Definition · Webster 1828 · Scriptures · Corruption · Roots · Usage · In the Text · Related
📖 Biblical Definition
Susanna is one of three named women in Luke 8:1-3 who traveled with Christ during His Galilean ministry and "ministered unto him of their substance" — that is, financially supported the mission of Christ and the twelve. The three named: "Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And JOANNA the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and SUSANNA, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance" (Luke 8:2-3). Susanna is mentioned only this once in the NT, and her one mention establishes that women of means were among Christ's most practical supporters during His earthly ministry. The Greek Sousanna renders Hebrew shoshannah — LILY — same word that appears in the great Song of Solomon imagery ("I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys" — Song 2:1) and in Christ's own teaching ("Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin" — Matt 6:28). The woman whose name meant LILY supported the One who taught about lilies. Her quiet generosity — preserved with no biographical detail except her name — is the canonical pattern for Christian women who quietly fund kingdom work. The mention is brief; the dignity is permanent.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Hebrew "lily"; a woman who supported Christ's Galilean ministry financially (Luke 8:3), named alongside Mary Magdalene and Joanna.
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SUSANNA, proper noun. Greek Sousanna, from Hebrew Shoshannah (H7799) — "lily."
A woman who traveled with and financially supported Christ during His Galilean ministry, named once at Luke 8:3 alongside Mary Magdalene and Joanna.
📖 Key Scripture
Luke 8:1-3 — "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."
Matthew 6:28-29 — "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
Song of Solomon 2:1-2 — "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters."
Mark 15:40-41 — "There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene... Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Susanna is corrupted when her financial support of Christ's ministry is dismissed as a minor detail rather than recognized as the canonical pattern for women of means supporting kingdom work — and when the prosperity gospel inverts this (telling women to GIVE TO ME so I can be like Christ, rather than learning from the women who gave so Christ could continue His ministry).
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Detail-dismissal. Luke 8:1-3 is one of the more startling passages in the Gospels: women financed Christ's ministry. Christ — Lord of all — accepted financial support from women of means. Many commentaries pass over this detail quickly. But the canonical pattern is significant: the work of the Gospels was funded in part by named Christian women. Modern ministries that take women's money but then deny women dignified naming or role have inverted the apostolic pattern.
Prosperity-gospel inversion. Some preachers cite Luke 8:1-3 to encourage women to give to their ministry, comparing themselves to Christ. But the relevant comparison is not the preacher to Christ; it is the giving woman to Susanna. Christian women who give to support sound ministry stand in Susanna's pattern. Christian preachers who manipulate women's giving by comparing themselves to Christ have inverted the pattern. The biblical model: women of means support the work of Christ's actual gospel, not the work of self-serving preachers.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew Shoshannah (H7799) — "lily"; a woman who supported Christ's Galilean ministry financially (Luke 8:3).
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Hebrew Shoshannah (H7799) — "lily"; Greek Sousanna
Same word as the lilies of the field (Matt 6:28) and the lily of the valleys (Song 2:1)
Named only at Luke 8:3 — supported Christ's Galilean ministry financially alongside Mary Magdalene and Joanna
Brief canonical mention establishes the pattern: women of means financed the early work of the gospel
Usage
"Susanna ministered to Christ of her substance — the canonical pattern for women supporting kingdom work."
"Her name means LILY — the same word Christ used in His teaching on the lilies of the field."
"Christian women of means stand in Susanna's pattern when they fund sound ministry."
📖 In the Text
Chapters of the reading Bible where this entry is linked.