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selah a Hebrew term of uncertain meaning, probably a musical direction
It appears seventy-odd times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk, almost always at the end of a line. A pause, a lift in the music, or an instruction to the players are all proposed; the honest answer is that nobody knows, and the King James left it untranslated for that reason.
Means: a Hebrew term of uncertain meaning, probably a musical directionIn the KJV: 75 timesLeft in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek
The word behind it
Where it appears
The first 30 of 75 verses.
He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
Common questions
What does "selah" mean in the Bible?
In the King James Version selah means a Hebrew term of uncertain meaning, probably a musical direction. It appears seventy-odd times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk, almost always at the end of a line. A pause, a lift in the music, or an instruction to the players are all proposed; the honest answer is that nobody knows, and the King James left it untranslated for that reason.
How many times does "selah" appear in the King James Version?
75 times.
What Hebrew word is behind "selah"?
Most often סֶלָה (çelâh), Strong's H5542, meaning suspension (of music), i.e. pause.
More like this
All 100 words → · Strong's concordance
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