Headpiece symbolizing honor or high office. In addition to using the word metaphorically, the Old Testament refers to three kinds of crowns.
One type of crown was worn by the high priest and Hebrew kings. The high priest’s “holy crown” was a gold plate engraved with the words “Holy to the Lord” and fastened to the front of a turban (Exodus 29:6; 39:30). [A turban is a type of headwear (usually made of cloth) that wraps around the head.] The high priest's "holy crown" symbolized his consecration as the people’s representative before God. The Hebrew kings wore a crown light enough to be worn into battle (2 Samuel 1:10)—perhaps a narrow band of silk studded with jewels. Like the high priest’s crown, the king’s crown also indicated a divinely appointed office (2 Kings 11:12; Psalms 89:39; 132:18).
A second type of crown was a massive gold and jeweled symbol of office worn by pagan kings and idols (2 Samuel 12:30; Esther 1:11). The prophet Zechariah placed such a crown on Joshua the high priest to indicate the union of royal and priestly functions (Zechariah 6:11, 14).
A third type of crown was a wreath of flowers used at a banquet to symbolize joy and celebration (Song of Solomon 3:11; Isaiah 28:1; Wisdom of Solomon 2:8).
The word “crown” is used metaphorically to indicate rule or royalty (Nahum 3:17, King James Version), glory or honor (Job 19:9; Psalm 8:5; Ezra 16:12), joy (Ezra 23:42), or pride (Job 31:36; Isaiah 28:3).
In the New Testament the most common word for “crown” means a laurel wreath worn at banquets or a prize given as a civic or military honor. The apostle Paul alluded to its use as an athletic prize when he urged Christians to be disciplined in striving for a “crown” that would not wither (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 2:5). Paul regarded his converts as his “joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19).
A victor’s wreath symbolizes the eternal life inherited by Christians who have persevered (James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; 3:11). In the book of Revelation, the victories of the locusts (9:7), the woman (12:1), and Christ (6:2; 14:14) are symbolized by laurel crowns. A different Greek word, meaning a royal crown, is used for the diadems on the heads of the dragon (12:3), the beast from the sea (13:1), and Christ (19:12).
Jesus’s crown of thorns was a circular band formed from a prickly shrub—an ironic parody of a victor’s wreath (Mark 15:17–18). Its combination with the robe, scepter (Matthew 27:27–29), and satirical inscription on the cross that Jesus was “the King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26), were all meant to mock him as a failed messiah.