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Selah

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For other uses, seeSelah (disambiguation).

Selah(/ˈsiːlə(h)/;Biblical Hebrew:סֶלָה,romanized:selā) is a word used 74 times in theHebrew Bible.Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.[1]

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 thatselahcan be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in thePsalm.[2]It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph.

It should not be confused with the Hebrew wordsela'(סֶלַע‎) meaning "rock".

Occurrences

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This word occurs 71 times in 39 of thePsalms,and three times inHabakkuk3: altogether 74 times in the Bible.[3]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 thePsalmswere 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 wordselah.

Interpretations

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Historical

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The significance of this term was apparently not known even by ancientBiblical commentators.This can be seen by the variety of renderings given to it. TheSeptuagint,Symmachus,andTheodotiontranslate it asδιάψαλμα(diapsalma,or "apart from psalm" ) — a word as Enigma tic in Greek as isselahin Hebrew. TheHexaplasimply transliterates it asσελ(sel).[4]Aquila,[4]Jerome,and theTargumtranslate it as "always", and in Jewish liturgy the word is used to mean "forever" (notably in the second to last blessing of theAmidah).[4]

According toHippolytus,the Greek termδιάψαλμαsignifieda change in rhythm or melodyat the places marked by the term, or a change in thought and theme.[5]Against this explanation, Baethgen notes thatselahalso occurs at the end of some psalms.[6]

"Sela" on atympanumofSt Nicholas Church,inStralsund,Germany

Modern (1900s)

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Imperative: "lift up", "exalt"; pause

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One proposed meaning assigns it to the rootסלל,as animperativethat should properly have been vocalizedסֹלָּה,sollah.[7]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 ofcymbalsand blare oftrumpets,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 understandsselahbeing held to be a variant of the verbshelah(meaning "pause" ). But as the interchange ofshin(ש) andsamekh(ס) is not usual inBiblical 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.[1]

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon(2006) states that the main derivation of the Hebrew wordselahis found through thefientiveverb rootסֶ֜לָהwhich means "to lift up (voices)" or "to exalt," and also carries a close connotational relationship to the verbסָלַל,which is similar in meaning: "to lift up" or "to cast up." The wordסֶלָה,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.[8]

Marker between paragraphs or of a quotation

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Heinrich Grätzargues thatselahintroduces 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 wordδιάψαλμα(diapsalma,"pause" ) at the end of Psalms 3, 24, 46 and 68.[9]

B. Jacobconcludes (1) that since no etymological explanation is possible,selahsignifies 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.[10]

Other proposals

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Another interpretation claims thatselahcomes from the primary Hebrew root wordsalah(סָלָה), meaning "to hang," and by implication "to measure (weigh)".[11]

Philosophy

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The termselahis used by the Czech philosopherJohn Amos Comenius(1592–1670) at the end of his bookKšaft umírající matky, Jednoty bratrské.Likewise,selahappears several times in the Wanderer and Shadow's song inAmong the Daughters of the DesertfromNietzsche'sThus Spoke Zarathustra.Eliphas Levi(1810–1875), in his work "Transcendental Magic", says "Selah!Fiat!Somoteit be! "at the end of one of his magical invocations of the elemental spirits.

Rastafari usage

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Selahis used inIyaricRastafarianvocabulary. It can be heard at the end of spoken-word segments of somereggaesongs. Its usage here, again, is to accentuate the magnitude and importance of what has been said, and often is a sort of substitute foramen.

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Film and television

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  • InPredator 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 1975John HustonfilmThe Man Who Would Be King,Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery) punctuates his royal proclamations with "selah."
  • Selah was defined to mean 'pause and consider' inBabylon 5episode "Deconstruction of Falling Stars."[12]

Games

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  • The variation "seyla" is used inBattletechas a ritual response during Clan ceremonies.[13]

Journalism

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  • Gonzo journalistHunter S. Thompsoncommonly used the word to end articles and personal letters. InHunter S. Thompson's collected works "Songs of the Doomed," "The Proud Highway: Saga of A Desperate Southern Gentleman 1955-1967," andFear and Loathing in America: the Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist, The Gonzo Letters Volume Two 1968-1976the wordSelahis used frequently in letters and diatribes written from the 1960s to the 1990s.
  • Furman Bisher,the former sports editor and columnist forThe 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

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  • "Selah!"is used at the end of the second part (titledDimanche) ofConversations dans leLoir-et-Cherby French writerPaul 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 screenwriterGeorge MacDonald Fraserusedselahoccasionally inThe Flashman Papers,a celebrated historical fiction series published between 1969 and 2005.
  • Selahis the last word inAnita Diamant's bookThe Red Tentand inEdward Dahlberg'sBecause I Was Flesh,and according toCharlotte Chandleralso thelast wordGroucho Marxchose for the extensive biographical work she did with him.
  • Katherine Kurtzuses it in some of herDeryni novels,includingThe 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 novelLittle 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".[14]
  • In the humorous essay "New Days in Old Bottles," byRobert Benchley,the narrator ends with the paragraph "Life and the Theatre. Who knows? Selah."[15]
  • Selah!appears in the final stanza ofGeoffrey Hill's poem "History as Poetry": 'The old / Laurels wagging with the new: Selah!'
  • Amen! Selah!ends pronouncements in several stories ofSholem Aleichem,such asDreyfus in KasrilevkaandModern Children

Characters named Selah

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Characters named Selah appear in:

Music

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  • During aJimmy Kimmel Liveperformance,U2frontmanBonoannounced "Take you to church, Selah," right before the choir started singing.[16]
  • "Selah"is the name of the second track on the 2019 albumJesus Is KingbyKanye West,[17]which West defined as a term meaning "to look back and reflect upon".[18]According toBibleGateway,the title is a reference toPsalm 57:6of theBible.[19]
  • "Selah" is the name of a song by R&B/Hip-Hop artistLauryn Hill.
  • "Selah" is the title of a miniature for trio (flute, clarinet and piano) by Argentinean composerJuan Maria Solare.[20]
  • ”Selah” is the title of a 2023 album by Andres Santiago, a rock musician from Palencia, Spain

Visual arts

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Institutions named Selah

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  • The Selah Workshop of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, Galilee, Israel[23]
  • Selah: The Israel Crisis Management Center, helps "immigrants [to Israel] struggling with tragedy"[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Selah",inThe Jewish Encyclopedia.Re-accessed 28 November 2021.
  2. ^Hobbins, John F."Selah in the Psalms".
  3. ^"\'Selah\': It Appears 74 Times In The Bible But What Does It Mean?".christiantoday.25 January 2017.Retrieved2018-01-10.
  4. ^abcAlHaTorah Concordance: סלה
  5. ^De Lagarde, "Novæ Psalterii Græci Editionis Specimen" 10
  6. ^"Psalmen," p. 15, 1st ed. Göttingen, 1892
  7. ^Ewald, "Kritische Grammatik der Hebräischen Sprache," p. 554; König, "Historisch-Kritisches Lehrgebäude der Hebräischen Sprache," ii., part i., p. 539
  8. ^Brown, F., S. Driver, and C. Briggs.The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.: Peabody, MA, 2006. p. 699
  9. ^Grätz, H., "Kritischer Commentar zu den Psalmen", i. 93 ff., quoted in "Selah",Jewish Encyclopedia.Re-accessed 28 November 2021.
  10. ^B. Jacob in Stade's "Zeitschrift" xvi (1896), p. 129 ff., quoted in "Selah",Jewish Encyclopedia.Re-accessed 28 November 2021.
  11. ^Tony Warren."What Does Selah Mean".The Mountain Retreat. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-15.Retrieved2008-09-13.
  12. ^"Babylon 5 episode".
  13. ^"Clan Glossary".12 January 2012.
  14. ^Vinograd, Julia, The Book of Jerusalem, Bench Press, 1984.
  15. ^Benchley, Robert, Chips Off the Old Benchley, Harper & Row, 1949, pp. 158-64.
  16. ^VideoonYouTube[dead link]
  17. ^"JESUS IS KING / Kanye West".Tidal.RetrievedOctober 30,2019.
  18. ^Mehta, Adi (October 25, 2019)."Yeezus Turns to Jesus: Kanye West Preaches the Gospel on 'Jesus Is King' Album".Entertainment Voice.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2020.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  19. ^Dellatto, Marisa (August 29, 2019)."Kim Kardashian teases possible new Kanye West album".New York Post.Archivedfrom the original on June 29, 2020.RetrievedJuly 15,2020.
  20. ^"Juan María Solare"(PDF).p. 30.Retrieved19 June2021.
  21. ^"SANFORD BIGGERS: SELAH - Exhibitions - Marianne Boesky".marianneboeskygallery.Retrieved2018-01-10.
  22. ^Cunningham, Vinson (2018-01-08)."The Playful, Political Art of Sanford Biggers".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.Retrieved2018-01-10.
  23. ^homepage and blog
  24. ^Selah: The Israel Crisis Management Center
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