And he took the crown of their king from his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold, set with most precious stones, and it was put upon David's head, and the spoils of the city which were very great he carried away.
וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־עֲטֶֽרֶת־מַלְכָּם֩ מֵעַ֨ל רֹאשׁ֜וֹ וּמִשְׁקָלָ֨הּ כִּכַּ֤ר זָהָב֙ וְאֶ֣בֶן יְקָרָ֔ה וַתְּהִ֖י עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ דָּוִ֑ד וּשְׁלַ֥ל הָעִ֛יר הוֹצִ֖יא הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
St. Cyril observes that the expression found in Psalm 20:4 pertains specifically to David. After his victory over the Ammonites, David seized the crown of their ruler Melchom, regarded by St. Cyril as an idol of the Ammonite people. From this crown, David removed a valuable gem and placed it within his own crown.
In an allegorical sense, it is true: we should offer praise and gratitude to God for all the burdens we face, fully yielding ourselves to His divine will while renouncing our own desires. This includes praying for those who oppose us and seeing them as instruments of God's Providence, along with pursuing other righteous deeds. We endure trials and tribulations, such as metaphorical saws, tridents, axes, and the fiery furnace of sinful thoughts and emotions. Our intellect—represented by the enigmatic David, king and leader of Israel—reflects the sentiments of the Theotokos. Just as he seized the strongholds and cities of his foes, he returns triumphantly to Jerusalem, the city of peace, from which his conflicts had drawn him.
Upon his head rests the crown of Malchom, symbolizing the active reason obtained through the struggle against sinful inclinations, laden with experiences from his challenges, triumphs, and hardships. With him are the ‘many zelo's lucre,’ precious insights that fortify him for future endeavors and offer support to those who seek his guidance. The responsibility portrayed in David’s golden crown weighs heavily; the valued active mind possesses a wealth of experience and does not waver or get swayed by every thought that crosses it, but rather scrutinizes each one with skepticism and assesses it without bias. In a similar vein, Joshua, the leader of Israel, questioned the mysterious warrior who appeared before him, even though he was an angel: “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” (Joshua 5:13).
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS