Our Lady Queen in the Bible: Biblical Foundations for the Marian TitleToday, someone asked me, Daniel, why is Our Lady Queen? Is it in the Bible? As a mariologist, I have the duty to seek an answer. So, I decided to research, and the vastness of Mary’s royalty that I discovered, I will try to synthesize in this contribution.First, let’s read Matthew 2:2:> “Where is the king of the Jews who has been born?”This short verse includes a multitude of prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled at that moment. The Magi came to worship the King. This Monarch, who is not Herod, would fulfill God’s plan as head and shepherd of Israel, rather than ruling over the weakest with violence.Sacred Scripture, recalling Micah, testifies in favor of the boy born in Bethlehem, and also the Magi who came to worship him. Eventually, we can say that Herod’s reaction is to deny and persecute the King because Jesus is that King. He is not a mere king, but the promised Messiah-Lord, as we see in the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which explains the deep meaning of the term Emmanuel (1:23). In fact, we find in this passage three times the act of worship (Mt 2:2, 8, 11). If we observe the Magi’s goal is precisely that, for the divinity of the Boy is already present in the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, which says:> “When Israel was a child, I loved him; from Egypt I redeemed him.”Also, the star, as mysterious as it may seem to our eyes, has a function of revealing the royalty of the character. In this symbolism, we find when it is said in Numbers 24:17:> “A star rises from Jacob; a scepter arises from Israel.”This star announces a messianic figure, as a King who will illuminate and liberate the people from their enemies.All these elements have significant reflections on the Mother of Jesus, as the royal titles of the Infant also apply to her who generated him. To be the Mother of a King in the tradition of Israel and the peoples of that region is a condition of particular privilege and dignity. The ‘Mother of the King’ was not a widow set aside, but associated with the kingship of the Son and contributing to the governance. From the few texts of the Old Testament where we find this theme cited, a deeper reading highlights this connection between Mother and Son on the Messianic Throne. We remember that, in the biblical culture, the Mother of the King was even more exalted than the wife. Consider the case of Bathsheba, who, prostrating herself before King David her husband, and sitting, found Solomon prostrated before her, and for her a throne was prepared, and she was made to sit on his right, as we read in 1 Kings 2:19.We cannot then be surprised to find in Hebrew culture a description of Mary as one who gives life to the King. This importance is so great that in particular times the Queen may take the place on the throne and exercise her regency.The importance of the Mother of the King is further affirmed by the famous prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.The sign given by God through the prophet has to do with the Mother who conceived and gave birth to the heir to David’s throne, who carries with him the hope and messianic promise. Interestingly, the center of Isaiah’s prophecy is the Mother, not the Father of the King! In the same sense, we find the verse from Micah:But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, who is small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come for me one who is to be ruler over Israel. His origin is from of old, from the distant past. Therefore God will abandon them until the time when he gives birth to one who is to give birth. Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel.In this passage discussing Bethlehem as David’s homeland, the announcement is made of a King who will rule over Israel. The motherhood of the expectant woman implies the liberation of the people. These two oracles are remembered by Matthew when he sees in the Child and His Mother the God with us and the King of the Jews. The specifics that do not resonate with the prophecies are the conception of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and the virgin motherhood of the Mother of the King. In fact, the text does not refer to the Child and His parents but only to the Child and His Mother, alluding to Mary’s virgin condition.The union of the Queen Mother with the Son is expressed in the act of adoration by the Magi, as if including the Mother in the glory of the Son’s kingship. The Matthew’s pericope does not narrate a contingent event but a salvational event where the peoples journey to find the Savior, whose light has dispelled the darkness of the world. God is no longer hidden behind the walls of the Temple in Jerusalem but is manifested as born of a virgin, a Child, pursued, fleeing, exiled. Alongside the Child is the personification of ancient Israel in flight, oppressed, put to death by Pharaoh but liberated by the powerful force of God.In this sense, Our Lady is Queen because Mother of the King, the image of the Church that, together with Christ, is persecuted by the dominators of the world, yet continues to accompany and even guide this new people, to whom faith is only asked.To deepen your biblical theology of Mary Queen, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical: Redemptoris Mater on Mary in the life of the Church in pilgrimage.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and Post-Graduate Studies in Mariology.
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Today, someone asked me, Daniel, why is Our Lady Queen? Is it in the Bible? As a mariologist, I have the duty to seek an answer. So, I decided to research, and the vastness of Mary’s royalty that I discovered, I will try to synthesize in this contribution.First, let’s read Matthew 2:2:> “Where is the king of the Jews who has been born?”This short verse includes a multitude of prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled at that moment. The Magi came to worship the King. This Monarch, who is not Herod, would fulfill God’s plan as head and shepherd of Israel, rather than ruling over the weakest with violence.Sacred Scripture, recalling Micah, testifies in favor of the boy born in Bethlehem, and also the Magi who came to worship him. Eventually, we can say that Herod’s reaction is to deny and persecute the King because Jesus is that King. He is not a mere king, but the promised Messiah-Lord, as we see in the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which explains the deep meaning of the term Emmanuel (1:23). In fact, we find in this passage three times the act of worship (Mt 2:2, 8, 11). If we observe the Magi’s goal is precisely that, for the divinity of the Boy is already present in the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, which says:> “When Israel was a child, I loved him; from Egypt I redeemed him.”Also, the star, as mysterious as it may seem to our eyes, has a function of revealing the royalty of the character. In this symbolism, we find when it is said in Numbers 24:17:> “A star rises from Jacob; a scepter arises from Israel.”This star announces a messianic figure, as a King who will illuminate and liberate the people from their enemies.All these elements have significant reflections on the Mother of Jesus, as the royal titles of the Infant also apply to her who generated him. To be the Mother of a King in the tradition of Israel and the peoples of that region is a condition of particular privilege and dignity. The ‘Mother of the King’ was not a widow set aside, but associated with the kingship of the Son and contributing to the governance. From the few texts of the Old Testament where we find this theme cited, a deeper reading highlights this connection between Mother and Son on the Messianic Throne. We remember that, in the biblical culture, the Mother of the King was even more exalted than the wife. Consider the case of Bathsheba, who, prostrating herself before King David her husband, and sitting, found Solomon prostrated before her, and for her a throne was prepared, and she was made to sit on his right, as we read in 1 Kings 2:19.We cannot then be surprised to find in Hebrew culture a description of Mary as one who gives life to the King. This importance is so great that in particular times the Queen may take the place on the throne and exercise her regency.The importance of the Mother of the King is further affirmed by the famous prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.The sign given by God through the prophet has to do with the Mother who conceived and gave birth to the heir to David’s throne, who carries with him the hope and messianic promise. Interestingly, the center of Isaiah’s prophecy is the Mother, not the Father of the King! In the same sense, we find the verse from Micah:But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, who is small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come for me one who is to be ruler over Israel. His origin is from of old, from the distant past. Therefore God will abandon them until the time when he gives birth to one who is to give birth. Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel.In this passage discussing Bethlehem as David’s homeland, the announcement is made of a King who will rule over Israel. The motherhood of the expectant woman implies the liberation of the people. These two oracles are remembered by Matthew when he sees in the Child and His Mother the God with us and the King of the Jews. The specifics that do not resonate with the prophecies are the conception of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and the virgin motherhood of the Mother of the King. In fact, the text does not refer to the Child and His parents but only to the Child and His Mother, alluding to Mary’s virgin condition.The union of the Queen Mother with the Son is expressed in the act of adoration by the Magi, as if including the Mother in the glory of the Son’s kingship. The Matthew’s pericope does not narrate a contingent event but a salvational event where the peoples journey to find the Savior, whose light has dispelled the darkness of the world. God is no longer hidden behind the walls of the Temple in Jerusalem but is manifested as born of a virgin, a Child, pursued, fleeing, exiled. Alongside the Child is the personification of ancient Israel in flight, oppressed, put to death by Pharaoh but liberated by the powerful force of God.In this sense, Our Lady is Queen because Mother of the King, the image of the Church that, together with Christ, is persecuted by the dominators of the world, yet continues to accompany and even guide this new people, to whom faith is only asked.To deepen your biblical theology of Mary Queen, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical: Redemptoris Mater on Mary in the life of the Church in pilgrimage.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and Post-Graduate Studies in Mariology.
Today, someone asked me, Daniel, why is Our Lady Queen? Is it in the Bible? As a mariologist, I have the duty to seek an answer. So, I decided to research, and the vastness of Mary’s royalty that I discovered, I will try to synthesize in this contribution.First, let’s read Matthew 2:2:> “Where is the king of the Jews who has been born?”This short verse includes a multitude of prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled at that moment. The Magi came to worship the King. This Monarch, who is not Herod, would fulfill God’s plan as head and shepherd of Israel, rather than ruling over the weakest with violence.Sacred Scripture, recalling Micah, testifies in favor of the boy born in Bethlehem, and also the Magi who came to worship him. Eventually, we can say that Herod’s reaction is to deny and persecute the King because Jesus is that King. He is not a mere king, but the promised Messiah-Lord, as we see in the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which explains the deep meaning of the term Emmanuel (1:23). In fact, we find in this passage three times the act of worship (Mt 2:2, 8, 11). If we observe the Magi’s goal is precisely that, for the divinity of the Boy is already present in the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, which says:> “When Israel was a child, I loved him; from Egypt I redeemed him.”Also, the star, as mysterious as it may seem to our eyes, has a function of revealing the royalty of the character. In this symbolism, we find when it is said in Numbers 24:17:> “A star rises from Jacob; a scepter arises from Israel.”This star announces a messianic figure, as a King who will illuminate and liberate the people from their enemies.All these elements have significant reflections on the Mother of Jesus, as the royal titles of the Infant also apply to her who generated him. To be the Mother of a King in the tradition of Israel and the peoples of that region is a condition of particular privilege and dignity. The ‘Mother of the King’ was not a widow set aside, but associated with the kingship of the Son and contributing to the governance. From the few texts of the Old Testament where we find this theme cited, a deeper reading highlights this connection between Mother and Son on the Messianic Throne. We remember that, in the biblical culture, the Mother of the King was even more exalted than the wife. Consider the case of Bathsheba, who, prostrating herself before King David her husband, and sitting, found Solomon prostrated before her, and for her a throne was prepared, and she was made to sit on his right, as we read in 1 Kings 2:19.We cannot then be surprised to find in Hebrew culture a description of Mary as one who gives life to the King. This importance is so great that in particular times the Queen may take the place on the throne and exercise her regency.The importance of the Mother of the King is further affirmed by the famous prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.The sign given by God through the prophet has to do with the Mother who conceived and gave birth to the heir to David’s throne, who carries with him the hope and messianic promise. Interestingly, the center of Isaiah’s prophecy is the Mother, not the Father of the King! In the same sense, we find the verse from Micah:But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, who is small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come for me one who is to be ruler over Israel. His origin is from of old, from the distant past. Therefore God will abandon them until the time when he gives birth to one who is to give birth. Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel.In this passage discussing Bethlehem as David’s homeland, the announcement is made of a King who will rule over Israel. The motherhood of the expectant woman implies the liberation of the people. These two oracles are remembered by Matthew when he sees in the Child and His Mother the God with us and the King of the Jews. The specifics that do not resonate with the prophecies are the conception of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and the virgin motherhood of the Mother of the King. In fact, the text does not refer to the Child and His parents but only to the Child and His Mother, alluding to Mary’s virgin condition.The union of the Queen Mother with the Son is expressed in the act of adoration by the Magi, as if including the Mother in the glory of the Son’s kingship. The Matthew’s pericope does not narrate a contingent event but a salvational event where the peoples journey to find the Savior, whose light has dispelled the darkness of the world. God is no longer hidden behind the walls of the Temple in Jerusalem but is manifested as born of a virgin, a Child, pursued, fleeing, exiled. Alongside the Child is the personification of ancient Israel in flight, oppressed, put to death by Pharaoh but liberated by the powerful force of God.In this sense, Our Lady is Queen because Mother of the King, the image of the Church that, together with Christ, is persecuted by the dominators of the world, yet continues to accompany and even guide this new people, to whom faith is only asked.To deepen your biblical theology of Mary Queen, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical: Redemptoris Mater on Mary in the life of the Church in pilgrimage.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and Post-Graduate Studies in Mariology.
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