses against Pharaoh. One night, both men have disturbing dreams. Joseph observes their distress and, crediting God with the ability to interpret, offers to hear their dreams. This specific verse (Gen 40:19) delivers the grim interpretation of the chief baker's dream, following the chief butler's positive interpretation in verses 12-13. This event is pivotal as it ultimately leads to Joseph being remembered and called upon years later to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, setting the stage for his dramatic rise to power and the preservation of his family.

Genesis 40 19 Word analysis

• "Within three days" (עוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים - 'ōd šĕlōšet yāmîm):

  • Word: "Within" ('ōd - עוֹד) signifies "yet," "still," or "again," emphasizing a precise and imminent timeframe.
  • Significance: The definite timeline highlights the immediate certainty of the prophetic fulfillment and the exactness of God's revelation. The "three days" is a recurring motif in scripture, often marking a significant period leading to a decisive event, whether of judgment, rescue, or resurrection, underscoring divine timing.

• "Pharaoh will lift up your head" (יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת־רֹאשְׁךָ - yiśśā' p̌arʿōh 'et-rō'šəḵā):

  • Phrase: Literally "will lift your head." This is an idiom with dual meanings in ancient contexts:
    • Restoration or vindication (as for the butler in verse 13).
    • Decapitation or execution, often where the head is lifted for display before judgment or as a public example.
  • Significance: Joseph's interpretation clarifies the negative sense here, distinguishing it from the positive outcome of the butler's dream. It demonstrates divine discernment beyond human assumption, emphasizing that Pharaoh's decision is merely the instrument of God's revealed will.

• "from off you" (מֵעָלֶיךָ - mē'ālêḵā):

  • Word: "From off you" indicates separation, emphasizing the complete removal and finality of the action Pharaoh takes, both from his position and ultimately from his life. It suggests a stripping away of his being and identity.

• "and will hang you" (וְתָלָה אֹתְךָ - wəṭālāh 'ôtəḵā):

  • Word: "Hang" (tālāh - תָּלָה) denotes suspension, usually for execution by hanging.
  • Significance: Hanging was a method of execution, implying public shame and disgrace, and leaving the body exposed further compounded this dishonor by denying proper burial. It carried a cultural understanding of a person being cursed (Deut 21:23).

• "on a tree" (עַל־עֵץ - 'al-ʿēṣ):

  • Word: "Tree" ('ēṣ - עֵץ) can refer to any tree or wooden gallows/post.
  • Significance: It specifies the instrument of execution, often associated with a public display of punishment and ultimate degradation. Biblically, dying on a "tree" can carry connotations of being cursed by God.

• "and the birds will eat your flesh" (וְאָכַל הָעוֹף אֶת־בְּשַׂרְךָ - wə'āḵal hāʿōf 'et-bəśarəḵā):

  • Phrase: "The bird will eat your flesh."
  • Significance: This is an extreme form of desecration in ancient Near Eastern culture, particularly in Egypt, where careful burial and preservation of the body were paramount for the afterlife. To be unburied and consumed by scavenging birds was considered the ultimate indignity and a sign of profound divine curse or judgment (Deut 28:26). It deprived the individual of even the basic dignity in death and symbolically denied access to an afterlife, according to Egyptian belief systems, effectively nullifying the person's very being.

• "from off you" (מֵעָלֶיךָ - mē'ālêḵā):

  • Word: This repetition emphasizes the completeness of the destruction and separation. It reinforces that nothing of the baker would remain undisturbed.

Genesis 40 19 Bonus section

The contrast between the chief butler's restoration and the chief baker's execution serves as a parabolic representation of the two ultimate outcomes for humanity—salvation or judgment. Both men, confined for transgressions, faced a moment of reckoning, and Joseph, the righteous interpreter, revealed their preordained fates. This mirrors a larger biblical truth that while all are subject to God's ultimate decree, the outcomes vary based on His righteous judgment. The detailed description of the baker's death also served as an object lesson for Pharaoh's court and for Israel, illustrating the severe consequences of disobedience and the precise nature of divine justice.

Genesis 40 19 Commentary

Genesis 40:19 is a vivid and chilling declaration of impending judgment, demonstrating the unwavering accuracy of Joseph's divinely given interpretive gift. The detail in Joseph's prophecy underscores its origin not from human ingenuity but from the sovereign God who knows and controls all destinies. For an Egyptian audience, the specifics of being hanged "on a tree" and, most severely, having one's body exposed to be eaten by "birds" represented the uttermost disgrace and a complete spiritual annihilation. In Egyptian theology, proper burial and bodily preservation were crucial for eternal life; denial of this was a curse leading to non-existence. Thus, the prophecy sealed the baker's fate not only physically but existentially in their worldview.

This verse powerfully juxtaposes two destinies, one of restoration and one of destruction, within the same timeframe and from the same royal authority, showing that God works even through secular rulers. It highlights the divine discernment possessed by Joseph, differentiating him sharply from mere human dream interpreters. More broadly, it serves as a piece in the mosaic of God's redemptive plan, establishing Joseph's credibility and moving him closer to his providentially ordained role as Israel's deliverer.