סֶלָה
sela
Selah is a word in the Psalms, and nobody knows for certain what it means
What it means
Selah appears 74 times in the Hebrew Bible: 71 times in 39 of the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. Its origin and exact meaning are unknown. It may be a musical sign or an instruction for reading, such as stop and listen, or a mark for a pause or an interlude. It should not be confused with sela, a rock.
When Israelis say it
In Jewish prayer selah is read as forever, as in a line of the Amidah where the holy ones praise God every day, selah. In the Psalms it comes at the end of Psalms 3, 24 and 46 and, in other cases, at the end of a verse. In English the word has also passed into Christian use, where it is often taken as a pause for thought.
Frequently asked questions
How many times does selah appear in the Bible?
74 times: 71 in the Psalms and three in the book of Habakkuk.
Does selah mean pause?
Pause is a common guess in English, but the meaning is not known. Other proposals are a musical interlude, a call to raise the voices and, in the Jewish liturgy, forever.