Joshua Watts

“Selah” is a word that occurs more than 70 times in the Amplified translation of Scripture, and theologians are unsure as to its exact meaning.  There is no English synonym.  Looking at its context, though, it’s safe to draw that “selah” has some sort of musical meaning.  The Amplified Bible reiterates selah by saying, “Pause, and calmly think of that!”  Thus it probably means that there was intended a musical break or retardation, with the intention of emphasizing the lyrics.

For us at Transit, I intentionally create selah moments during worship.  Worship is a dialogue–it should not be limited to simply us expressing our praise to God, but it should include us listening for what He would say to us.  If I as worship leader keep feeding people lyrics to sing and words to say, there is no room for reflection or response to the Spirit.

So, be intentional about creating selah moments.  Have a musical interlude between songs or before repeating that chorus again, and encourage your people to listen for God and respond to His Presence.

Selah–pause and calmly think of that.
Josh