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LILY (shûshan, 1Ki_7:10; shôshannah, 2Ch_4:5, Son_2:1, Hos_14:5).—The Heb. word is probably a loan word from the Egyptian for the ‘lotus.’ In Arab [Note: Arabic.] , it is sûsan, which includes a great number of allied flowers—lilies, irises, gladioli, etc. No doubt the Heb. word was equally comprehensive. Flowers of this group are very plentiful in Palestine, the irises being pre-eminent for their handsome appearance. The ‘lily work’ (1Ki_7:19; 1Ki_7:22; 1Ki_7:26) is likely to have been modelled after the lotus (Nymphœa lotus) itself: lotus-like flowers appear on some Jewish coins. The Gr. krinon of Mat_6:28, Luk_12:27 probably had as wide a significance as shûshan, and included much more than actual lilies.
E. W. G. Masterman.