Shigionoth and Selah

Question

When I research “Selah” and “Shigionoth” I get unknown meanings and guesses.

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Some commentaries maintain that the word “Selah” has no translation but is a word used to control the lyrical meter and allow the preceding words to flow correctly. The proof for this is that the word appears only in the “poetic” Book of Psalms and one “Psalm-like” chapter in Chavakuk. The Ibn Ezra translates “Selah” as “truth” or “so it is.”(See Psalms 3:3, Targum, Ibn Ezra.)

    As a rule, Shigionot means “nonsense,” especially in modern usage.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team