CANOPY. A term used six times in the RSV and not at all in the KJV. Its root is from the Gr. κωνωπίον from κώνωψ, G3270, a gnat. It was evidently some kind of gnat catcher or screen.

In 2 Samuel 22:12, “canopy” tr. סֻכָּה, H6109, “a thicket or booth” (KJV “pavilion,” Ps 18:11).

In 1 Kings 7:6 it tr. עָ֖ב, a term the meaning of which is not known. It was some kind of wooden structure. KJV tr. it “thick beam.” In Isaiah 4:5 “canopy” tr. the Heb. word חֻפָּֽה, “a chamber” or “covering” (KJV, a “defence”).

In Jeremiah 43:10, where KJV has “royal pavilion” and RSV “royal canopy” the term in Heb. is שַׁפְרִיר, H9188, a word the meaning of which is unknown. Both “canopy” and “carpet” have been suggested as possibilities. It is prob. from an Assyrian word meaning “spread out.”

Finally, in Ezekiel 41:25, עָ֥ב again is tr. “thick plank” in KJV and “porch” in ASV. The context clearly shows that it is of wood.

It is apparent from the above that the term “canopy” is very indefinite for some kind of covering, usually, but not always, of wood. Sometimes the structure was used for splendor, sometimes for protection. See Booth.