An Ancient Hebrew Term
”Selah (סלה), the obscure word found in the Hebrew Psalms and Habakkuk, has puzzled ordinary readers and divided scholars. Often ascribed a musical status (e.g., a pause in the text like a rest on sheet music), and though several propositions have been made over the last 100 years, most scholars have tended to relegate Selah to musical status. Some other scholarly proposals have been: (1) a pause in the text; (2) a synonym of נצח (netsacḥ) or עולם (‘olam) — Hebrew words that denote “forever”; or (3) a derivative of the root סלל (salal) meaning to “raise voices in praise” or “make instruments louder.” But there’s much more to Selah than meets the eye!
Selah and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Since the late 19th century, Selah had become the focus of a handful of publications exploring its meaning and function in the Psalms. While a considerable amount of effort was put into examining its placement, it wasn’t until the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls that scholars began to truly understand the use of Selah in the Second Temple period. In the newly released book, Reassessing Selah, an important clue has been discovered. While the term could have been used as a pause in the text, it seems to highlight the thematic threads that run throughout the Hebrew Psalms.
Learn How to Read Closely
Themes such as sin, judgment, and salvation permeate Hebrew poetry, and Selah marks important transitions in that thematic cycle; transitions that highlight the very nature and character of God! Psalm 32:7 provides a good example: “You are my hiding place; You will guard me from trouble; You will surround me with cries of deliverance. Selah (סלה).” Psalm 32’s overall message is one of human transgression followed by divine deliverance, and Selah highlights those critical junctures for the psalmist and reader alike.
The word Selah is a rare remnant; one of very few Hebrew words that remains untranslated in modern Bible translations. Listen to the Bible just as David and Jesus heard it. Enroll in our online classes today and encounter the original text of Israel’s Scriptures.
