Lexicon :: Strong's H5553 - selaʿ

And Balaam looked at the Kenites and took up his [sixth] discourse (oracle) and said:

“Strong is your dwelling place,

And you set your nest in the cliff.

“He made him (Israel) ride on the high places of the earth,

And he ate the produce of the field;

And He made him suck honey from the rock,

And [olive] oil from the flinty rock,

Then the whole congregation sent word to the [surviving] sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress [on the mountain] and my rescuer;

So He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

“You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,

And brought water for them out of a rock for their thirst,

And You told them to enter and take possession of

The land that You [fn]swore to give them.

“Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock give birth [to their young]?

Do you observe the calving of the deer?

“On the cliff he dwells and remains [securely],

Upon the point of the rock and the inaccessible stronghold.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;

My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.

Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;

For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.

I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Be to me a rock of refuge and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually come;

You have given the commandment to save me,

For You are my rock and my fortress.

He brought streams also from the rock [at Rephidim and Kadesh]

And caused waters to run down like rivers.

The high mountains are for the wild goats;

The rocks are a refuge for the [fn]shephanim.

How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones

Against the rock.

Their [wicked, godless] judges are thrown down the sides of the rocky cliff,

And they [who followed them] will hear my words, for they are pleasant (just).

The [fn]shephanim are not a mighty folk,

Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

(The Bridegroom)

“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,

In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,

Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely.”

To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee]

From the terror and dread of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty,

When He arises to terrify the earth.

‘What business do you have here?

And whom do you have here,

That you have hewn out a tomb here for yourself,

You who hew a sepulcher on the height,

You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

“His rock [his stronghold] will pass away because of panic,

And his princes will be terrified at the [sight of the battle] standard,”

Declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Each [one of them] will be like a hiding place from the wind

And a shelter from the storm,

Like streams of water in a dry land,

Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched and weary land [to those who turn to them].

He will dwell on the heights,

His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks,

His bread will be given him;

His water will be permanent.

Who inflame yourselves [with lust in pagan rites] among the oaks (terebinth trees),

Under every green and leafy tree,

Who slaughter the children [in sacrifice] in the ravines

Under the clefts of the rocks?

O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?

You [have seen their faithless heart and] have stricken them,

But they did not weaken;

You have consumed them,

But they refused to take correction or instruction.

They have made their faces harder than rock;

They have refused to repent and return to You.

“Behold (listen carefully), I will send for many fishermen,” says the LORD, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the clefts of the rocks.

“You inhabitants of Moab,

Leave the cities and live among the rocks,

And be like the dove that makes her nest

In the walls of the yawning ravine.

“As for Your terror,

The pride and arrogance of your heart have deceived you,

O you who live in the clefts of the rock (Sela also called [fn]Petra),

Who hold and occupy the height of the hill.

Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s,

I will bring you down from there,” says the LORD.

“Behold, I am against you,

O destroying mountain [conqueror of nations],

Who destroys the whole earth,” declares the LORD,

“I will stretch out My hand against you,

And roll you down from the [rugged] cliffs,

And will make you a burnt mountain (extinct volcano).

“For her blood [that she has shed] remains in her midst;

She put it on the bare rock;

She did not pour it on the ground

To cover it with dust.