View source for Selah

{{Short description|Biblical Hebrew word of uncertain meaning}}
{{Other uses}}
{{italic title}}
{{More footnotes|date=June 2008}}
{{transliteration|hbo|'''Selah'''}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|l|ə|(|h|)}}; {{langx|hbo|סֶלָה|selā}}) is a word used 74 times in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.<ref name="JE" />
It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, with the meaning of "stop and listen". Another proposal is that {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} can be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the [[Psalms|Psalm]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Hobbins |first=John F. |title=Selah in the Psalms |url=http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/2007/07/selah-in-the-ps.html}}</ref> It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph.
It should not be confused with the Hebrew word {{transliteration|hbo|sela'}} ({{lang|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|סֶלַע}}}}) meaning "[[Rock (geology)|rock]]".
==Occurrences==
This word occurs 71 times in 39 of the [[Psalms]], and three times in [[Book of Habakkuk|Habakkuk]] 3: altogether 74 times in the Bible.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/selah-it-appears-74-times-in-the-bible-but-what-does-it-mean/104172.htm|title=\'Selah\': It Appears 74 Times In The Bible But What Does It Mean?|website=www.christiantoday.com|date=25 January 2017 |language=en|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref> It is found at the end of Psalms 3, 24, and 46, and in most other cases at the end of a verse, the exceptions being Psalms 55:19, 57:3, and Habakkuk 3:3, 9, 13.
At least some of the [[Psalms]] were sung accompanied by musical instruments and there are references to this in many chapters. Thirty-one of the thirty-nine psalms with the caption "To the choir-master" include the word {{transliteration|hbo|selah}}.
==Interpretations==
===Historical===
The significance of this term was apparently not known even by ancient [[Bible commentary|Biblical commentators]]. This can be seen by the variety of renderings given to it. The [[Septuagint]], [[Symmachus the Ebionite|Symmachus]], and [[Theodotion]] translate it as {{wikt-lang|grc|διάψαλμα}} ({{transliteration|grc|diapsalma}}, or "apart from psalm") — a word as enigmatic in Greek as is {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} in Hebrew. The [[Hexapla]] simply transliterates it as {{lang|grc|σελ}} ({{transliteration|grc|sel}}).<ref name=aht/> [[Aquila of Sinope|Aquila]],<ref name=aht>[https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dictionary/5542 AlHaTorah Concordance: סלה]</ref> [[Jerome]], and the [[Targum]] translate it as "always", and in Jewish liturgy the word is used to mean "forever" (notably in the second to last blessing of the [[Amidah]]).<ref name=aht/>
According to [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]], the Greek term {{lang|grc|διάψαλμα}} signified [[Modulation_(music)|a change in rhythm or melody]] at the places marked by the term, or a change in thought and theme.<ref>De Lagarde, "Novæ Psalterii Græci Editionis Specimen" 10</ref> Against this explanation, Baethgen notes that {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} also occurs at the end of some psalms.<ref>"Psalmen," p.&nbsp;15, 1st ed. Göttingen, 1892</ref>
[[File:Stralsund, Germany, Nikolaikirche, Tür zur Semlower Straße, Detail (2006-09-29).JPG|thumb|"Sela" on a [[tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] of [[St. Nicholas Church, Stralsund|St Nicholas Church]], in [[Stralsund]], Germany]]
===Modern (1900s)===
====Imperative: "lift up", "exalt"; pause====
One proposed meaning assigns it to the root {{lang|hbo|סלל}}, as an [[imperative mood|imperative]] that should properly have been vocalized {{lang|hbo|סֹלָּה}}, {{transliteration|hbo|sollah}}.<ref>Ewald, "Kritische Grammatik der Hebräischen Sprache," p. 554; König, "Historisch-Kritisches Lehrgebäude der Hebräischen Sprache," ii., part i., p.&nbsp;539</ref> The meaning of this imperative is given as "lift up," equivalent to "loud" or "[[fortissimo]]," a direction to the accompanying musicians to break in at the place marked with crash of [[cymbal]]s and blare of [[trumpet]]s, the orchestra playing an interlude while the singers' voices were hushed. The effect, as far as the singer was concerned, was to mark a pause. Similarly, another opinion understands {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} being held to be a variant of the verb {{transliteration|hbo|shelah}} (meaning "pause"). But as the interchange of {{transliteration|hbo|shin}} ({{lang|hbo|ש}}) and {{transliteration|hbo|samekh}} ({{lang|hbo|ס}}) is not usual in [[Biblical Hebrew]], and as the meaning "pause" is not held to be applicable in the middle of a verse, or where a pause would interrupt the sequence of thought, this proposition has met with little favor.<ref name=JE>"[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=S&artid=449 Selah]", in ''[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]''. Re-accessed 28 November 2021.</ref>
''The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon'' (2006) states that the main derivation of the Hebrew word {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} is found through the [[dynamic verb|fientive]] verb root {{lang|hbo|סֶ֜לָה}} which means "to lift up (voices)" or "to exalt," and also carries a close connotational relationship to the verb {{lang|hbo|סָלַל}}, which is similar in meaning: "to lift up" or "to cast up." The word {{lang|hbo|סֶלָה}}, which shifts the accent back to the last syllable of the verb form, indicates that in this context, the verb is being used in the imperative mood as somewhat of a directive to the reader. As such, perhaps the most instructive way to view the use of this word, particularly in the context of the Psalms, would be as the writer's instruction to the reader to pause and exalt the Lord.<ref>Brown, F., S. Driver, and C. Briggs. ''The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon''. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.: Peabody, MA, 2006. p. 699</ref>
====Marker between paragraphs or of a quotation====
[[Heinrich Grätz]] argues that {{transl|hbo|selah}} introduces a new paragraph, and also in some cases a quotation (e.g., Psalms 57:8-12 from 108:2-6). The fact that the term occurs four times at the end of a Psalm would not weigh against this theory. The Psalms were meant to be read in sequence, and, moreover, many of them are fragments; indeed, Psalms 9 and 10 are considered one psalm in the Septuagint; the Septuagint also omits the word {{lang|grc|διάψαλμα}} ({{transliteration|grc|diapsalma}}, "pause") at the end of Psalms 3, 24, 46 and 68.<ref>Grätz, H., "Kritischer Commentar zu den Psalmen", i. 93 ff., quoted in "Selah", ''Jewish Encyclopedia''. Re-accessed 28 November 2021.</ref>
[[Benno Jacob|B. Jacob]] concludes (1) that since no etymological explanation is possible, {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} signifies a pause in or for the Temple song; and (2) that its meaning was concealed lest the Temple privileges should be obtained by the synagogues or perhaps even by the churches.<ref>B. Jacob in Stade's "Zeitschrift" xvi (1896), p. 129 ff., quoted in "Selah", ''Jewish Encyclopedia''. Re-accessed 28 November 2021.</ref>
====Other proposals====
Another interpretation claims that {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} comes from the primary Hebrew root word {{transliteration|hbo|salah}} ({{lang|hbo|סָלָה}}), meaning "to hang," and by implication "to measure (weigh)".<ref name="Warren">{{cite web |url=http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/selah.html |title=What Does Selah Mean |author=Tony Warren |publisher=The Mountain Retreat |access-date=2008-09-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915221505/http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/selah.html |archive-date=2008-09-15}}</ref>
==Philosophy==
The term {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} is used by the Czech philosopher [[John Amos Comenius]] (1592–1670) at the end of his book {{lang|cs|Kšaft umírající matky, Jednoty bratrské}}. Likewise, {{transliteration|hbo|selah}} appears several times in the Wanderer and Shadow's song in ''Among the Daughters of the Desert'' from [[Nietzsche]]'s ''[[Thus Spoke Zarathustra]]''. [[Eliphas Levi]] (1810–1875), in his work "Transcendental Magic", says "Selah! [[:wikt:fiat#English|Fiat]]! So [[:wikt:mote#Etymology 2|mote]] it be!" at the end of one of his magical invocations of the elemental spirits.
==Rastafari usage==
{{transliteration|hbo|Selah}} is used in [[Iyaric]] [[Rastafari movement|Rastafarian]] vocabulary. It can be heard at the end of spoken-word segments of some [[reggae]] songs. Its usage here, again, is to accentuate the magnitude and importance of what has been said, and often is a sort of substitute for [[amen]].
==Art and popular culture==
{{In popular culture|section|date=November 2021}}
===Film and television===
* In ''[[Predator 2]]'', just before being killed by the predator, the Jamaican drug lord King Willie says, "His foundation lie in the holy mountain" before pausing and adding "Selah".
* In the 1975 [[John Huston]] film ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'', Daniel Dravot ([[Sean Connery]]) punctuates his royal proclamations with "selah."
* Selah was defined to mean 'pause and consider' in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' episode "Deconstruction of Falling Stars."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://b5.cs.uwyo.edu/bab5/snds/selah.wav | title=Babylon 5 episode}}</ref>
===Games===
* The variation "seyla" is used in ''[[Battletech]]'' as a ritual response during Clan ceremonies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bg.battletech.com/universe/the-clans/clan-glossary/#seyla|title = Clan Glossary|date = 12 January 2012}}</ref>
===Journalism===
* [[Gonzo journalist]] [[Hunter S. Thompson]] commonly used the word to end articles and personal letters. In [[Hunter S. Thompson]]'s collected works "Songs of the Doomed," "The Proud Highway: Saga of A Desperate Southern Gentleman 1955-1967," and ''Fear and Loathing in America: the Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist, The Gonzo Letters Volume Two 1968-1976'' the word ''Selah'' is used frequently in letters and diatribes written from the 1960s to the 1990s.
* [[Furman Bisher]], the former sports editor and columnist for ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'', for decades signed off his columns with "Selah."
* The word is used often by political columnist and blogger Ed Kilgore at the close of a day's postings.
===Literature===
* "''Selah!''" is used at the end of the second part (titled ''Dimanche'') of ''Conversations dans le [[Loir-et-Cher]]'' by French writer [[Paul Claudel]] (1935).
*The writer Robert Ruark used the word 'Selah' to finish an educational exclamation by the Old Man in the second chapter of his book 'The Old Man's Boy Grows Older'.
* Journalist, author and screenwriter [[George MacDonald Fraser]] used ''selah'' occasionally in [[The Flashman Papers]], a celebrated historical fiction series published between 1969 and 2005.
* ''Selah'' is the last word in [[Anita Diamant]]'s book ''[[The Red Tent (Anita Diamant novel)|The Red Tent]]'' and in [[Edward Dahlberg]]'s ''Because I Was Flesh'', and according to [[Charlotte Chandler]] also the ''last word'' [[Groucho Marx]] chose for the extensive biographical work she did with him.
* [[Katherine Kurtz]] uses it in some of her [[Deryni novels]], including ''[[The King's Justice]]'' (1985); it is among the acquired Eastern influences on the ritual practices of Deryni at King Kelson's court, largely brought by Richenda, Duchess of Corwyn, after her marriage to Duke Alaric Morgan. It is also the last word in Gilbert Sorrentino's novel ''Little Casino'' (2002), probably in homage to Dahlberg.
* In poet Julia Vinograd's American Book Award-winning collection of poems, "The Book of Jerusalem", each poem is followed by "selah".<ref>Vinograd, Julia, The Book of Jerusalem, Bench Press, 1984.</ref>
* In the humorous essay "New Days in Old Bottles," by [[Robert Benchley]], the narrator ends with the paragraph "Life and the Theatre. Who knows? Selah."<ref>Benchley, Robert, Chips Off the Old Benchley, Harper & Row, 1949, pp. 158-64.</ref>
* ''Selah!'' appears in the final stanza of [[Geoffrey Hill]]'s poem "History as Poetry": 'The old / Laurels wagging with the new: Selah!'
* ''Amen! Selah!'' ends pronouncements in several stories of [[Sholem Aleichem]], such as ''Dreyfus in Kasrilevka'' and ''Modern Children''
===Characters named Selah===
Characters named Selah appear in:
* [[George Elliot Clarke]]'s long narrative poem ''[[Whylah Falls]]''
* [[Shane Jones (author)|Shane Jones]]'s first novel ''Light Boxes''
* [[Charlaine Harris]]'s novel ''[[Dead as a Doornail]]''
* [[Virginia Hamilton]]'s novel ''[[The House of Dies Drear]]''
* [[Dionne Brand]]’s novel ''Theory ''
* [[Madeleine L'Engle]]'s novel ''[[Many Waters]]''
===Music===
* During a ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]]'' performance, [[U2]] frontman [[Bono]] announced "Take you to church, Selah," right before the choir started singing.<ref>{{YouTube|id=6ylSoAxpcKk}}{{dead link|date=October 2021}}</ref>
* "[[Selah (Kanye West song)|Selah]]" is the name of the second track on the 2019 album ''[[Jesus Is King]]'' by [[Kanye West]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/121012112|title=JESUS IS KING / Kanye West|website=Tidal|access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref> which West defined as a term meaning "to look back and reflect upon".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://entertainmentvoice.com/2019/10/25/yeezus-turns-to-jesus-kanye-west-preaches-on-gospel-influenced-jesus-is-king-album/|title=Yeezus Turns to Jesus: Kanye West Preaches the Gospel on 'Jesus Is King' Album|last1=Mehta|first1=Adi|website=Entertainment Voice|date=October 25, 2019|access-date=July 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402150535/http://entertainmentvoice.com/2019/10/25/yeezus-turns-to-jesus-kanye-west-preaches-on-gospel-influenced-jesus-is-king-album/|archive-date=April 2, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[BibleGateway.com]], the title is a reference to [[Psalm 57|Psalm 57:6]] of the [[Bible]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2019/08/29/kim-kardashian-teases-possible-new-kanye-west-album/|title=Kim Kardashian teases possible new Kanye West album|last1=Dellatto|first1=Marisa|website=[[New York Post]]|date=August 29, 2019|access-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629021817/https://nypost.com/2019/08/29/kim-kardashian-teases-possible-new-kanye-west-album/|archive-date=June 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
* "Selah" is the name of a song by R&B/Hip-Hop artist [[Lauryn Hill]].
* "Selah" is the title of a miniature for trio (flute, clarinet and piano) by Argentinean composer [[Juan Maria Solare]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juanmariasolare.com/Solare_Works.pdf |title=Juan María Solare |page=30 |access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref>
*”Selah” is the title of a 2023 album by Andres Santiago, a rock musician from Palencia, Spain
*"Selah" is the second track on Katherine Priddy's 2024 album ''The Pendulum Swing'' (Cooking Vinyl Records)
===Visual arts===
* "Selah" is the name of both a sculpture and a 2017 exhibition by artist [[Sanford Biggers]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marianneboeskygallery.com/exhibitions/sanford-biggers-selah/works/10|title=SANFORD BIGGERS: SELAH - Exhibitions - Marianne Boesky|website=www.marianneboeskygallery.com|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/15/the-playful-political-art-of-sanford-biggers|title=The Playful, Political Art of Sanford Biggers|last=Cunningham|first=Vinson|date=2018-01-08|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2018-01-10|issn=0028-792X}}</ref>
==Institutions named Selah==
* The Selah Workshop of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, Galilee, Israel <ref>[https://www.selahworkshop.wordpress.com/ homepage and blog]</ref>
* Selah: The Israel Crisis Management Center, helps "immigrants [to Israel] struggling with tragedy"<ref>[http://www.selah.org.il Selah: The Israel Crisis Management Center]</ref>
==See also==
* [[Jewish prayer]]
* [[List of Jewish prayers and blessings]]
* [[Salah|Salah (Muslim prayer)]]
* [[Selah (band)]]
* [[Selah, Washington| Selah, Washington (a US city)]]
* [[Selah (biblical figure)]]
* [[Saleh (prophet)]]
* [[Saleh|Saleh (given name)]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Psalms}}
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]
[[Category:Jewish prayer and ritual texts]]
[[Category:Psalms]]
[[Category:Words and phrases with no direct English translation]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings]]