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H668 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אַפִּרְיוֹן
Appiryon
Noun, masculine
Palanquin / Litter / Sedan Chair

Definition

The Hebrew word appiryon (אַפִּרְיוֹן) refers to a palanquin or litter — a royal sedan chair carried on poles by attendants, used to transport royalty and persons of great honor. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Song of Solomon 3:9, where King Solomon is said to have made such a chair from Lebanon cedar.

Usage & Theological Significance

Solomon's appiryon in the Song of Solomon is richly symbolic. Made from the finest materials — Lebanon cedar, silver, gold, purple — it depicts the royal procession of the bridegroom coming for his bride. Many interpreters see this as a type of Christ coming for His church, the royal bridegroom approaching in splendor. The palanquin embodies honor, intimacy, and the bridal journey — themes that run throughout both Testaments.

Key Bible Verses

Song of Solomon 3:9 King Solomon made for himself the palanquin; he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 3:10 Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Song of Solomon 3:11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.
Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Psalm 45:8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

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