Hebrew word · H5850

עֲטָרָה

'ateret

crown

A crown, wreath or circlet worn on the head. It can be a royal crown (2 Sam 12:30), a festive or bridal wreath (Song 3:11), or, most often in poetry, a figure for honour that is plain for everyone to see. The related verb ʿāṭar means 'to surround' or 'to crown' (Ps 8:5; 103:4).

Appears 23 times in 23 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

crown, wreath

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 Proverbs 17:6

Range of meaning

A crown, wreath or circlet worn on the head. It can be a royal crown (2 Sam 12:30), a festive or bridal wreath (Song 3:11), or, most often in poetry, a figure for honour that is plain for everyone to see. The related verb ʿāṭar means 'to surround' or 'to crown' (Ps 8:5; 103:4).

Against the English

Every major version says 'crown'. That is accurate. But modern readers, and church readers especially, may hear either royalty or a heavenly reward. In Proverbs the word nearly always means what makes a person honoured in the eyes of the community.

How it drifted

Christian talk of 'crowns' as rewards in heaven, drawn from New Testament passages like 2 Tim 4:8 and Jas 1:12, can be read back into Proverbs. Proverbs is talking about honour in this life.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs uses it as a stock image for honour: a capable wife is 'the crown of her husband' (12:4); 'the crown of the wise is their wealth' (14:24); 'gray hair is a crown of glory' (16:31); wisdom gives 'a crown of glory' (4:9). The Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX) here uses stephanos, the ordinary Greek word for an honorific wreath.

From the study of Isaiah 28:3

Range of meaning

From a root meaning 'to surround'. It covers any ring worn on the head: a royal crown of metal (2 Sam 12:30, the Ammonite king's gold crown), a wreath or garland of honour, and, by extension, anything that brings glory to someone ('a capable wife is her husband's crown', Prov 12:4; 'grey hair is a crown of splendour', Prov 16:31).

Against the English

English 'crown' brings to mind a king's jewelled gold circlet. NIV's 'wreath' catches the flower-garland side of the image. Most other versions keep 'crown', which loses the link to the 'fading flower' of verses 1 and 4.

How it drifted

In modern English, 'crown' has narrowed almost entirely to royal headgear. The Hebrew word was broader and here includes a perishable party garland.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezek 23:42 describes drinkers putting 'beautiful crowns' (ʿăṭārôt) on the heads of the women they feast with. In Wisdom of Solomon 2:8 the ungodly say 'Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither', which shows the custom of banquet wreaths in the Second Temple period. Assyrian art shows queens wearing crowns shaped like city walls with towers, which supports seeing a city as a 'crown' on its hill.

From the study of Isaiah 28:1

Range of meaning

A circlet worn on the head: a royal crown (2 Samuel 12:30), a bridal or festive wreath (Song 3:11), a garland worn by revellers (Ezekiel 23:42). Used figuratively for honor ('crown of the aged', Proverbs 17:6).

Against the English

'Crown' makes most readers picture gold and royalty only. 'Wreath' (NIV) catches the party garland but loses the royal and civic sense. The Hebrew holds both.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 23:42 has drunkards putting 'beautiful crowns' on women's heads. Wisdom of Solomon 2:7–8 has revellers say 'let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither'. Banquet garlands are well attested in the ancient Near East and Greece. Walled cities were also pictured as crowns on their hills (the later 'mural crown' of city goddesses).

Similar words

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 12:30 עֲטֶֽרֶת־ [the] crown of

    Then he took the crown from the head of their king. It weighed a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 עֲטֶֽרֶת־ [the] crown of

    Then David took the crown from the head of their king. It was found to weigh a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.

Esther · 1

  1. Esther 8:15 וַעֲטֶ֤רֶת and a crown of

    Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

    Here: Something that encircles the head. Esther uses a different word, keter, for the king's and queen's crown (1:11; 2:17; 6:8). So this is probably a gold circlet of high office, not the royal crown itself.

Job · 2

  1. Job 19:9 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [the] crown of

    He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.

  2. Job 31:36 עֲטָר֣וֹת a crown<s>

    Surely I would carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 21:3 עֲטֶ֣רֶת a crown of

    For You welcomed him with rich blessings; You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.

    Here: A ring worn around the head, from a root meaning 'to surround'. Here it is a royal crown, and it stands for honor and kingship given by God.

Proverbs · 5

  1. Proverbs 4:9 עֲטֶ֖רֶת a crown of

    She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

  2. Proverbs 12:4 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [is] [the] crown of

    A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.

    Here: "Crown of": a circlet worn on the head as a public sign of honor and standing. She is the visible honor everyone sees on her husband.

  3. Proverbs 14:24 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [is the] crown of

    The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the effort of fools is folly.

  4. Proverbs 16:31 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [is] a crown of

    Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness.

    Here: A ring worn around the head as a mark of honor: royal, festive or bridal. The picture is white hair circling the head like a worn crown. It comes first in the line for emphasis: 'A crown of splendor, that is what gray hair is.'

  5. Proverbs 17:6 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [are the] crown of

    Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.

    Here: The 'crown belonging to' (a construct form, meaning it is tied to the next word) the old. It pictures a wreath or circlet worn as a visible mark of honour. It does not have to be a king's crown. It opens the line, so the honour comes first and the people who bring it come last.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 3:11 בָּעֲטָרָ֗ה on the crown

    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: "At / in the wreath." This is a circlet on the head. It can be a king's gold crown, but the word also covers festive garlands. Here it is defined by the occasion as a wedding crown, which his mother gave. The preposition can mean the women look "at the crown" or that the king appears "in/with the crown".

Isaiah · 4

  1. Isaiah 28:1 עֲטֶ֤רֶת [the] crown of

    Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

    Here: Anything that encircles the head: a royal crown or a party garland. Here it means both Samaria sitting on its hill like a crown and the flower wreaths worn by drinkers at a feast.

  2. Isaiah 28:3 עֲטֶ֥רֶת [the] crown of

    The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

    Here: Something that circles the head. In this oracle it means both the flower garlands worn by drinkers at a feast (v.1, 'fading flower') and the city of Samaria itself, which sits like a crown on its hill above the valley.

  3. Isaiah 28:5 לַעֲטֶ֣רֶת <into> a crown of

    On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people,

    Here: "Into a crown of": the same word used in verses 1 and 3 for Samaria's "crown of pride". The proud city's crown is trampled, and now God himself becomes the crown.

  4. Isaiah 62:3 עֲטֶ֥רֶת a crown of

    You will be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the palm of your God.

    Here: Something wound or set around the head: a king's crown, but also a festive or wedding wreath, and often a picture for honor. Zion herself becomes this ornament.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 13:18 עֲטֶ֖רֶת [the] crown of

    Say to the king and to the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”

    Here: "The crown of," the circlet worn on the head, the visible sign of royal dignity. It is singular, with "your" in the plural: one emblem of dynastic honor shared by king and queen mother.

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 5:16 עֲטֶ֣רֶת [the] crown of

    The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!

    Here: The headpiece that marks honor: a royal crown, but also the festive wreath worn at celebrations and, by metaphor, anything that is a person's glory. Feminine noun, so it is the grammatical subject of the feminine verb "has fallen."

Ezekiel · 3

  1. Ezekiel 16:12 וַעֲטֶ֥רֶת and a crown of

    I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

  2. Ezekiel 21:26 הָֽעֲטָרָ֑ה the crown

    This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.

  3. Ezekiel 23:42 וַעֲטֶ֥רֶת and a crown of

    accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.

Zechariah · 2

  1. Zechariah 6:11 עֲטָר֑וֹת a crown<s>

    Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

  2. Zechariah 6:14 וְהָעֲטָרֹ֗ת and the crown<s>

    The crown will reside in the temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the gracious son of Zephaniah.

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