3804. kether

Lexical Summary

kether: Crown

Original Word: כֶּתֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kether
Pronunciation: KEH-ther
Phonetic Spelling: (keh'-ther)
KJV: crown
NASB: crown
Word Origin: [from H3803 (כָּתַר - surround)]

1. (properly) a circlet, i.e. a diadem

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

circlet, diadem

From kathar; properly, a circlet, i.e. A diadem:

see HEBREW kathar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from kathar
Definition
a crown
NASB Translation
crown (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

כֶּ֫תֶר noun masculine crown ((perhaps Persian loan-word Lag^{Ges Abh. 207}); Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כִּתְרָא; Arabic the higher hump of a camel); — always construct, in combin מַלְכוּת ׳כ royal crown Esther 1:11; Esther 2:17 (both of queen), Esther 6:8 (of king).

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Literary Context

כֶּתֶר (kether) designates the royal crown or diadem. Unlike עֲטָרָה (atarah, a wreath-crown) or נֵזֶר (nezer, the dedicated crown), kether emphasizes the splendor and authority embedded in the Persian idea of absolute monarchy. Its rare use confines it to the court narrative of Esther, ensuring that when the term does appear, it carries maximum narrative weight.

Occurrences in the Old Testament

1. Esther 1:11 – The Persians summon Queen Vashti “wearing her royal crown.” The crown embodies Xerxes’ (Ahasuerus’) desire to parade his glory through the queen, transforming kether into a symbol of courtly pride and the objectification of female dignity.
2. Esther 2:17 – “The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the virgins. So he placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.”. The crown here marks Esther’s elevation as God’s hidden instrument for covenant preservation, even within a pagan empire.
3. Esther 6:8 – Haman schemes to dress a man “whom the king delights to honor … with the royal robe the king wears and a horse the king rides, with a royal crown on its head.” The kether becomes the centerpiece of honor that unexpectedly shifts from Haman to Mordecai, displaying divine reversal.

Historical Background

Archaeological reliefs from Persepolis depict monarchs donning rigid, jewel-studded diadems that match the narrative picture. Persian kings used the crown as an unmistakable emblem of unchallengeable sovereignty. Esther’s placement of such a Persian kether on her Hebrew head highlights the Lord’s providence: He can wield even foreign regalia to secure His covenant people.

Symbolism and Theological Themes

1. Sovereignty and Providence – The kether underscores that ultimate authority resides with God, who overrules human crowns (Psalm 2:1-6).
2. Identity and Calling – For Esther, the kether signals not merely status but vocation. Her royal role obliges her to intercede: “Who knows if you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
3. Reversal and Justice – The same crown contemplated by scheming Haman adorns Mordecai’s triumph, foreshadowing the final vindication of the righteous (Isaiah 61:3).

Typological Insights

Ketḗr points beyond itself to the ultimate coronation of Jesus Christ. Whereas Esther’s crown is wrought by Persian hands, Christ’s many crowns (Revelation 19:12) testify to conferred and intrinsic kingship. The reversal motif in Esther anticipates the cross, where apparent defeat becomes victory (Colossians 2:15).

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

• Courageous Engagement – Believers may find themselves “in the palace” of secular structures. Esther’s crowning calls the church to speak and act with redemptive boldness.
• Humble Stewardship – Any authority entrusted to Christians functions as borrowed regalia; fidelity, not self-promotion, is its purpose (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
• Hope amid Hostility – As kether adorned a Jewish exile, so God can clothe the marginalized with honor (1 Peter 5:6).

Related Biblical Motifs

• Crowns promised to believers: imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:25), righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), life (James 1:12), glory (1 Peter 5:4).
• Divine exchange: ashes for beauty, mourning for joy, suggesting rulership founded on grace rather than conquest (Isaiah 61:3).

Conclusion

כֶּתֶר serves as a narrative fulcrum in Esther, concentrating themes of sovereignty, identity, and providential reversal. Its limited yet strategic use magnifies God’s unseen governance and foreshadows the ultimate coronation of the Messiah and of His people, who will “reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12).

Forms and Transliterations

בְּכֶ֣תֶר בכתר כֶּ֥תֶר כֶּֽתֶר־ כתר כתר־ bə·ḵe·ṯer beCheter bəḵeṯer ke·ṯer ke·ṯer- keter keṯer keṯer-

Englishman's Concordance

Esther 1:11
HEB: לִפְנֵ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בְּכֶ֣תֶר מַלְכ֑וּת לְהַרְא֨וֹת
NAS: with [her] royal crown in order to display
KJV: the king with the crown royal,
INT: before the king crown with royal to display

Esther 2:17
HEB: הַבְּתוּלֹ֑ת וַיָּ֤שֶׂם כֶּֽתֶר־ מַלְכוּת֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔הּ
NAS: the royal crown on her head
KJV: the royal crown upon her head,
INT: the virgins set crown the royal her head

Esther 6:8
HEB: וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר נִתַּ֛ן כֶּ֥תֶר מַלְכ֖וּת בְּרֹאשֽׁוֹ׃
NAS: head a royal crown has been placed;
KJV: rideth upon, and the crown royal
INT: whose has been placed crown A royal head

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3804
3 Occurrences

bə·ḵe·ṯer — 1 Occ.
ke·ṯer- — 2 Occ.