--- title: סֶלָה — lift up · The Tanakh dictionary description: סֶלָה (5542), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 74 times: lift up. BDB 1906: vb. lift up exalt. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5542.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)‎ / סֶלָה‎ # סֶלָה «סֶלָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **lift up** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 74 times · **Key:** 5542 · **BDB:** סֶ֫לָה² ### Glosses Selah (74) ### Meaning (OSHB) lift up [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5542/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. lift up exalt [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5542/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. lift up (voices in ברוך לעולם), or exalt (לעולם י׳) (Imv. of סָלַל (cf. Pr 4:8 ψ 68:5; הִגָּיוֹן סלה 9:17, v. הִגּ׳), properly סֹ֫לָּה, סֶ֫לָה poss. Qr = נֶצַח, Hexapla σελ; but cf. הֶ֫רָה Ew554 Köii 1, 539; 𝔊 Sym Theod διάψαλμα, expl. Suidas μέλους ἐναλλαγή; Theodoret Hippolytus μέλους μεταβολή (cf. Hexapla Hb 3:3 μεταβολὴ διαψάλματος; Syriac Hexapla Aq. עוניתא in 5 ψ ψ, Field in ψ 38:12); 𝔊 adds διάψαλμα, e.g. 2:2; 34:11; 94:15, after final editing of Heb. Psalter; so Psalms of Solomon 17:21; 18:10 on same principles as in MT; used therefore with full knowledge that it indicated some kind of interruption or change in the regular rendering. סלה is used in שמונה עשרה after Benedictions 3, 18, and after other early Jewish prayers, shewing knowledge, c. 100 a.d.; Aq gives ἀεί (Theod. also ψ 9:17); Sexta διαπαντός (except 20:4 εἰς τέλος); Quinta εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας; Jer. semper, 𝔗 usually לעלמא, לעלמין; but 39:6 לחיי עלמא, 44:9 לעלמי עלמין, 48:9 עד עלמי עלמין, 49:14 לעלמא דאתי; uniform tradition best expl. by closing contents of the Benedictions, מהעולם ועד העולם. So Jer. classes sela with amen and salom; and Jacob of Edessa in Bar Hebr 10:1 cp. Christian Amen of the people after Gloria);—this interpr. agrees with usage: 71 times in 39 ψψ, 3 times Hb 3 (taken from Minor Psalter למנצח, v. נצח); it occurs at end of 3:9; 24:10; 46:12 (om. 𝔊), 9:21 (𝔊 combines 9 and 10); elsewhere at close of strophe, 3:3, 5; 4:3, 5; 7:6; 9:17; 24:6; 32:4, 5, 7; 39:6, 12; 46:4, 8; 47:5; 48:9; 49:13 (so read MT v 14 by error) v 16; 50:6; 52:5, 7; 54:5; 59:6, 14; 61:5; 62:5, 9; 66:4, 7, 15; 67:5; 68:20; 76:4, 10; 77:4, 10, 16; 81:8; 82:2; 83:9; 84:5, 9; 88:8, 11; 89:38, 46; 140:4, 6, 9; 143:6; or where citations have been made, 44:9; 55:8; 57:7; 60:6; 67:2; 68:8, 33; 89:5; Hb 3:3, 9; or where extracts might be made for liturgical purposes, 20:4; 21:3; 55:20; 75:4; 85:3; 87:3, 6; 89:49; so 57:3 (𝔊 for MT v 4) Hb 3:13.—Of ψψ c. סֶלָה, 23 used in Elohistic Psalter, 28 in Director’s Psalter, 39 in final editing of Psalter. These editors found it in earlier Psalters. Davidic Psalter uses 20 of them, so few in proportion that it is not characteristic of this Psalter; but Korahite 9 (out of 12), and Asaph 7 + 80:8 \[𝔊\] (prob. 8 out of 12); appar. it came into use in time of these editors. In Director’s Psalter musical terms are added to 19 of the 28 it uses (and only to ten others, of which some could hardly use סלה); ψψ with סלה all (except 61, 81) name the kind of ψ in title: 3 מִכְתָּם, 7 מַשְׂכִּיל, 10 שִׁיר, 26 (27) others מִזְמוֹר, Hb 3 תְּפִלָּה; ס׳ is especially frequent with שִׁיר and מַשְׂכִּיל, terms associated with musical rendering. It prob. came into use in late Persian period in connexion with ψψ used with musical accompaniment in public worship, to indicate place of benedictions. It was not added by later editors to other psalms; but was revived in first century b.c., and continued in use for some time (v. JacobZAW xvi (1896), 129 f. BrJBL 1899 EG BriggsAm. J. Sem. Lang. Oct. 1899, 1 ff.). Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 74 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «סֶלָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5542/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 55:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.55.8/) הִ֭נֵּה אַרְחִ֣יק נְדֹ֑ד אָלִ֖ין בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר סֶֽלָה׃ *Word for word:* here! I.want.to.be.far.away to.flee I.want.to.lodge in the wilderness Selah *JPS 1917:* Lo, then would I wander far off, I would lodge in the wilderness. [Psalms 84:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.84.5/) אַ֭שְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י בֵיתֶ֑ךָ ע֝֗וֹד יְֽהַלְל֥וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃ *Word for word:* how.blessed! \[are.those.who\].dwell your.house your still they praise.you Selah *JPS 1917:* Happy are they that dwell in Thy house, they are ever praising Thee. - ← previous: [סָלָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5541.md) - next →: [סָלָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e1_5b8_5dc_5b8_5d4.md) - ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)