Selah
39. Selah. It's a small word, but explaining it is no small task. Translators of the "Wu Jia Da Translation" often exclude it from the Bible as if this word is inappropriate. Hopefully, they reconsider whether they are on the edge of the curse mentioned in Revelation 22:19. Ancient interpreters did not explain it too much, and our translations do not elaborate on it either. However, since we see that "whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4), and "not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:18), there is ample reason to emulate the example of learned individuals and accept their encouragement to explore the mind of the Spirit, for it was the Holy Spirit who commanded it to be written and delivered it to us. Here, I would rather present to you the true face of antiquity like crystal glass than use any new composition or painting of my own to present it to you.
Selah is mentioned seventy-four times in the Bible, seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in the book of Habakkuk, which is also written in the form of a psalm; it is always placed at the end of a psalm or verse, except in four places where it serves as the sun in the midst of planets, joining the preceding words with the following ones and transmitting light to both. It had threefold use in antiquity: first, related to music; second, related to the subject it was dealing with; third, related to the instruction of the crowds or congregation gathered in the Lord's temple. The latter two may still have a place among us Christians, as they are grafted onto the trunk of Christ, from which the Jews were cut off; but we cannot rightly draw from the first one the nourishment it once had.
I. First, it is related to music. The royal choir (1 Chronicles 25:1–6; Psalm 62 heading; 1 Chronicles 16:41) learned five things from it:
1. When the choir comes to Selah, they are to pause, stop, or rest for a moment and meditate on what has been mentioned before.
2. They knew from that pause and rest that when King David prophesied to the people and praised God with loud cymbals, he was moved at that moment and taught some new doctrine. For this reason, people solemnly say that when they hear the sudden appearance of voices, they should hold their breath and listen, saying, "Listen! Look! Behold!" When David's heart is struck by the voice of the Holy Spirit, the music stops, and he examines himself in this way: "Speak, LORD, for your servant hears" (1 Samuel 3:9).
3. Selah denotes variations and changes in certain musical tones, or variations in rhythm or meaning, or branching of rhythm, or some kind of musical cessation, regardless of Hierome's concerns about it. The Septuagint often encounters Selah in the Hebrew text, translated into Greek as a change of song.
4. Selah is used to indicate to the singers that they should sing the same verse again at the marked Selah.
5. Finally, Selah instructs the singers to raise and elevate their voices, to praise God with louder instruments and voices. Selah calls them to praise God with louder strings and higher voices.
However, since the harmonious and sweet melodies of the Jews are submerged in the ruins of their magnificent temple, so far we are still unfamiliar with their musical notes, which indeed hinder our commentary on it. May this annotation satisfy readers' understanding of Selah in the aspect of "music."
II. Selah is related to the scripture itself or the subject matter the scripture deals with, which can be divided into five branches.
1. Some think Selah is just a linguistic ornament, used to embellish language with sweet emphasis, or to complete harmony with an irrelevant word to prevent a verse from stopping for lack of a footnote, but such speculation is groundless and far from the truth.
2. Selah is not only a love for language but also indicates the end of a verse, content, or entire psalm. Selah always appears at the end of an entire psalm or a certain verse, except for the following four scriptures that are not subject to this rule: Psalm 55:19, 57:3; Habakkuk 3:3, 3:9. Just as we write "finis" at the end of a book, song, or poem, Jews also write "Selah," "peace," or "amen" at the end or conclusion of any hymn or work. Today, modern Jews, following the opinion of Aben-Ezra, consider "Selah" and "amen" as synonymous terms, using them twice or three times respectively at the end of their epitaphs and prayers: like this: "Amen, Selah, Amen, Selah," this view is supported by certain psalms ending with Selah (Psalm 3:8), while several volumes of Psalms end with "amen." As you will find: the first volume ends at Psalm 41:13; the second volume ends at Psalm 72:19; the third volume ends at Psalm 89:52; the fourth volume ends at Psalm 106:48.
3. Selah is used to amplify or illustrate truth through exaggeration or example, making the truth itself and its meaning clearer and more evident, just as we might say, "That's wonderful!" or "That's amazing!" Sometimes it is expressed in intensified terms like "absurd," "intolerable," "terrible!": "God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. [Selah]" (Habakkuk 3:3). Here Selah indicates the majesty, transcendence, and great dignity with which God descends. "There are many who say of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God.' [Selah]" (Psalm 3:2). Selah, he seems to say, oh, how absurd and terrible is blasphemy, cutting off a child from the communion of the Father's grace and restricting His mercy when His hand is omnipotent to deliver all who rely on Him from danger.
4. Selah is used to proclaim the eternal nature of the truth revealed by that psalm or verse, even though perhaps this truth has only begun to be revealed to the church at that time or is more fully revealed than in previous eras. However, when it was first publicly announced, those who received or heard it were convinced. Because this is an eternal truth that will endure forever: for example, "Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! [Selah]" (Psalm 3:8). He seems to say that God has saved and will forever bless His people; this is an indisputable truth. The mercy of the Lord endures forever, and this teaching is unchanging (Psalm 136:4).
5. Selah indeed indicates that they should seriously meditate on those themes marked with Selah because these themes contain content worthy of special attention, meditation, and remembrance, or revelations related to Christ