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Selah

A word frequently found in the Book of Psalms, and also in Hab. 3:9, 13, about seventy-four times in all in Scripture. Its meaning is doubtful. Some interpret it as meaning “silence” or “pause;” others, “end,” “a louder strain,” “piano,” etc. The LXX. render the word by daplasma i.e., “a division.”

Also from Smith's (1884) +

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.)

In the Bible

75

Verses where Selah is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).

  • 2 Kings 14:7

    Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.

  • Habakkuk 3:3

    God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and His praise filled the earth.

  • Habakkuk 3:9

    You brandished Your bow; You called for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers.

  • Habakkuk 3:13

    You went forth for the salvation of Your people, to save Your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked and stripped him from head to toe. Selah

  • Psalms 3:2

    Many say of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah

  • Psalms 3:4

    To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah

+69 more verses naming Selah.

Scripture on Selah

41

See all 41 +

Entries that reference Selah

4

Selah references

6

See all 6 +

Voices on Selah

1

Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.

The Untold Truth About Methuselah, Enoch And Noah : Why God Waited for Him30:18
Paths of the Bible

The Untold Truth About Methuselah, Enoch And Noah : Why God Waited for Him

Paths of the Bible

Sources · Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869) · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)

Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.