Word.ws English Dictionary

selah

Syllables: se·lah/ˈsiːlə/

selah interjection: a word occurring between verses or paragraphs in parts of the Hebrew Bible, namely in Habakkuk and the Psalms; perhaps indicating a pause, either for contemplation or for clearing the throat in singing.

selah: a word occurring between verses or paragraphs in parts of the Hebrew Bible, namely in Habakkuk and...
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Interjection (1)

  1. A word occurring between verses or paragraphs in parts of the Hebrew Bible, namely in Habakkuk and the Psalms; perhaps indicating a pause, either for contemplation or for clearing the throat in singing.
    • God commeth from Theman, and the holy one from mount Paran, Selah. his glorie couereth the heauens, and the earth is full of his prayse.1568, Matthew Parker, The holie. Bible. Conteynyng the Olde Testament and the Newe [The Bishops' Bible], London: Imprinted at London in povvles Churchyarde by Richarde Iugge, printer to the Queenes...
    • LORD, how are they increased that trouble mee: many are they that riſe vp againſt me. / Many there bee which ſay of my ſoule, There is no helpe for him in God. Selah. / But thou, O LORD, art a ſheild for me; my glory, and the lifter vp of mine head. / I cryed vnto the LORD with my voice, and he...1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 3:1–4

Noun

selah (plural selahs)

  1. A pause or rest of a contemplative nature.
    • At times, we too, need to experience a "Selah" in our lives, a time when we pause and rest. To be still and rest is good therapy for today's fast pace of living. The heart strings may be taut, even on the verge of snapping. Suddenly, God inserts a "Selah," a rest, that we might pause and calmly...1981, Millie Stamm, Be Still and Know, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, →ISBN, page 14
    • Unless the musicians themselves develop a prophetic lifestyle, the selah will be only an irritating piece of ritual. But if the musicians have an ear to hear, a selah will be a highly creative interlude that opens the door for the Holy Spirit to take the church into a higher level of inspiration.2003, Stan Smith, Prophetic Song: Gateway to Glory, [s.l.]: Xulon Press, →ISBN, page 142

Interjection (2) capitalized: Selah

  1. Alternative letter-case form of selah.

Proper noun (1) capitalized: Selah

Selah

  1. A female given name from Hebrew derived from the Biblical interjection (possibly mistaken for a name).

Proper noun (2) capitalized: Selah

Selah

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of Sela.

Examples of selah in a sentence

  • Selah. / But thou, O LORD, art a ſheild for me; my glory, and the lifter vp of mine head. / I cryed vnto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of holy hill.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 3:1–4:
  • […] Ps[alm] xlvi has three Selahs (vs. 3, 7, 11,) and likewise a repetition in vs. 7, 11, which, as we have already fully illustrated, Selah greatly intensifies.1863 December 4, “Art. III. – The Meaning and Use of סֶלָה (Selah.)”, Robert J[efferson] Breckinridge [et al.], editors, The Danville...
  • Students of Selah have been puzzled because in the psalms, which Mishna ascribes to each day of the week for the daily sacrifice, the desired number of Selahs is not to be found.1968, Rembert Sorg, Habaqquq III and Selah, Fifield, Wis.: King of Martyrs Priory, →OCLC, page 33:
  • At times, we too, need to experience a "Selah" in our lives, a time when we pause and rest.1981, Millie Stamm, Be Still and Know, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, →ISBN, page 14:

Forms of selah

pluralselahs
alternative formSelah

Origin of selah

From Biblical Hebrew סֶלָה (sélā), of unknown origin.

Biblical Hebrew סֶלָה (selāh); according to some scholars, from סָלָה (salah, “to hang”, implying “to weigh”, “to measure”).

Biblical Hebrew סֶּלַע (Sela‛, “rock”); compare Arabic السلع (as-Sala‛).

Questions about selah

What does selah mean?
Selah means a word occurring between verses or paragraphs in parts of the Hebrew Bible, namely in Habakkuk and the Psalms; perhaps indicating a pause, either for contemplation or for clearing the throat in singing.
How do you use selah in a sentence?
Selah. / But thou, O LORD, art a ſheild for me; my glory, and the lifter vp of mine head. / I cryed vnto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of holy hill.
What part of speech is selah?
Selah can be an interjection, a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce selah?
Selah is pronounced /ˈsiːlə/.

Words near selah in the dictionary

  1. selaginella
  2. selaginellaceous
  3. selaginellas
  4. selaginellin
  5. selaginellins
  6. selah
  7. selahs
  8. selamatan
  9. selamatans
  10. selamectin
  11. selametan

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: selah (page history and authors); Selah (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-selah.wav.

Cite this entry: “selah.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/selah. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.