The expression “lift up thy head” was used in v. 13 in a favorable sense. However, the additional phrase here, “from off thee,” signified its unfavorable meaning. It must refer to execution by beheading, after which the culprit’s body would be displayed on a tree as a warning to other would-be conspirators. Egyptian records testify to the practice of capital punishment by decapitation, after which bodies were sometimes exhibited as a means of deterring others from the same crime. On the other hand, execution by hanging or strangulation is unattested in ancient records.