Selah

This peculiar word (possibly an acrostic) has been popping up in our worship services over the past few months. What does it mean?

A preliminary look into “selah” will reveal some rather benign definitions that carry little meaning. A deeper look explains why: commentators, theologians and worship leaders seem to offer a resounding “We don’t know for sure, but it might mean….” That’s not to say that the word has no meaning. Of the 74 occurrences in the Bible, the majority are found in the Psalms. A more detailed look at its usage indicates a number of possibilities, one of the most common interpretations being that “selah” signals either a pause for reflection, or a musical break or interlude to the same end. I share this interpretation of the term’s meaning.

An excerpt from the excellent blog of Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, helps make the case for this interpretation in a treatment on musical interludes in worship:

We can continue to reflect on God’s greatness and respond vocally with musical accompaniment. Many scholars think a selah in the Psalms was a time to consider what had just been said. Ps. 4:4 and 39:5 contain a selah that comes after a reflective thought, while the selah’s in Ps. 3:8 and 24:10 follow verse that are more exuberant in nature.

If you’ve attended our church for any period of time, you might have noticed that we rarely employ musical interludes in our services. Emphasis is given instead to lyrics derived primarily from Scripture itself. It’s my hope that we will all continue to seek an understanding of what we’re doing in corporate worship, so that we can more freely worship God in spirit and in truth. May He give us grace to discern the truth and wisdom found in Scripture, even in the words we struggle to understand.