Bible Name Meaning Tool — Search Any Name (KJV)

Selah

Pronounced SEE-luh

girl

✓ In the King James Bible (spelled Sela) — Yes — Selah (spelled Sela in the King James Bible) appears in the King James Bible, including Psalm 46:3.

Meaning: "Pause; Reflect; Forever"
Origin: Hebrew

Selah appears 74 times in the Bible — 71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk. While its exact meaning is debated, it is most commonly understood as a musical or liturgical direction meaning "pause and reflect" or "lift up." As a name, Selah carries the beautiful invitation to slow down in God's presence. In a world of constant noise and hurry, Selah calls the bearer to contemplation, meditation, and worship. Some scholars connect it to the Hebrew word "salah," meaning "to weigh" or "to measure," suggesting a moment of weighing God's truth in the heart. Others derive Selah from a root meaning "forever" or "to the end," giving it an eternal quality. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) translates it as "diapsalma" — an interlude — reinforcing the idea of a sacred pause in worship. Selah has become an increasingly popular baby name, beloved for its musicality, spiritual depth, and uniquely biblical character.

Spiritual meaning

Selah invites us to pause — to stop striving and simply dwell in God's presence. In the rhythm of worship, these sacred pauses are where the deepest transformation happens.

Related verses (KJV)

"Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah."
Psalm 46:3 (KJV) →
"I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah."
Psalm 3:4 (KJV) →

Full page for Selah

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Questions about biblical name meanings

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Type the name into the search box above. The tool returns the Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, or Latin root behind the name, its literal meaning, and the King James Version passages where it appears.

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No. Many modern Christian names never appear in Scripture, and some popular 'biblical meanings' circulating online are inaccurate. Where a name is thematic rather than scriptural, we say so plainly instead of inventing a verse for it.

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