vb. lift up (voices in
ברוך לעולם), or
exalt (לעולם י׳) (Imv. of
סָלַל (cf.
Proverbs 4:8 Psalms 68:5;
הִגָּיוֹן סלה Psalms 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
Habakkuk 3:3 μεταβολὴ διαψάλματος; Syriac Hexapla Aq.
עוניתא in 5 ψ ψ, Field in
Psalms 38:12); 𝔊 adds διάψαλμα, e.g.
Psalms 2:2;
Psalms 34:11;
Psalms 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
Psalms 9:17); Sexta διαπαντός (except
Psalms 20:4 εἰς τέλος); Quinta εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας; Jer.
semper, 𝔗 usually
לעלמא,
לעלמין; but
Psalms 39:6 לחיי עלמא,
Psalms 44:9 לעלמי עלמין,
Psalms 48:9 עד עלמי עלמין,
Psalms 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
Psalms 10:1 cp. Christian
Amen of the people after
Gloria);—this interpr. agrees with usage: 71 times in 39 ψψ, 3 times
Habakkuk 3 (taken from Minor Psalter
למנצח, v.
נצח); it occurs at end of
Psalms 3:9;
Psalms 24:10;
Psalms 46:12 (om. 𝔊),
Psalms 9:21 (𝔊 combines
Psalms 9:9 and
Psalms 9:10); elsewhere at close of strophe,
Psalms 3:3,
Psalms 3:5;
Psalms 4:3,
Psalms 4:5;
Psalms 7:6;
Psalms 9:17;
Psalms 24:6;
Psalms 32:4,
Psalms 32:5,
Psalms 32:7;
Psalms 39:6,
Psalms 39:12;
Psalms 46:4,
Psalms 46:8;
Psalms 47:5;
Psalms 48:9;
Psalms 49:13 (so read MT v
Psalms 49:14 by error) v
Psalms 49:16;
Psalms 50:6;
Psalms 52:5,
Psalms 52:7;
Psalms 54:5;
Psalms 59:6,
Psalms 59:14;
Psalms 61:5;
Psalms 62:5,
Psalms 62:9;
Psalms 66:4,
Psalms 66:7,
Psalms 66:15;
Psalms 67:5;
Psalms 68:20;
Psalms 76:4,
Psalms 76:10;
Psalms 77:4,
Psalms 77:10,
Psalms 77:16;
Psalms 81:8;
Psalms 82:2;
Psalms 83:9;
Psalms 84:5,
Psalms 84:9;
Psalms 88:8,
Psalms 88:11;
Psalms 89:38,
Psalms 89:46;
Psalms 140:4,
Psalms 140:6,
Psalms 140:9;
Psalms 143:6; or where citations have been made,
Psalms 44:9;
Psalms 55:8;
Psalms 57:7;
Psalms 60:6;
Psalms 67:2;
Psalms 68:8,
Psalms 68:33;
Psalms 89:5;
Habakkuk 3:3,
Habakkuk 3:9; or where extracts might be made for liturgical purposes,
Psalms 20:4;
Psalms 21:3;
Psalms 55:20;
Psalms 75:4;
Psalms 85:3;
Psalms 87:3,
Psalms 87:6;
Psalms 89:49; so
Psalms 57:3 (𝔊 for MT v
Psalms 57:4)
Habakkuk 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,
Habakkuk 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.).