Bible Word Meanings
What does Selah mean in the Bible?
Selah is a Hebrew word found 71 times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk, and it most likely means “pause”: a musical or reflective cue to stop and consider what was just said. Its exact meaning is not certain; it may come from a root meaning “to lift up,” marking a lifted voice or an instrumental interlude. Father’s Heart Bible™ footnotes it at its first appearance: Selah is a musical or reflective marker scattered through the Psalms, likely a cue to pause and consider what was just said. Because it is a cue rather than a word to read aloud, the FHB does not print it in the running text; it records where it stands. Below: what Selah likely means, where it appears, and how to pray with it. You can read Psalm 46 free and hear it in full.
What Selah likely means
Selah (Hebrew selah) is a cue to pause. It appears at the end of a line or section in the Psalms, usually after something weighty has been said, as if to say: stop here; let that land.
Scholars are honest that its precise meaning is uncertain. The leading suggestions are a musical direction (an interlude, a lift in volume or pitch) or a liturgical cue for the congregation to respond. Either way, it marks a moment to stop and take in what our Father has said or done.
Where Selah appears
Selah appears 71 times in 39 psalms and three times in the prayer of Habakkuk 3. It often follows a confession of trust. In Psalm 3, David writes that many are saying there is no salvation for him; Selah follows, and then: “But you, my Father, are a shield around me, my glory and the one who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3).
In Psalm 46 it comes three times, after the earth quakes, after “The Father of heaven’s armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7), and at the end of the psalm.
How Father’s Heart Bible™ handles Selah
Many English Bibles print “Selah” in the text, where it can read like part of the sentence. Father’s Heart Bible™ treats it as what it is, a cue rather than a word to be read aloud. It does not appear in the running text or the narration; instead the FHB records each place it stands in the Hebrew and explains it once, in the footnote on Psalm 3:2: Selah is a musical or reflective marker scattered through the Psalms, likely a cue to pause and consider what was just said.
Selah and “be still”
The spirit of Selah is close to our Father’s own words in the same psalm: “Be still, and know that I am the Father” (Psalm 46:10). Selah is a built-in stillness. Before the psalm moves on, it gives room to know who He is.
How to pray with Selah
When you read a psalm, treat each Selah as an invitation. Stop reading. Breathe. Say back to our Father what the verse just said: “You are my shield. You are with me. You are my fortress.” Then go on.
Read Psalm 46 or Psalm 3 this way, pausing at each Selah, and the psalm becomes a conversation rather than a recital.
Selah places in Father’s Heart Bible™
Four places Selah stands, word for word in Father’s Heart Bible™ (which marks the pause rather than printing the word), with the King James wording, Selah included. Each reference links into the full chapter, free, with verse-by-verse audio in English.
Psalm 3:2
Many are saying of me, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
Familiar older wording: “Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.” (KJV)
Read & listen to Psalm 3Psalm 46:3
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its surging.
Familiar older wording: “Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” (KJV)
Read & listen to Psalm 46Psalm 46:7
The Father of heaven’s armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Familiar older wording: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (KJV)
Read & listen to Psalm 46Habakkuk 3:3
Our Father came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
Familiar older wording: “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” (KJV)
Read & listen to Habakkuk 3Frequently asked questions
What does Selah mean in the Bible?
Selah most likely means “pause”: a musical or reflective cue to stop and consider what was just said. It appears 71 times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. Its exact meaning is uncertain; it may come from a root meaning “to lift up.”
Where is Selah found in the Bible?
In 39 psalms (71 times) and in Habakkuk 3 (three times). It often follows a statement of trust, as in Psalm 3 and Psalm 46.
Should Selah be read out loud?
It is a cue rather than part of the sentence, so many readers pause instead of saying it. Father’s Heart Bible™ does not print it in the running text or the narration; it records where it stands and explains it in a footnote on Psalm 3:2.
How can I use Selah when I pray?
Treat each Selah as a moment to stop, breathe and say the verse back to our Father in your own words before reading on. It echoes “Be still, and know that I am the Father” (Psalm 46:10).
Related: what grace means, what love means, what mercy means. Read Psalm 46 or Psalm 3. For the Hebrew, see selah (Strong’s H5542) on Blue Letter Bible.
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