Selah facts for kids

Selah (pronounced SEE-lah) is a mysterious word found 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. People aren't exactly sure what it means or where it came from. But there are many ideas about it!

Most people think Selah is a musical or reading instruction. It might mean "stop and listen" or "pause for music." It could also be like an underline, telling you to pay extra attention to the next part. Just don't mix it up with the Hebrew word for "rock," which sounds similar!

Where Selah Appears in the Bible

The word Selah shows up 71 times in 39 different Psalms. It also appears three times in the Book of Habakkuk. So, it's in the Bible a total of 74 times.

You'll often find Selah at the end of a verse. For example, it's at the very end of Psalms 3, 24, and 46. Sometimes, it appears in the middle of a verse, like in Psalms 55:19 or Habakkuk 3:3.

Many of the Psalms were sung with musical instruments. The Bible mentions this in several places. Interestingly, 31 of the 39 Psalms that have "To the choir-master" in their title also include the word Selah. This makes the idea of it being a musical instruction even stronger!

Selah in Different Cultures

The word Selah isn't just in the Bible. It has been used in other interesting ways too!

Selah in Rastafarian Culture

In the Rastafarian culture, the word Selah is used a lot. You might hear it at the end of spoken parts in some reggae songs. When Rastafarians say Selah, it's like saying "Amen." It helps to show how important and powerful what was just said is. The word also sounds a bit like "Selassie," which refers to Haile Selassie, an important figure in Rastafarian faith.

Selah in Popular Culture

Selah has also popped up in movies, books, and music!

Selah in Movies and TV Shows

• In the 1975 movie The Man Who Would Be King, a character named Daniel Dravot says "selah" after making important announcements.
• The TV show Babylon 5 once defined Selah as meaning "pause and consider."

Selah in Books and Writing

• The journalist Hunter S. Thompson often used Selah to end his articles and letters. He used it like the Italian word "allora," which means "so" or "then."
• Another sports writer, Furman Bisher, used to sign off his newspaper columns with "Selah" for many years.
• The word "Selah!" is used at the end of a section in a book by French writer Paul Claudel.
• It's also the very last word in the book The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.
• In a collection of poems called "The Book of Jerusalem" by Julia Vinograd, each poem is followed by "selah."

Selah in Music

• The famous band U2's lead singer, Bono, once said "Take you to church, Selah" during a performance, right before a choir began to sing.
• "Selah" is the name of a song by Kanye West from his 2019 album Jesus Is King. Kanye West said the word means "to look back and reflect upon."
• There's also a song called "Selah" by the R&B/Hip-Hop artist Lauryn Hill.

Characters Named Selah

Some authors have even named characters Selah in their books!

• In George Elliot Clarke's long poem Whylah Falls.
• In Charlaine Harris's novel Dead as a Doornail.
• In Madeleine L'Engle's novel Many Waters.

Organizations Named Selah

There are also some organizations that use the name Selah:

• The Selah Workshop in Israel helps people learn about Jewish-Christian relations.
• Selah: The Israel Crisis Management Center helps new immigrants to Israel who are going through tough times.

See also

In Spanish: Sela para niños

• Jewish prayer
• Salah (Muslim prayer)
• Selah (band)
• Selah, Washington (a US city)