Shushan (שׁוּשַׁן) means 'lily' — the elegant white or red flower that bloomed in Israel's valleys, especially in spring. It appears in the Song of Solomon (2:1 — 'I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys') and in the name of the temple decorations (1 Kings 7:22 — the lily-shaped capitals). The word also names the Persian city Susa (the same word), where Esther and Nehemiah served.
The lily in Scripture is primarily a symbol of beauty and purity. In the Song of Solomon the beloved is both the lily (2:1) and one who grazes among lilies (2:16; 6:2–3). Jesus references lilies in Matthew 6:28–29: 'See how the lilies of the field grow... even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.' Here shushan becomes a sermon on providential beauty and human anxiety. The connection to Susa also links the word to the courts of exile — where God's people lived as strangers yet served faithfully (Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah). The lily blooms in the valley of exile.