Jeremiah 13:18 (WEB)
Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your crowns have come down, even the crown of your glory.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Jeremiah 13:18 (KJV)
Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
Key words
- הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַגְּבִירָהhammelekh vehaggevirah · Hebrew
- 'the king and the queen' — literally 'the king and the great lady,' the queen mother (RSV: 'the king and the queen mother'). Addressed to Jehoiachin and his mother Nehushta (2 Kings 24:8).
- עֲטֶרֶתateret · Hebrew
- 'crown' — the queen mother wears a crown of glory alongside the king.
Why it matters
Jeremiah addresses the king and the queen mother together and tells both to humble themselves because their crowns are coming down. Pitre draws two points: the queen mother was a crowned royal figure who shared the king's rank, and she is named in the same breath as the king. This is the background to the crowned Woman of Revelation 12:1, the mother of the Messiah King.