Talk:Selah
Add topicThe Word "Selah."—The translators of the Bible have left the Hebrew word Selah, which occurs so often in the Psalms, as they found it, and of course the English reader often asks his minister, or some learned friend, what it means. And the minister, or learned friend has most often been obliged to confess ignorance, because it is a matter in regard to which, the most learned have, by no means, been of one mind. The Targums, and most of the Jewish commentators, give to the word the meaning of eternally forever.—Rabbi Kimchi regards it as a sign to elevate the voice. The authors of the Septuagint translation appear to have regarded it as a musical or rythmical note, Herder regards it as indicating a change of tone; Matheson as a musical note, equivalent, perhaps, to the word repeat. According to Luther and others, it means silence! Gesenius explains it to mean: "Let the instruments play and the singers stop." Wocher regards it as equivalent to sursum corda,—up my soul! Sommer, after examining all the seventy-four passages in which the word occurs, recognizes in every case "an actual appeal or summons to Jehovah." They are calls for aid and prayers to be heard, expressed either with entire directness, or if not in the imperative " Hear, Jehovah!" or awake, Jehovah, and the like, still earnest addresses to God that he would remember and hear, &c. The word itself he regards as indicating a blast of trumpets by the priests. Selah, itself, he thinks an abridged expression used for Higgaion Selah,—Higgaion indicating the sound of the stringed instruments, and Selah a vigorous blast of trumpets.—Bibliotheca Sacra.
A quote from Littell's Living Age, 1854.[1]--Prosfilaes 23:34, 1 January 2011 (UTC)