Selah

Selah ( , also transliterated as selāh ) is a word used frequently in the Hebrew Bible , often in the Psalms , and is a difficult concept to translate. (It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela‘ ( ) which means "rock.") It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen". "Let those with eyes see and with ears hear" is most concise. "Selah" can also be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm. The Psalms 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 word "Selah". Selah notes a break in the song and as such is similar in purpose to Amen in that it stresses the importance of the preceding passage. Alternatively, Selah may mean "forever", as it does in some places in the liturgy (notably the second to last blessing of the Amidah ). Another interpretation claims that Selah comes from the primary Hebrew root word [calah] which means "to hang", and by implication to measure (weigh). Also "Selah" is the name of a city from the time of David and Solomon .

Selah ( / ˈ s iː l ə / ; , also transliterated as selāh ) is a word used seventy-four times in the Hebrew Bible —seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk . The meaning of the word is not known, though various interpretations are given below. (It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela‘ ( ) which means "rock".) It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen." Selah can also be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm. The Amplified Bible translates selah as "pause, and think of that." It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph. The Psalms 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 word selah . Selah notes a break in the song and as such is similar in purpose to Amen in that it stresses the importance of the preceding passage. Alternatively, selah may mean "forever," as it does in some places in the liturgy (notably the second to last blessing of the Amidah ). Another interpretation claims that selah comes from the primary Hebrew root word salah ( סָלָה ) which means "to hang," and by implication to measure (weigh).

Selah ( / ˈ s iː l ə ( h )/ ; , also transliterated as selāh ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible —seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in the Book of Habakkuk . The meaning of the word is not known, though various interpretations are given below. (It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela` ( ) which means "rock", or in an adjectival form, "like a rock", i.e.: firm, hard, heavy.) It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen." Another proposal is that selah can be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm. It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph. At least some of the Psalms 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 word selah . Selah may indicate a break in the song whose purpose is similar to that of amen (Hebrew: "so be it") in that it stresses the truth and importance of the preceding passage; this interpretation is consistent with the meaning of the Semitic root ṣ-l-ḥ also reflected in Arabic cognate salih (variously "valid" [in the logical sense of "truth-preserving"], "honest," and "righteous"). Alternatively, selah may mean "forever," as it does in some places in the liturgy (notably the second to last blessing of the Amidah ). Another interpretation claims that selah comes from the primary Hebrew root word salah ( ), which means "to hang," and by implication "to measure (weigh)".

Biblical Hebrew word of uncertain meaning For other uses, see Selah (disambiguation) . Selah ( / ˈ s iː l ə ( h )/ ; ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible . Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. 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 that selah can be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm. It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph. It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela' ( סֶלַע ) meaning "rock".

Biblical Hebrew word of uncertain meaning For other uses, see Selah (disambiguation) . Selah ( / ˈ s iː l ə ( h )/ ; Biblical Hebrew : סֶלָה , romanized: selā ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible . Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. 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 that selah can be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm . It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph. It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela' ( סֶלַע ) meaning " rock ".