Selah
סֶ֫לָה · se.lah · H5542“the end; a pause” Hitchcock's 186974 mentions in 2 books, most in Psalms (71)
Who they were
Selah is a term that appears frequently in the Psalms and three times in the book of Habakkuk. It is likely a musical or liturgical direction, though its precise meaning is uncertain. The term "selah" is transliterated from the Hebrew and appears 71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk.
Selah often appears at the end of a verse or section, suggesting that it may have been used to indicate a pause, a musical interlude, or a call to reflect on the preceding words. Some scholars propose that it may have signaled a change in the musical accompaniment or a moment for the congregation to respond.
The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, often translates "selah" as "diapsalma," which means "pause" or "interlude." However, the exact meaning and function of the term remain unclear.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its precise meaning, the use of selah in the Psalms and Habakkuk suggests that it served an important role in the worship and liturgical practices of ancient Israel. Its presence in these texts highlights the musical and meditative nature of these passages, inviting the reader or listener to pause and reflect on the message being conveyed.
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
74 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
Psalms71 mentions
Psalms 3:2Many there are who say of my soul, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah.Psalms 3:4I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.Psalms 3:8Salvation belongs to Yahweh. May your blessing be on your people. Selah.Psalms 4:2You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity and seek after falsehood? Selah.Psalms 4:4Stand in awe, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.Psalms 7:5let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.Psalms 9:16Yahweh has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah.Psalms 9:20Put them in fear, Yahweh. Let the nations know that they are only men. Selah.Psalms 20:3remember all your offerings, and accept your burned sacrifice. Selah.Psalms 21:2You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.Psalms 24:6This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.Psalms 24:10Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.Psalms 32:4For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.Psalms 32:5I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.Psalms 32:7You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.Psalms 39:5Behold, you have made my days hand widths. My lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely every man stands as a breath.” Selah.Psalms 39:11When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity, you consume his wealth like a moth. Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah.Psalms 44:8In God we have made our boast all day long. We will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.Psalms 46:3though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah.Psalms 46:7Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.Psalms 46:11Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.Psalms 47:4He chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.Psalms 48:8As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of Yahweh of Armies, in the city of our God. God will establish it forever. Selah.Psalms 49:13This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.Psalms 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.Psalms 50:6The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.Psalms 52:3You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking the truth. Selah.Psalms 52:5God will likewise destroy you forever. He will take you up, and pluck you out of your tent, and root you out of the land of the living. Selah.Psalms 54:3For strangers have risen up against me. Violent men have sought after my soul. They haven’t set God before them. Selah.Psalms 55:7Behold, then I would wander far off. I would lodge in the wilderness.” Selah.Psalms 55:19God, who is enthroned forever, will hear and answer them. Selah. They never change and don’t fear God.Psalms 57:3He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.Psalms 57:6They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah.Psalms 59:5You, Yahweh God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.Psalms 59:13Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.Psalms 60:4You have given a banner to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.Psalms 61:4I will dwell in your tent forever. I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.Psalms 62:4They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.Psalms 62:8Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.Psalms 66:4All the earth will worship you, and will sing to you; they will sing to your name.” Selah.Psalms 66:7He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah.Psalms 66:15I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats. Selah.Psalms 67:1For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us. Selah.Psalms 67:4Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations on earth. Selah.Psalms 68:7God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness... Selah.Psalms 68:19Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah.Psalms 68:32Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord— Selah—Psalms 75:3The earth and all its inhabitants quake. I firmly hold its pillars. Selah.Psalms 76:3There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah.Psalms 76:9when God arose to judgment, to save all the afflicted ones of the earth. Selah.Psalms 77:3I remember God, and I groan. I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah.Psalms 77:9Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion?” Selah.Psalms 77:15You have redeemed your people with your arm, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.Psalms 81:7You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” Selah.Psalms 82:2“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.Psalms 83:8Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.Psalms 84:4Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.Psalms 84:8Yahweh, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah.Psalms 85:2You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah.Psalms 87:3Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. Selah.
Habakkuk3 mentions
Habakkuk 3:3God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and his praise filled the earth.Habakkuk 3:9You uncovered your bow. You called for your sworn arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers.Habakkuk 3:13You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot. Selah.
What the dictionary says
A word frequently found in the Book of Psalms, and also in Hab. 3:9, 13, about seventy-four times in all in Scripture.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain