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Selah (/ˈsiːlə(h)/;Biblical Hebrew:סֶלָה,romanized: selā) is a word used 74 times in theHebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.[1]
It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, with the meaning of "stop and listen". Another proposal is thatselah can be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in thePsalm.[2] It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph.
It should not be confused with the Hebrew wordsela' (סֶלַע) meaning "rock".
This word occurs 71 times in 39 of thePsalms, and three times inHabakkuk 3: altogether 74 times in the Bible.[3] It is found at the end of Psalms 3, 24, and 46, and in most other cases at the end of a verse, the exceptions being Psalms 55:19, 57:3, and Habakkuk 3:3, 9, 13.
At least some of thePsalms were sung accompanied by musical instruments and there are references to this in many chapters. Thirty-one of the thirty-nine psalms with the caption "To the choir-master" include the wordselah.
The significance of this term was apparently not known even by ancientBiblical commentators. This can be seen by the variety of renderings given to it. TheSeptuagint,Symmachus, andTheodotion translate it asδιάψαλμα (diapsalma, or "apart from psalm") — a word as enigmatic in Greek as isselah in Hebrew. TheHexapla simply transliterates it asσελ (sel).[4]Aquila,[4]Jerome, and theTargum translate it as "always", and in Jewish liturgy the word is used to mean "forever" (notably in the second to last blessing of theAmidah).[4]
According toHippolytus, the Greek termδιάψαλμα signifieda change in rhythm or melody at the places marked by the term, or a change in thought and theme.[5] Against this explanation, Baethgen notes thatselah also occurs at the end of some psalms.[6]
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One proposed meaning assigns it to the rootסלל, as animperative that should properly have been vocalizedסֹלָּה,sollah.[7] The meaning of this imperative is given as "lift up", equivalent to "loud" or "fortissimo", a direction to the accompanying musicians to break in at the place marked with crash ofcymbals and blare oftrumpets, the orchestra playing an interlude while the singers' voices were hushed. The effect, as far as the singer was concerned, was to mark a pause. Similarly, another opinion understandsselah being held to be a variant of the verbshelah (meaning "pause"). But as the interchange ofshin (ש) andsamekh (ס) is not usual inBiblical Hebrew, and as the meaning "pause" is not held to be applicable in the middle of a verse, or where a pause would interrupt the sequence of thought, this proposition has met with little favor.[1]
The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (2006) states that the main derivation of the Hebrew wordselah is found through thefientive verb rootסֶ֜לָה which means "to lift up (voices)" or "to exalt", and also carries a close connotational relationship to the verbסָלַל, which is similar in meaning: "to lift up" or "to cast up". The wordסֶלָה, which shifts the accent back to the last syllable of the verb form, indicates that in this context, the verb is being used in the imperative mood as somewhat of a directive to the reader. As such, perhaps the most instructive way to view the use of this word, particularly in the context of the Psalms, would be as the writer's instruction to the reader to pause and exalt the Lord.[8]
Heinrich Grätz argues thatselah introduces a new paragraph, and also in some cases a quotation (e.g., Psalms 57:8-12 from 108:2-6). The fact that the term occurs four times at the end of a Psalm would not weigh against this theory. The Psalms were meant to be read in sequence, and, moreover, many of them are fragments; indeed, Psalms 9 and 10 are considered one psalm in the Septuagint; the Septuagint also omits the wordδιάψαλμα (diapsalma, "pause") at the end of Psalms 3, 24, 46 and 68.[9]
B. Jacob concludes (1) that since no etymological explanation is possible,selah signifies a pause in or for the Temple song; and (2) that its meaning was concealed lest the Temple privileges should be obtained by the synagogues or perhaps even by the churches.[10]
Another interpretation claims thatselah comes from the primary Hebrew root wordsalah (סָלָה), meaning "to hang", and by implication "to measure (weigh)".[11]
The termselah is used by the Czech philosopherJohn Amos Comenius (1592–1670) at the end of his bookKšaft umírající matky, Jednoty bratrské. Likewise,selah appears several times in the Wanderer and Shadow's song inAmong the Daughters of the Desert fromNietzsche'sThus Spoke Zarathustra.Eliphas Levi (1810–1875), in his work "Transcendental Magic", says "Selah!Fiat! Somote it be!" at the end of one of his magical invocations of the elemental spirits.
Selah is used inIyaricRastafarian vocabulary. It can be heard at the end of spoken-word segments of somereggae songs. Its usage here, again, is to accentuate the magnitude and importance of what has been said, and often is a sort of substitute foramen.
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