Biblical Word Etymology
The Etymology of “Selah”
The biblical word “Selah” traces back to Hebrew / Greek (selah (Hebrew), sela (Greek transliteration)), where it meant “Musical interlude; pause; likely instrumental break in psalm singing; possibly "forever" or "strength"”. Across 3eras it evolved into the modern sense: “Musical notation in Psalms; pause or interlude; untranslated Hebrew liturgical marker”.
How the Meaning Evolved
Ancient Hebrew/Greek
Hebrew / Greekselah (Hebrew), sela (Greek transliteration)Musical interlude; pause; likely instrumental break in psalm singing; possibly "forever" or "strength"
Hebrew selah (H5542), appears 71 times in Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk. Etymology debated: possibly from salah (to lift up/suspend—musical pause) or selem (strength/permanence). Most scholars: musical notation, not translated. Function: likely dividing psalm into stanzas or calling for instrumental interlude.
Medieval Latin / Church
LatinselaMusical or liturgical pause; break in psalm recitation; space for reflection
Latin retained Hebrew form sela. Medieval manuscripts marked sela as pause. Church gradually stopped including selah in psalm translations, treating it as editorial notation rather than sung word. Aquila/Symmachus translated as aei (forever), others as eis to diekes (for ever).
Modern English
EnglishselahMusical notation in Psalms; pause or interlude; untranslated Hebrew liturgical marker
From Hebrew selah via Greek, retained untranslated in English Bibles. Modern scholarship: likely musical term signaling pause or instrumental interlude. Exact meaning remains uncertain but not central to psalm theology.