Selah
Pause. Listen. Think. Pray.
Selah, is a Hebrew word found primarily in the Psalms, but not exclusively.
The Psalms were written and compiled as the the Israelite nation’s hymnal.
The New American Standard Hebrew Lexicon defines Selah as to lift up, exalt.
Perhaps it is an invitation to have a musical interlude.
To me, it is an instruction to pause, quiet myself, and reflect; to think about what I just read.
Here are a few thoughts that are followed by Selah:
I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalms 3:4 (ESV)
Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah
Psalms 3:8 (ESV)
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
Psalms 4:2 (ESV)
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Psalms 4:4 (ESV)
O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
Psalms 7:3-5 (ESV)
Every word, verse, passage, story in the Bible deserves a pause. We need time and space to reflect and absorb important and sometimes obscure lessons.
I’m grateful for notations like Selah to slow me down and help keep me from glossing over verses that truly hold hidden jewels.