Psalm 3/Notes/Grammar.v. 4.231480

• To lift someone's head is "to distinguish, confer honour upon someone" (HALOT; cf. Baethgen 1904, 8). See e.g., the proverb in Ben Sira: "The physician's knowledge lifts up his head (תרים ראשו), that he may stand in the presence of noblemen" (Ben Sira 38:3). This interpretation makes good sense in the context, where the phrase "one who lifts my head" is juxtaposed with the phrase "my honor >> the one who makes me honorable." Note also the contrast between lifting up the psalmist's head in v. 4 (= honoring him) and striking the enemies on the jaw in v. 8 (= dishonoring them).
• Alternatively, "lifting up the head" could be a figure of speech for a "causative process by which deities help humans to find new confidence" (SDBH). Thus, GNT: "You... restore my courage" (cf. Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 58). It seems more likely, however, that the focus is on the social aspect (honor, vindication) of the psalmist's restoration and not the psychological aspect (confidence, courage), although the latter is probably implied.
• In Gen 40:13, "lifting the head" (although a different verb: יִשָּׂא...אֶת־רֹאשֶׁךָ) refers to the cup bearer's restoration to his former position. Thus, "if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase 'lift the head' could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position" (NET note).