Girls · Hebrew · New Testament · uncommon · New Testament / Ministry of Jesus
Susanna
/soo-ZAN-uh/
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה
"Lily; rose; graceful"
Luke 8:3
RoleDisciple; financial supporter of Jesus' ministry
Etymology
From 'shoshan' (שׁוֹשָׁן), meaning lily. The Song of Solomon uses the word for the beloved: 'a lily among thorns.' The name evokes natural beauty and purity.
Who they were
Susanna is named in Luke 8:3 among the women who travelled with Jesus and the twelve and supported the ministry 'out of their own means.' She is grouped with Mary Magdalene and Joanna, wife of Chuza — suggesting she too was a woman of means who had been healed by Jesus and responded with practical generosity. In the deuterocanonical additions to Daniel (the Story of Susanna), a different Susanna is a beautiful and virtuous woman falsely accused of adultery by two elders whose advances she rejected. Daniel vindicated her through clever cross-examination of her accusers. This Susanna became a symbol of virtue unjustly accused and divinely vindicated — an important figure in art and literature. The name — lily — carries the beauty and purity that both biblical Susannas embody.
Character qualities
- Financial generosity
- Faithfulness in following Jesus
- Virtue under pressure (deuterocanonical)
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Susan · Suzanne · Susannah · Shoshana
Read their story
Susanna's story begins in Luke.
The full passage is at Luke 8:3. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →