The Rock of Escape - Selah
David Coined the Nickname Selah Showing His Intimacy With The Lord
David’s psalms are littered with the word Selah. No one seems to have the definition. As I was reading 1 Samuel, I came to 1 Samuel 23:28, and it hit me that there on the page is the word “Selah” embedded in the full word “Selahammahlekoth” and that Selah must mean “The Rock of Escape” as spelled out in the NKJV, so I went along thinking that “Selah” means “The Rock” as in “The Rock Christ Jesus.” Knowing the word Selah had something to do with The Rock, was a word of wisdom from the Holy Spirit.
Many who preach the Word answer with the popular idea that “Selah” means “to consider what has been said.” While this is a reverent way to answer a question when you don’t have the answer, this idea is incorrect. I don’t speak Hebrew, I couldn’t parse the words, until today when I did some homework for this post. And I see online, better scholars than myself, however no one has really caught on to David’s usage. I’m the lucky one, it has been revealed to me and I’m going to stick with it.
Let’s Compare The Versions of 1 Samuel 23:28
King JamesVersion
“Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth,” 1 Samuel 23:28.
New King James Version
“Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place The Rock of Escape,” 1 Samuel 23:28 NKJV.
The Rock of Escape is Selahammahlekoth with the word “Selah” embedded at the beginning of it. This name is the source for the word “Selah.” But I didn’t know if the letter “h” belonged to Sela or to Hammahlekoth. I had to do some more digging.
I asked Google AI for the Hebrew word for rock and it listed four words:
You might be familiar with Ebenezer, The Rock of Our Help, 1 Samuel 7:12. The Eben is the rock that goes with you, like God goes with you to help you, Isaiah 41:13.
“I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Psalm 42:9
But I am looking for Selah, not the general word Sela.
Google AI presented the proper spelling of Hebrew words that mean “The Rock of Escape” from a website URL www.bibletraining.org
My Conclusion:
The word Selah is a conjunction of the two words Sela and Hammahlekoth and could have been written in English as “Sela’h”. David’s coined nickname for The Rock of Escape is “Selah” and it shows his intimacy with God, as he called upon the name of his friend, the Lord, his Rock of Escape, to deliver him.
1 Corinthians 10:2-4
“And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
When the gifts of the Spirit are operating like this Word of Wisdom, it’s fun to realize God is hovering and guiding and interacting. When the tears come, it means Yes and Amen.