Wednesday, August 17 - Kathryn

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Psalm 45-47, 1 Corinthians 10:19-33


I found great interest in one word that I've read numerous times but just kinda glossed over.  Selah.  It's listed several times in our psalm readings for today and yet I've never seen a good explanation for the word.  So, I thought, if I need to learn about it, others might too.  So here is what I learned.

Question: "What does ‘selah’ mean in the Bible?"

Answer: The word “selah” is found in two books of the Bible, but is most prevalent in the Psalms, where it appears 71 times. It also appears three times in the third chapter of the minor prophet Habakkuk. 

There is a great deal of confusion about the meaning of “selah,” primarily because the Hebrew root word from which it is translated is uncertain. Well-meaning Bible scholars disagree on the meaning and on the root word, but since God has ordained that it be included in His Word, we should make an effort to find out, as best we can, the meaning. 

One possible Hebrew word that is translated “selah” is calah which means “to hang” or “to measure or weigh in the balances.” Referring to wisdom, Job says, “The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold" (Job 28:19). The word translated “valued” in this verse is the Hebrew calah. Here Job is saying that wisdom is beyond comparing against even jewels, and when weighed in the balance against wisdom, the finest jewels cannot equal its value.

“Selah” is also thought to be rendered from two Hebrew words: s_lah, “to praise”; and s_lal, “to lift up.” Another commentator believes it comes from salah, “to pause.” From these words comes the belief that “selah” is a musical direction to the singers and/or instrumentalists who performed the Psalms, which was the hymnbook of the Israelites. If this is true, then each time “selah” appears in a psalm, the musicians paused, either to take a breath, or to sing a cappella or let the instruments play alone. Perhaps they were pausing to praise Him about whom the song was speaking, perhaps even lifting their hands in worship. This would encompass all these meanings—praise, lift up, and pause. When we consider the three verses in Habakkuk, we also see how “selah” could mean “to pause and praise.” Even though Habakkuk was not written to be sung, Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 inspires the reader to pause and praise God for His mercy, power, sustaining grace and sufficiency.

Perhaps the best way to think of “selah” is a combination of all these meanings. The Amplified Bible adds “pause and calmly think about that” to each verse where “selah” appears. When we see the word in a psalm or in Habakkuk 3, we should pause to carefully weigh the meaning of what we have just read or heard, lifting up our hearts in praise to God for His great truths. “All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Selah!  This excerpt found here.  


My interest in this word was probably pricked by the fact that my aunt, who we just visited this past weekend, went to a Selah concert while we were away. She played music from the band monday morning while we were eating breakfast and it does put one in mind of pausing, thinking and praising.

There is so much to gain by learning the meaning of the word.  If we do indeed pause and praise at the various intervals that the text instructs, we become more interactive with the text, rather than just passive.  We think more on what the text is saying and then we put it into action, rather than just letting it gloss over our brains.  I think it's kinda neat that the Lord included some more interactive instructions in the text.  He knows that some of us need more 'hand's on' work to learn.  Thank you Father God!
   Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 48-50, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16