†
סֶ֑לָה verb lift up (voices in
ברוך לעולם), or exalt (
לעולם י׳) (
Imperative of
סָלַל (compare
Proverbs 4:8;
Psalm 68:5;
חִגָּיוֺן סלה Psalm 9:17, see
הִגּ׳), properly
סֹ֑לָּה,
סֶ֑לֶה possibly Qr =
נֶצַה, Hexapla
σελ but compare
הֶ֑רָה Ew
554 Kö
ii. 1, 539;
Symm Theod
διάψαλμα, explanation Suidas
μέλους ἐναλλαγή; Theodoret, Hippolytus
μέλους μεταβολή (compare Hexapla
Habakkuk 3:3 μεταβολὴ δια ψάλματος; Syriac Hexapla Aq
עוניתא in 5 Psalms, Field in
Psalm 38:12);
adds
διάψαλμα e.g.
Psalm 2:2;
Psalm 34:11;
Psalm 94:15, after final editing of Hebrew Psalter; so Psalms of Solomon 17:31; 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, approximately; Aq gives
αἐί (Theod. also
Psalm 9:17 [
Psalm 9:16]); Sexta
διαπαντός (except
Psalm 20:4 [
Psalm 20:3]>
εἰς τέλος); Quinta
εἰς τοὺς αιὦνας Jerome
semper,
usually
לעלמא,
לעלמין; but
Psalm 39:6 [
Psalm 39:5]
לחיי עלמא,
Psalm 44:9 [
Psalm 44:8]
לעלמי עלמין,
Psalm 48:9 [
Psalm 48:8]
עד עלמי עלמין,
Psalm 49:14 לעלמא דאתי; uniform tradition best explained by closing contents of the Benedictions,
מהעולם ועד העולם. So Jerome classes
sela with
amen and
salom; and Jacob of Edessa in BarHebr.
Psalm 10:1 compare Christian
Amen of the people after
Gloria); — this interpretation agrees with usage: +
71 times in 39 Psalms, +
3 times Habakkuk 3 (taken from Minor Psalter
למנצח, see
נצח); it occurs at end of
Psalm 3:9 [
Psalm 3:8];
Psalm 24:10; Psalm 46:12 (omitted by
), Psalm 9:21 (
combines 9 and 10); elsewhere at close of strophe,
Psalm 3:3,
5;
4:3,
5;
7:6;
9:17;
24:6;
32:4,
5;
32:7;
39:6,
12;
46:4,
8;
47:5;
48:9;
49:13 (so read MT
Psalm 49:14 by error)
Psalm 49:16;
50:6;
52:5,
7;
54:5;
59:6,
14;
61:5;
62:5,
9;
66:4,
7;
66:15;
67:5;
68:20;
76:4,
10;
77:4,
10;
77:16;
81:8;
82:2;
83:9;
84:5,
9;
88:8,
11;
89:38,
46;
140:4,
6;
140:9;
143:6; or where citations have been made,
Psalm 44:9;
55:8;
57:7;
60:6;
67:2;
68:8,
33;
89:5;
Habakkuk 3:3,
9; or where extracts might be made for liturgical purposes,
Psalm 20:4;
21:3;
55:20;
75:4;
85:3;
87:3;
87:6;
89:49; so
Psalm 57:3 (
for MT
Psalm 57:4)
Habakkuk 3:13. — Of Psalms with
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 +
Psalm 80:8 [
] (probably 8 out of 12); apparently it came into use in time of these editors. In Diretor'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); Psalms with
סלה all (except 61, 81) name the kind of Psalm in title: 3
מִכְתָּם, 7
מַשְׂכִּיל, 10
שִׁיר, 26 (27) others
מִזְמוֺר,
Habakkuk 3 תְּפִלָּה;
ס׳ is especially frequent with
שִׁיר and
מַשְׂכִּיל, terms associated with musical rendering. It probably came into use in late Persian period in connection with Psalms 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 (see Jacob
ZAW xvi (1896), 129 f. Br
JBL 1809 EGBriggs
AM. J. Semitic Lang. Oct. 1899, 1 ff.).
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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