Original Word: סֶלַע
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cela`
Pronunciation: seh'-lah
Phonetic Spelling: (seh'-lah)
KJV: (ragged) rock, stone(-ny), strong hold
NASB: rock, cliff, cliffs, rocks, crags, crag
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to be lofty]

1. a craggy rock, literally or figuratively (a fortress)

ragged rock, stony, strong hold

From an unused root meaning to be lofty; a craggy rock, literally or figuratively (a fortress) -- (ragged) rock, stone(-ny), strong hold.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a crag, cliff
NASB Translation
cliff (4), cliffs (4), crag (2), crags (3), mountain* (1), Rock (1), rock (39), rocks (4), rocky (1), Sela (1).

I. סֶ֫לַע₆₁ noun masculine^{Judges 6:20} crag, cliff, synonym צוּר; — absolute ׳ס Judges 6:20 +, סָ֑לַע Numbers 20:10 +; construct סֶ֫לַע 1 Samuel 23:28; suffix סַלְעִי 2 Samuel 22:2 +, סַלְעוֺ Isaiah 31:9; plural סְלָעִים Isaiah 2:21 +; —

1 literally cliff, crag Judges 6:20; Isaiah 2:21; Isaiah 7:19; Amos 6:12; Numbers 20:8 (twice in verse); Numbers 20:10 (twice in verse); Numbers 20:11(compare Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:16, and contrast the צוּר of Exodus 17:6), Numbers 24:21; Deuteronomy 32:13 (not elsewhere Hexateuch), + 10 t.; ׳שֵׁן הַסּ 1 Samuel 14:4 (twice in verse) tooth of the crag, i.e. sharp crag, so Job 39:28; excavated in cliff as place of burial Isaiah 22:16; abode of wild animals, ׳יַעֲלֵיסֿ Isaiah 22:1, compare Psalm 104:18; Proverbs 30:26, of birds Job 39:28; Songs 2:14 (in figurative), compare Jeremiah 48:28, so of Edom Obadiah 3 = Jeremiah 49:16; compare (Numbers 24:21 above and) Isaiah 42:11; particular cliffs are: עֵיטָם ׳ס Judges 15:8,11 compare Judges 15:13, (הָ)רִמּוֺן ׳ס Judges 20:45,47 (twice in verse); Judges 21:13 הַמַּחְלְקוֺת ׳ס 1 Samuel 23:28 compare 1 Samuel 23:25; see also II.סֶלַע.

2 figurative, especially סַלְעִי of ׳י (only Psalms), Psalm 18:3 = 2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 31:4; Psalm 42:10; Psalm 71:3; of Assyrian god Isaiah 31:9 (probably; compare צוּר Deuteronomy 32:31,37); כָּבֵד ׳צֵל ס Isaiah 32:2 (simile of protecting care); figurative of security Psalm 40:3 (feet on cliff), מְצָדוֺת סְלָעִים מִשְׂגַּבּוֺ Isaiah 33:16; symbol of obstinacy ׳חִזְּקוּ פְנֵיהֶם מִסּ Jeremiah 5:3; ׳צְחִיחַ ס (bare cliff, literally glare of [the] cliff), in figure of openness, flagrancy Ezekiel 24:7,8, of razed city Ezekiel 26:4,14 (only here Ezekiel); in figure of fall of Babylonian Jeremiah 51:25.

Definition and Semantic Scope

סֶלַע denotes a large, conspicuous rock, cliff, or rocky height. Unlike אֶבֶן (“stone”) or צוּר (“rock” used for cutting or quarrying), סֶלַע emphasizes massiveness, verticality, and often inaccessibility. It conveys firmness, permanence, and elevation, ideas that Israel’s poets and prophets repeatedly employ in theology, worship, and national identity.

Geographic and Topographic Setting

In the arid hill country, deep wadis and sheer escarpments made סֶלַע a natural landmark. Shepherds sheltered flocks in its shade (Judges 6:2). Travelers located wells and springs at its base (Numbers 20:10–11). Its prominence explains why fortresses, shrines, and even cities (e.g., Sela/Edom) were built upon or carved into it. Thus geography made the word a ready metaphor for security.

Symbol of Divine Stability and Refuge

The Psalms and historical narratives consistently present the Lord as the true סֶלַע— immovable, elevated above danger, yet accessible for the faithful.
• “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2).
• “From the ends of the earth I call to You … lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).
• “He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).

The image assures worshipers that God’s covenant faithfulness is as enduring as the geology that frames their landscape.

Military and Political Connotations

Because high crags served as natural citadels, סֶלַע appears in battle accounts. David hid “in the strongholds of the rock” while fleeing Saul (1 Samuel 23:25,28). Edomite Sela (“Petra”) boasted of invincibility but learned that earthly rock cannot save from divine judgment (Obadiah 3–4). Isaiah taunts Moab, whose fugitives “came trembling at the fords of the Arnon” and sought shelter “in Sela” (Isaiah 16:1). The term thus underscores both tactical advantage and the Lord’s supremacy over human defenses.

Worship and Sacrifice upon the Rock

Gideon, before destroying the Baal altar, offered a burnt offering “on this rock” (Judges 6:20–24). Manoah, Samson’s father, placed his sacrifice on “the rock” and witnessed the angel’s ascent in the flame (Judges 13:19). The rock becomes both altar and testimony, unhewn by human hands, reinforcing the purity of worship ordained by God (cf. Exodus 20:25).

Prophetic and Poetic Imagery

Isaiah pairs סֶלַע with metaphors of life-giving water in desert renewal: “Water will gush from the wilderness, and streams in the Arabah. The parched ground will become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the lairs where jackals once lay, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus” (Isaiah 35:6–7). Habakkuk visualizes judgment when Babylon’s armies pile captives “like sand” and laugh “at every fortified city; they build up siege ramps to capture it” (Habakkuk 1:10), even rocky fortresses. The imagery cuts two ways: rock blesses the obedient yet offers no refuge to rebels.

Messianic Foreshadowing

In the wilderness account, Moses struck the rock (סֶלַע) and water flowed (Numbers 20:8–13). Paul interprets the rock as a type of Christ “and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). The life-giving water prefigures the spiritual refreshment supplied through Christ’s atoning work. The fidelity of the rock depicts His unchanging character; the smiting of the rock anticipates His sacrificial suffering, and the resulting water symbolizes the Spirit poured out upon believers (John 7:37–39).

Sela as a Place Name

Several texts treat סֶלַע as a proper noun:
• “Then Amaziah … captured Sela … and called it Joktheel” (2 Kings 14:7).
• “Send the tribute lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mount of the Daughter of Zion” (Isaiah 16:1).

Carved into rose-red conglomerate, Edom’s Sela (Greek Petra) controlled caravan routes between Arabia and the Levant. Its eventual downfall fulfilled oracles against Edom (Obadiah 3–4), demonstrating that even the mightiest “rock” falls under divine judgment.

New Testament Echoes

Though the Greek New Testament does not directly translate סֶלַע, the theological themes reappear:
• Jesus speaks of the wise builder who constructs upon “the rock” (Petra) guaranteeing stability against storm (Matthew 7:24–25).
• Peter confesses, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus replies, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:16–18). The play on words extends the Hebrew imagery of an enduring foundation into the ecclesial realm.
• The risen Lord is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” for those who reject Him (1 Peter 2:8, citing Isaiah 8:14).

Application for Preaching and Discipleship

1. Assurance: Believers find unshakable security in God’s covenant promises, irrespective of cultural upheaval.
2. Holiness: As Gideon and Manoah offered sacrifices on unhewn rock, worship today must remain pure, unaltered by human innovation that compromises truth.
3. Evangelism: Sela’s downfall illustrates the futility of self-reliance; the preacher calls hearers to abandon false refuges and cling to Christ the living Rock.
4. Perseverance: The wilderness rock sustained Israel until they entered the land; Christ sustains the church until glory.
5. Corporate Identity: The church, “living stones,” is built upon the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4–6). Unity and growth depend on remaining aligned to this cornerstone.

Key References

Exodus 33:21–22; Numbers 20:8–13; Deuteronomy 32:13; Judges 6:2, 20–24; Judges 13:19; 1 Samuel 23:25–28; 2 Samuel 22:2; 2 Kings 14:7; Job 39:28; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 40:2; Psalm 61:2; Psalm 78:15; Psalm 92:15; Isaiah 16:1; Isaiah 17:6; Isaiah 32:2; Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 48:21; Jeremiah 48:28; Obadiah 3–4; Habakkuk 1:10.

בְּסֶ֣לַע בַּסֶּ֔לַע בַּסֶּ֖לַע בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙ בַסֶּ֖לַע בַסֶּ֣לַע בסלע הַסְּלָעִ֑ים הַסְּלָעִ֔ים הַסְּלָעִֽים׃ הַסֶּ֔לַע הַסֶּ֖לַע הַסֶּ֗לַע הַסֶּ֛לַע הַסֶּ֣לַע הַסֶּ֤לַע הַסֶּ֥לַע הַסָּ֑לַע הַסָּֽלַע׃ הסלע הסלע׃ הסלעים הסלעים׃ וְסַלְעוֹ֙ וּבַסְּלָעִ֔ים ובסלעים וסלעו מִסֶּ֔לַע מִסֶּ֛לַע מִסָּ֑לַע מֵהַסֶּ֖לַע מהסלע מסלע סְ֝לָעִ֗ים סְלָעִ֖ים סְלָעִים֙ סֶ֖לַע סֶ֗לַע סֶ֝֗לַע סֶ֣לַע סֶ֥לַע סֶ֭לַע סֶּ֖לַע סֶֽלַע־ סַֽלְעִ֥י סַלְעִ֖י סַלְעִ֣י סַלְעִי֮ סָ֑לַע סָֽלַע׃ סלע סלע־ סלע׃ סלעי סלעים bas·se·la‘ ḇas·se·la‘ basSela bassela‘ ḇassela‘ bə·se·la‘ beSela bəsela‘ has·sā·la‘ has·se·la‘ has·sə·lā·‘îm hasSala hassāla‘ hasSela hassela‘ hassəlā‘îm hasselaIm mê·has·se·la‘ mehasSela mêhassela‘ mis·sā·la‘ mis·se·la‘ misSala missāla‘ misSela missela‘ sā·la‘ sal‘î sal·‘î Sala sāla‘ salI se·la‘ se·la‘- sə·lā·‘îm Sela sela‘ sela‘- səlā‘îm selaIm ū·ḇas·sə·lā·‘îm ūḇassəlā‘îm uvasselaIm vasSela vesalO wə·sal·‘ōw wəsal‘ōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts