vb. lift up (voices in
ברוך לעולם), or
exalt (לעולם י׳) (Imv. of
סָלַל (cf.
Mishlei 4:8 Tehillim 68:5;
הִגָּיוֹן סלה Tehillim 9:17, v.
הִגּ׳), properly
סֹ֫לָּה,
סֶ֫לָה poss. Qr =
נֶצַח, Hexapla σελ; but cf.
הֶ֫רָה Ew
554 Kö
ii 1, 539; 𝔊 Sym Theod διάψαλμα, expl. Suidas μέλους ἐναλλαγή; Theodoret Hippolytus μέλους μεταβολή (cf. Hexapla
Chavakuk 3:3 μεταβολὴ διαψάλματος; Syriac Hexapla Aq.
עוניתא in 5 ψ ψ, Field in
Tehillim 38:12); 𝔊 adds διάψαλμα, e.g.
Tehillim 2:2;
Tehillim 34:11;
Tehillim 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, shewing knowledge, c. 100 a.d.; Aq gives ἀεί (Theod. also
Tehillim 9:17); Sexta διαπαντός (except
Tehillim 20:4 εἰς τέλος); Quinta εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας; Jer.
semper, 𝔗 usually
לעלמא,
לעלמין; but
Tehillim 39:6 לחיי עלמא,
Tehillim 44:9 לעלמי עלמין,
Tehillim 48:9 עד עלמי עלמין,
Tehillim 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 Bar Hebr
Tehillim 10:1 cp. Christian
Amen of the people after
Gloria);—this interpr. agrees with usage: 71 times in 39 ψψ, 3 times
Chavakuk 3 (taken from Minor Psalter
למנצח, v.
נצח); it occurs at end of
Tehillim 3:9;
Tehillim 24:10;
Tehillim 46:12 (om. 𝔊),
Tehillim 9:21 (𝔊 combines
Tehillim 9:9 and
Tehillim 9:10); elsewhere at close of strophe,
Tehillim 3:3,
Tehillim 3:5;
Tehillim 4:3,
Tehillim 4:5;
Tehillim 7:6;
Tehillim 9:17;
Tehillim 24:6;
Tehillim 32:4,
Tehillim 32:5,
Tehillim 32:7;
Tehillim 39:6,
Tehillim 39:12;
Tehillim 46:4,
Tehillim 46:8;
Tehillim 47:5;
Tehillim 48:9;
Tehillim 49:13 (so read MT v
Tehillim 49:14 by error) v
Tehillim 49:16;
Tehillim 50:6;
Tehillim 52:5,
Tehillim 52:7;
Tehillim 54:5;
Tehillim 59:6,
Tehillim 59:14;
Tehillim 61:5;
Tehillim 62:5,
Tehillim 62:9;
Tehillim 66:4,
Tehillim 66:7,
Tehillim 66:15;
Tehillim 67:5;
Tehillim 68:20;
Tehillim 76:4,
Tehillim 76:10;
Tehillim 77:4,
Tehillim 77:10,
Tehillim 77:16;
Tehillim 81:8;
Tehillim 82:2;
Tehillim 83:9;
Tehillim 84:5,
Tehillim 84:9;
Tehillim 88:8,
Tehillim 88:11;
Tehillim 89:38,
Tehillim 89:46;
Tehillim 140:4,
Tehillim 140:6,
Tehillim 140:9;
Tehillim 143:6; or where citations have been made,
Tehillim 44:9;
Tehillim 55:8;
Tehillim 57:7;
Tehillim 60:6;
Tehillim 67:2;
Tehillim 68:8,
Tehillim 68:33;
Tehillim 89:5;
Chavakuk 3:3,
Chavakuk 3:9; or where extracts might be made for liturgical purposes,
Tehillim 20:4;
Tehillim 21:3;
Tehillim 55:20;
Tehillim 75:4;
Tehillim 85:3;
Tehillim 87:3,
Tehillim 87:6;
Tehillim 89:49; so
Tehillim 57:3 (𝔊 for MT v
Tehillim 57:4)
Chavakuk 3:13.—Of ψψ 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); ψψ with
סלה all (except 61, 81) name the kind of ψ in title: 3
מִכְתָּם, 7
מַשְׂכִּיל, 10
שִׁיר, 26 (27) others
מִזְמוֹר,
Chavakuk 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 ψψ 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
ZAW xvi (1896), 129 f. Br
JBL 1899 EG Briggs
Am. J. Sem. Lang. Oct. 1899, 1 ff.).