*סֶ֫לָה vb. lift up (voices in ברוך לעולם), or exalt (לעולם י׳) (Imv. of סָלַל (cf. Pr 4:8 Ps 68:5; הִגָּיוֹן סלה 9:17, v. הִגּ׳), properly סֹ֫לָּה, סֶ֫לָה poss. Qr = נֶצַח, Hexapla σελ; but cf. הֶ֫רָה Ew⁵⁵⁴ Kö ^{1, 539}; G Sym Theod διάPsαλμα, expl. Suidas μέλους ἐναλλαγή; Theodoret Hippolytus μέλους μεταβολή (cf. Hexapla Hb 3:3 μεταβολὴ διαPsάλματος; Syriac Hexapla Aq עוניתא in 5 Ps, Field in Ps 38:12); G adds διάPsαλμα, e.g. 2:2; 34:11; 94:15, after final editing of Heb. Psalter; so Psalms of Solomon 17:21; 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, showing knowledge, c. 100 a.d.; Aq gives ἀεί (Theod also Ps 9:17); Sexta διαπαντός (except 20:4 εἰς τέλος); Quinta εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας; Jer. semper, T usually לעלמא, לעלמין; but 39:6 לחיי עלמא, 44:9 לעלמי עלמין, 48:9 עד עלמי עלמין, 49:14 לעלמא דאתי; uniform tradition best expl. by closing contents of the Benedictions, מהעולם ועד העולם. So Jer classes sela with amen and salom; and Jacob of Edessa in BarHebr 10:1 cp. Christian Amen of the people after Gloria); – this interpr. agrees with usage: 71 t. in 39 Ps, 3 t. Hb 3 (taken from Minor Psalter למנצח, v. נצח); it occurs at end of Ps 3:9; 24:10; 46:12 (om. G), 9:21 (G combines 9 and 10); elsewhere at close of strophe, 3:3, 5; 4:3, 5; 7:6; 9:17; 24:6; 32:4, 5, 7; 39:6, 12; 46:4, 8; 47:; 49:13 (so read MT v 14) v 16; 50:6; 52:5, 7; 54:5; 59:6, 14; 61:5; 62:5, 9; 66:4, 7, 15; 67:5; 68:20; 76:4, 10; 77:4, 10, 16; 81:8; 82:2; 83:9; 84:5, 9; 88:8, 11; 89:38, 46; 140:4, 6, 9; 143:6; or where citations have been made, 44:9; 55:8; 57:7; 60:6; 67:2; 68:8, 33; 89:5 Hb 3:3, 9; or where extracts might be made for liturgical purposes, 20:4; 21:3; 55:20; 75:4; 85:3; 87:3, 6; 89:49; so 57:3 (G for MT v 4) Hb 3:13. – Of Ps c. 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 + 80:8 [G] (prob. 8 out of 12); appar. it came into use in time of these editors. In Director’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); Ps with סלה all (except 61, 81) name the kind of Ps in title: 3 מִכְתָּם, 7 מַשְׂכִּיל, 10 שִׁיר, 26 (27) others מִזְמוֹר, Hb 3 תְּפִלָּה; ס׳ is especially frequent with שִׁיר and מַשְׂכִּיל, terms associated with musical rendering. It prob. came into use in late Persian period in connexion with Ps 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 (v. Jacob ^{xvi (1896), 129 f.} Br ¹⁸⁹⁹ EG Briggs ^{Oct. 1899, 1 ff.}).

This dictionary is a modified version of: F. Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford, 1906). Comments and corrections can be sent to us at: support@alhatorah.org