Hebrew word · H5849

עָטַר

she'iterah-

to crown

To surround or encircle (1 Sam 23:26, men "closing in around" David). In the intensive form used here it means to wreathe or crown someone, and by extension to honour and adorn them (Ps 8:5, "crowned him with glory and honour"; Ps 103:4, "crowns you with steadfast love and compassion").

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to crown, give a crown

1a) (Piel) to crown

1b) (Hiphil) crown-bestower (participle)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 65:11

Range of meaning

To surround or encircle (1 Sam 23:26, men "closing in around" David). In the intensive form used here it means to wreathe or crown someone, and by extension to honour and adorn them (Ps 8:5, "crowned him with glory and honour"; Ps 103:4, "crowns you with steadfast love and compassion").

Against the English

Every major English version says "crown." That is accurate, but English readers tend to hear a single royal coronation. In Hebrew the idea of encircling is still strongly felt: a crown is something that goes all the way round.

Used elsewhere in the period

The related noun ʿăṭārâ, "crown, wreath," is used for royal crowns (2 Sam 12:30) and for festive or honorific wreaths (Isa 28:1–5, the "crown of pride" of Ephraim's drunkards; Prov 12:4). In the Greek world, harvest and victory wreaths were familiar. The Septuagint keeps the image with stephanos, "wreath, crown."

From the study of Psalm 5:12

Range of meaning

In the basic verb form, to surround or encircle (1 Samuel 23:26, Saul's men closing in on David). In the intensive form, to crown (Psalm 8:5; 103:4). The noun ʿatarah means 'crown' or 'wreath'.

Against the English

Most English versions have 'surround' or 'compass'. The Greek and Latin translations took it as 'crown'.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Samuel 23:26 uses it for a military encirclement. Psalm 8:5 says 'you crowned him with glory and honor'. In Psalm 65:11 (Hebrew 65:12) God 'crowns the year' with bounty. The Septuagint's ἐστεφάνωσας here means 'you crowned'.

From the study of Psalm 8:5

Range of meaning

Basic sense: to surround or encircle (1 Sam 23:26, Saul's men "surrounding" David). In the intensive form used here: to crown, or to encircle with something like a crown. God "surrounds/crowns" the righteous with favor "as with a shield" (Ps 5:12); God "crowns you with steadfast love and mercy" (Ps 103:4); "you crown the year with your bounty" (Ps 65:11). Solomon's mother "crowned him" on his wedding day (Song 3:11). The related noun 'aṭarah is a royal crown (2 Sam 12:30; Esth 8:15).

Against the English

Most English versions rightly say "crowned." YLT's "compassest" ("surround") keeps the root image but loses the coronation.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Sam 23:26; Ps 5:12; 65:11; 103:4; Song 3:11; 2 Sam 12:30. LXX estephanōsas ("you crowned").

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 23:26 עֹֽטְרִ֛ים [were] surrounding

    Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.

    Here: A rare verb for ringing someone around. It comes from the same family as the word for 'crown,' the thing that circles the head. As a participle it shows the ring still closing, not yet complete.

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 5:12 תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃ you surround him

    For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

    Here: 'You surround him', the word for troops closing in on every side (1 Samuel 23:26). Here God does the surrounding, so the ring is one of protection. The same root gives the word for 'crown', and some hear that note too.

  2. Psalm 8:5 תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ׃ you crown him

    You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.

    Here: "You crown him." Root idea: to encircle. Here it is the act of putting a crown on someone, making the human a king. The verb form can describe a past act or an ongoing state; in context: you crowned him, and he wears the crown.

  3. Psalm 65:11 עִ֭טַּרְתָּ you crown

    You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with plenty.

    Here: "You have crowned / encircled." The verb's root picture is surrounding something, and from that, putting a wreath or crown on it. The completed verb form looks at the year as already crowned, a done deed the worshippers can see in the fields.

  4. Psalm 103:4 הַֽ֝מְעַטְּרֵ֗כִי who crowns you

    who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,

    Here: "The one who crowns you": to set a crown or wreath on someone's head, or to encircle them. It is honour language: the person who was headed down into the pit is lifted up and crowned.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 3:11 שֶׁעִטְּרָה־ that <she> crowned

    Come out, O daughters of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding—the day of his heart’s rejoicing.

    Here: "That (she) crowned." The verb comes from the same root as the noun, so it says literally "the wreath that she wreathed him with". The root's basic sense is "to surround, encircle". The short relative word she- ("that") is typical of the Song's style.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 23:8 הַמַּֽעֲטִירָ֑ה which bestows crowns

    Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth?

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.