Hebrew word · H7799

שׁוּשַׁן

shushan

lily

A conspicuous flower, traditionally 'lily'. The word is probably borrowed from Egyptian sšn, 'lotus'. Botanists and lexicons (HALOT, BDB) suggest the white Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), the water lily or lotus, or a general name for bright spring flowers such as anemones.

Appears 17 times in 17 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) lily

1a) probably any lily-like flower

1b) Shoshannim, in title of Ps 45:1

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hosea 14:5

Range of meaning

A conspicuous flower, traditionally 'lily'. The word is probably borrowed from Egyptian sšn, 'lotus'. Botanists and lexicons (HALOT, BDB) suggest the white Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), the water lily or lotus, or a general name for bright spring flowers such as anemones. In Solomon's temple it names a lotus-like decorative motif on the pillar capitals and the bronze 'sea' (1 Kgs 7:19, 22, 26).

Against the English

English readers tend to picture a tall white Easter lily, with its Christian associations of purity and resurrection. The Hebrew word's associations are beauty, love and luxurious flowering, especially in the Song of Songs (2:1–2, 16; 4:5; 6:2–3).

How it drifted

The 'lily' identification came through the Greek krinon and Latin lilium. Later Christian art made the white lily a symbol of purity, which is not the main note here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint κρίνον, Vulgate lilium. The Song of Songs uses the word eight times. Temple architecture used lotus capitals, a motif common across Egyptian and Phoenician art.

From the study of Song of Songs 2:16

Range of meaning

A showy flower, traditionally "lily". The word is almost certainly borrowed from Egyptian sšn ("lotus, water-lily"). Which plant it means in Palestine is disputed: lotus, Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), or a red or bright wild flower such as an anemone. Song 5:13, "his lips are šôšannîm", could suggest a red flower.

Against the English

"Lilies" in every major English version. That is serviceable, but it calls up the white Easter lily and its associations with purity and resurrection.

How it drifted

Later Christian art made the white lily a symbol of chastity (the "Madonna lily") and of Easter, and English readers carry that picture into the Song.

Used elsewhere in the period

The pillar capitals and the bronze "sea" in Solomon's temple had "lily-work" or a rim "like a lily blossom" (1 Kgs 7:19, 22, 26), which fits the Egyptian and Phoenician lotus designs common in the region. In Egyptian art and love poetry the lotus is linked with love, fragrance, renewal and life. "Shoshannim" also appears in Psalm headings (Ps 45, 69, 80), and Ps 45 is a royal wedding song.

From the study of Song of Songs 6:2

Range of meaning

A showy flower, traditionally "lily". The word is most likely borrowed from Egyptian sšn, "lotus" (the water-lily Nymphaea). Proposals for the plant behind the Hebrew include the lotus, the white Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), the red anemone, the crocus and others. The word is also an architectural term: "lily-work" on the bronze pillars and the bronze basin of Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 7:19, 22, 26), almost certainly lotus-shaped capitals and rims. It also appears in psalm headings ("according to Lilies", Ps 45, 60, 69, 80), probably naming a tune.

Against the English

"Lily" makes modern readers think of the white trumpet lily, which Christian art and Easter custom made a symbol of purity and resurrection. The Song's flower is a lover's flower: lips, breasts and the woman herself are compared to it, and in Egyptian art and love poetry the lotus is linked with fragrance, beauty, sexual allure and renewal.

How it drifted

Medieval and later Christian iconography (the Madonna lily in Annunciation scenes, the Easter lily) made "lily" mean chaste purity. The Song uses the flower for beauty and desire.

Used elsewhere in the period

Egyptian love songs and tomb paintings show lovers holding and smelling lotus blossoms. The Song uses the word eight times (2:1, 2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2, 3; 7:2). Hosea 14:5 uses it for Israel blossoming under God's dew. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) renders it krinon, the same word as in "consider the lilies of the field" (Matt 6:28).

Similar words

Where it appears

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 7:19 שׁוּשַׁ֣ן lili[es]

    And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high.

  2. 1 Kings 7:22 שׁוֹשָׁ֑ן lili[es]

    And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.

  3. 1 Kings 7:26 שׁוֹשָׁ֑ן lili[es]

    It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:5 שֽׁוֹשַׁנָּ֑ה a lily

    It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths.

Psalms · 4
Song of Songs · 8

  1. Song of Songs 2:1 שֽׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת <the> lily of

    I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley.

  2. Song of Songs 2:2 כְּשֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙ like a lily

    Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.

  3. Song of Songs 2:16 בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ among the lilies

    My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.

    Here: "Among the lilies". The flower is probably the lotus/water-lily or a showy wild flower, not the white Easter lily. In the Song this flower is tied to the woman herself (2:1–2 "I am a lily of the valleys"; 4:5; 6:2–3). Grazing among the lilies therefore suggests delighting in her.

  4. Song of Songs 4:5 בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ among the lilies

    Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.

  5. Song of Songs 5:13 שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּ֔ים [are] lilies

    His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.

  6. Song of Songs 6:2 שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ lilies

    My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens and to gather lilies.

    Here: A flower that runs all through the Song. She is a "lily of the valleys" (2:1–2), his lips are lilies (5:13), her breasts are fawns grazing among lilies (4:5), and he grazes among lilies (2:16, 6:3). Gathering lilies therefore means enjoying her. The word probably comes from Egyptian for the lotus or water-lily.

  7. Song of Songs 6:3 בַּשׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ ס among the lilies

    I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me; he pastures his flock among the lilies.

  8. Song of Songs 7:2 בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ with <the> lilies

    Your navel is a rounded goblet; it never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by the lilies.

Hosea · 1

  1. Hosea 14:5 כַּשּֽׁוֹשַׁנָּ֑ה like <the> lily

    I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

    Here: A showy spring flower, traditionally 'lily'. The exact species is uncertain (see the studies below). It stands for beauty and quick flowering, the kind of loveliness the Song of Songs praises.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.