stephanos denotes a head-worn crown, and can mark an awaited award or people named as joy and crown.

The term most often identifies a crown placed or seen on a head, including thorny, golden, stellar, and crown-like forms. It also occurs for what is received, awarded, or kept in view after endurance, and in clauses where people are called a speaker's joy and crown.

1. Crown worn or displayed on a head · dominant

   The singular and plural forms occur in scenes of a crown being put on, worn, given, or seen on a head. In John 19:2 the APB renders soldiers weaving a crown of thorns and putting it on his head; in Revelation 4:4 it renders golden crowns on the elders' heads, while Revelation 9:7 describes something like crowns like gold on the locusts' heads.

   John 19:2Matthew 27:29Revelation 12:1Revelation 14:14Revelation 4:4Revelation 9:7
2. Crown received or reserved as an award · common

   The accusative singular appears in clauses about receiving, being repaid, or preserving a crown. In 1 Corinthians 9:25 the APB renders a contrast between receiving a perishable crown and an incorruptible one; in 2 Timothy 4:8 it renders a crown laid up and awarded, and James 1:12 links receiving it with enduring temptation.

   1 Corinthians 9:251 Peter 5:42 Timothy 4:8James 1:12Revelation 2:10Revelation 3:11
3. Crown-language applied to people · occasional

   In 1 Thessalonians 2:19 the APB renders the recipients as the speaker's hope, joy, or crown of pride before the Lord's coming. In Philippians 4:1 it renders beloved brothers as the speaker's joy and crown, applying crown-language to the relationship rather than to a headpiece.

   1 Thessalonians 2:19Philippians 4:1

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB repeatedly presents the relevant clauses with “crown,” including crowns of thorns, golden crowns, and crowns connected with life or an award. Its wording confirms the verse contexts rather than fixing a separate English equivalent in every clause.