Golden Crowns

[Revelation 4:4] “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.”

The original Greek word for “crown” is στέφανος (stephanos), which does not refer to a king’s crown but rather to a wreath or garland given to victors in athletic games or placed on guests at a feast. In ancient Greek culture, the laurel wreath was a sacred offering to the chief god Apollo, and its small branches were woven into crowns or circlets to be worn as an honor by the winners of competitions—a symbol that is still widely used today. In ancient Roman times, the laurel wreath was a reward given to soldiers, particularly to generals returning in triumph from the battlefield. In the era of the Roman Empire, the laurel wreath was used as the emperor’s crown.