Selah

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

There is a word that we see in the Psalms and Habakkuk that we usually simply pass over, probably because we just don’t know what it means. That word is Selah. It appears 71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk. That word is an interesting one and knowing what it means will hopefully change how you read God’s Word, especially when you see it. There is a little discrepancy in the meaning of this Hebrew word, but when we consider the possible definitions we can get an idea why God saw fit to include it in His Word.  

Some believe that the word means to weigh or measure something. It refers to the value of something or points to its importance. Others believe the translation of this word is a musical word meaning to pause. In fact, many believe that when the musician would come upon this word while singing the psalm, he would pause. It was meant to allow the singers and hearers to stop and consider what was just sung.

Both of these definitions of this word I believe are accurate. When we come across this word, we should pause and consider the weight and importance of what God’s Word just said. So often we can read through scripture and fail to ponder the weight, value, and importance of what God is wanting us to see, hear ,and savor.

I also believe that we should not only Selah when we read God’s Word but also Selah throughout the day. It is good for the soul and our walk to pause and ponder what God has already said and what He is saying to us in the moments of the day.
As Hebrews says, God’s Word is living and active and it should pierce us to our very core and change our hearts as we read and study it. Sometimes we need to just Selah on it for a while and let it soak in.