What “Selah” Means in the Bible

The exact meaning of the word Selah is shrouded in mystery and the subject of much scholarly debate. As biblical scholar Peter Craigie notes in his commentary on the Psalms, “The etymology of the term and its precise significance remain uncertain.” In other words, we are simply not entirely sure what Selah means in the Bible.

1. Selah is primarily found in the text of Psalms.

The word is found almost exclusively within the book of Psalms, where it appears a total of seventy-one times within thirty-nine different psalms, mostly within the first of the three books of the Psalms (Pss. 1–89). The only other place we find this word in the Old Testament is in the third chapter of Habakkuk (Hab. 3:3, 9, 13), where it appears within the psalm of Habakkuk.

As you can see from its appearances in the Old Testament, Selah is tightly connected to one particular form of Old Testament literature: psalms. While Selah occurs within the body of particular psalms, which are a form of biblical poetry, the scholarly consensus is that Selah should not be considered part of the poetic text itself. Most often Selah appears at the end of a line of poetry within a psalm, although it does occasionally occur in the middle of a line of poetry as well (see Ps. 68:7–8). Most biblical translations leave Selah untranslated in the English text, which indicates the general uncertainty surrounding its exact meaning.

2. There are several theories regarding the meaning and purpose of Selah, but all are related to some form of musical significance.

Given Selah’s exclusive connection to the psalms, it is not surprising that most scholars believe the word is of musical significance. The Psalter, of course, was the hymnbook of the ancient Israelites.

One theory is that Selah was simply a musical marker indicating some type of pause, interlude (the New Living Translation actually translates Selah as “Interlude”), or modulation in instrumental or vocal accompaniment (such as the lifting or raising of the voice or volume of the instruments). Some suggest this theory is supported by a possible connection of Selah to the Hebrew word for “to hang,” “to suspend,” or “to weigh.” The idea is that Selah was a cue, perhaps a spoken cue, to take a pause in the progress of the music to consider, meditate, and weigh the significance of what has been sung.

Another theory, advanced by the early church father Jerome, is that the term served as a musical cue for a congregational sung response, something similar to a chorus stanza we might find in a modern hymnal or a corporate spoken liturgical response akin to those found in modern litanies. Jerome specifically argued that the meaning of Selah was “forever,” but there is no clear etymological support for this conclusion.

Yet another theory contends that Selah was a cue for the congregation to change its physical posture, such as prostrating themselves to the ground in worshipful response to God’s glory (something similar to the notations in modern worship bulletins to stand and to be seated at particular points in the service).

3. Selah reminds us that singing is valuable in the worship of God.

While the exact meaning and origins of Selah are difficult to determine, the wide consensus that it is related to music and musical accompaniment reminds us how significant sung praise is to the worship of God and the life of the believer. Many Christians have looked to the psalms as a model for prayer or a place where comfort can be found in times of distress. While the psalms certainly provide these things, we must remember that the psalms are first and foremost a form of sung poetic praise. The book of Psalms is the ancient hymnbook of the church.

Perhaps the most significant contribution of this mysterious word Selah is that its presence in the text of the psalms serves to remind us of the musical nature and origins of the psalms. Selah reminds us as modern Christians that God calls upon His people to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Heb. 13:15, NIV). Corporate sung praise is of enduring significance to the community of faith and allows many voices to become one voice in praise to God.

While the meaning of Selah will likely remain elusive to us, the significance of corporate sung praise will endure. When you sing praise to God this coming Lord’s Day, consider that you are participating in an ancient practice that God values greatly and offer to Him your sacrifice of praise with both heart and voice.