Crown

(to wear)

Three different types of crowns are mentioned in the Bible: royal crowns, wedding crowns, and athletic crowns. They all serve the purpose of distinguishing someone as unique from others around him or her; however, each has its own distinctive appearance and connotations that impact the way we understand its role in real and metaphorical mention in the Bible.

Royal crowns were worn by Israelite, Ammonite, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian royalty (2 Sam. 1:2–10; 12:30; 2 Kings 11:12; Esther 1:11; 2:17).[49] The royal crowns pictured in ancient Near Eastern art differ from each other in size and shape but have this in common: the style of headdress distinguishes royals from their subjects, and the height afforded by the crown makes the royal figures appear taller. The Bible mentions that some such crowns were made of gold and inset with precious stones (1 Chron. 20:2; Esther 8:15; Ps. 21:3; Zech. 9:16). Whether the royal crown was granted voluntarily or seized by force from the rightful owner (2 Sam. 12:29–30; Esther 8:15; Isa. 23:8), possession of the royal crown was symbolic of a ruler’s political authority.

A statue of King Tut wearing his royal crown. Such crowns varied in style and size but always sent the same message: the one wearing it was in control.

The Bible also mentions wedding and athletic crowns. As the name suggests, the wedding crown was the one that a bride or groom wore during the marriage celebration (Song of Sol. 3:11; Ezek. 16:12). This seems to have been a garland woven of plants and flowers that distinguished the bride and groom from their guests. Its mention always conjures the connotation of joy that surrounded the nuptials. The athletic crown had no intrinsic value of its own and was made from bent twigs interwoven with flowers. Although it would fade quickly, it was pursued aggressively by athletes because it marked one as the victor in an athletic contest (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 2:5).

While physical crowns are mentioned by the biblical authors, it is metaphorical crowns that are most often referred to in their writings. The key to the interpretation of such texts requires us to correctly identify the type of crown in view and its attending connotations. Many of the figurative crowns mentioned in the Old Testament are royal crowns. When a person or people lost a war, the loss of the crown became a symbol of their defeat. Job implied that he was at war with the Lord who had “removed the crown from [his] head” (Job 19:9). And when God’s people and their leaders were unfaithful to the covenant the Lord made with them, they could expect to be defeated—a defeat symbolized by the removal of the crown from their leaders (Ps. 89:39; Jer. 13:18; Lam. 5:16; Ezek. 21:26–27).

In the New Testament we see a mocking reversal of this procedure. The Roman soldiers who prepared Jesus for execution mocked his claim to be a king not by removing a royal crown but by putting a crown of thorns on his head (Matt. 27:27–29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5). This of course was not the end of that story. The book of Revelation describes the final struggle between Christ and those who challenge his authority. Many of the entities participating in this struggle are pictured wearing crowns: the woman who wears a crown with twelve stars, the red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns, the beast that comes out of the sea sporting ten crowns, as well as Christ himself, whose crown of thorns will be replaced by a golden crown (Rev. 12:1, 3; 13:1; 14:14; 19:12).

David seized the weighty crown of Ammon’s king when he captured the Ammonite fortress built on this peninsula of land (2 Sam. 12:29–30).

The wedding crown appears as a metaphor in Proverbs and Isaiah, and in each case there is a connotation of joy and celebration. Wisdom provides a “glorious crown” (Prov. 4:9), “blessings crown the head of the righteous” (Prov. 10:6), “a wife of noble character is her husband’s crown” (Prov. 12:4), “the prudent are crowned with knowledge” (Prov. 14:18), and “the wealth of the wise is their crown” (Prov. 14:24). Both gray hair and grandchildren, which are symbolic of long life, are also described as celebrative crowns (Prov. 16:31; 17:6).[50] The prophet Isaiah also uses the image of the wedding crown. The Lord himself is likened to this headwear as he is the joy of the redeemed. “In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people” (Isa. 28:5). The ransomed of the Lord “will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads” (Isa. 35:10).

In many New Testament locations, it is the athletic crown that is in view. Paul alludes to the sense of victory he feels in seeing people come to know Christ through his ministry; he calls them his “joy and crown” (Phil. 4:1; see also 1 Thess. 2:19). Eternal life is also pictured as a crown of victory; the victory of Jesus over sin and death makes it possible for every believer to wear a crown that signals their victory. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor. 9:25; see also 2 Tim. 4:8). Trials may come, but “blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). This is the “crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet. 5:4); it has already been won by the saints who reside at the Lord’s side in heaven (Rev. 4:4). We who remain live with this encouragement: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown” (Rev. 2:10).