You may have found the word "Selah" in the Bible and wondered what it really means.
"Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah" (Psalm 3:8 KJV)
"Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah" (Psalm 24:10 KJV)
Bible Scholars have come up with multiple meanings and possible explanations for the meaning of the word "Selah."
Selah Definition
The New American Standard Hebrew Lexicon defines the Hebrew word "Celah" (סֶֽלָה) as “to lift up, exalt.”
According to Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary, Selah means "the end; a pause."
Furthermore, Smith's Bible Dictionary states that: "This word, which is found only in the poetical books of the Old Testament, occurs seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. It is probably a term which had a meaning in the musical nomenclature of the Hebrews, though what that meaning may have been is now a matter of pure conjecture. (Gesenius and Ewald and others think it has much the same meaning as our interlude, a pause in the voices singing while the instruments perform alone.)
Some scholars believe that Selah was a musical notation possibly meaning "silence" or "pause;" others, "end," "a louder strain," "piano," etc. Still, others think it is similar to a musical interlude, “a pause in the voices singing, while the instruments perform alone.”
Selah is translated as “intermission” in the Septuagint (LXX), which is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Septuagint is significant because it was completed in the 2nd Century BCE and was quoted by the Apostle Paul.
Meaning of Selah
The word "selah" is primarily in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. It is a transliteration of the Hebrew word סֶלָה, which is thought to be derived from the Hebrew root סָלָה (salah), meaning "to lift up" or "to praise." However, the exact meaning of selah is still debated among scholars.
Proposed Meanings of Selah
Pause: Some scholars believe that selah indicates a pause in the text, either for reflection or for a musical interlude. This is supported by the fact that selah is often found at the end of a verse or section, and it is sometimes followed by a musical directive such as "pause" or "play."
Praise: Other scholars believe that selah means "praise" or "lift up." This is supported by the fact that selah often appears in passages of praise and adoration and is sometimes associated with musical instruments.
A combination of meanings: It is also possible that selah has a combination of meanings, such as "pause and praise" or "lift up your voices in praise."
Usage of Selah in the Bible
Selah is most commonly used in the Book of Psalms, where it appears over 70 times. It is also found in the books of Habakkuk (3:3, 3:9, 3:13), Isaiah (6:10), and Jeremiah (31:33).
In the Book of Psalms, selah is often used to mark a transition in the text, such as a change of speaker or a shift in tone. It can also be used to emphasize a particular point or to invite the reader to pause and reflect on the meaning of the passage.
Examples of Selah Usage in the Bible
Psalm 3:2: "Selah. O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise against me!"
Psalm 46:6: "Selah. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Psalm 96:12: "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea and all that is in it roar. Let the field exult, and everything in it."
The word "selah" is transliterated in many English translations of the Bible, including:
- King James Version (KJV)
- New International Version (NIV)
- English Standard Version (ESV)
- New American Standard Bible (NASB)
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Some translations, such as the New Living Translation (NLT), opt to provide a footnote or paraphrase instead of directly transliterating "selah." For instance, in Psalm 68:19, the NLT replaces "selah" with "Interlude."
The decision to transliterate or provide an alternative rendering of "selah" reflects the ongoing debate among scholars regarding its precise meaning. Transliterating "selah" preserves the original Hebrew word, while other options attempt to convey the word's possible significance in the context.
Where Is Selah in the Bible?
Selah occurs 76 times in the King James Bible. It occurs seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. It is found in the poetical books of the Old Testament. “Thirty-one of the thirty-nine Psalms that include the word Selah are titled, ‘to the choirmaster,’ which seems to connect this word to musical notation,” according to this Crosswalk article.
Due to the confusion around the meaning of Selah, Bible translators have translated it in different ways.
The King James Version, the English Standard Version, and the New American Standard Version transliterate the Hebrew word phonetically. For example, the King James Version of Psalm 68:19 ends with “Selah.”
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”
But in the New Living Translation of Psalm 68:19, Selah is translated as “Interlude.”
“Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude.”
In the New International Version, a footnote is used at the end of the verse.
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (fn) Footnote: The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) at the end of verses 7, 19, and 32.”
How Should We Interpret Selah in the Bible?
Since we don’t exactly know what Selah means, you could skip over it, as the translators of the NIV do, without losing the meaning of the passage.
You could also follow the model laid out by translators of the Septuagint, who translated it as an intermission. Use Selah to take a pause to think about what the Scripture says - to reflect on the meaning of the verse before continuing to read the rest of the passage. Selah.
Sources
BibleStudyTools.com, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Selah.
BibleStudyTools.com, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Selah.
BibleStudyTools.com, Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon – New American Standard, Celah.
Britannica.com, Septuagint. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019.
Crosswalk.com, What Does Selah Mean in the Bible & Why Is It Important? Jason Soroski, 2018.
Penny Noyes, M.Ed. is the author of Embracing Change - Learning to Trust God from the Women of the Bible and two books about Hezekiah. You can follow Penny on her blog and on Instagram @pennynoyes.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden
