סֶ֫לַע

Numbers 20:8 הַסֶּ֛לַע הַסֶּ֔לַע the rock

“Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”

Here: 'The crag': a definite, visible rock face at Kadesh. It is a different word from the 'rock' (ṣûr) of Exodus 17.

Numbers 20:10 הַסָּ֑לַע הַסֶּ֣לַע the rock

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

Here: A rocky height or cliff rather than a loose stone. The definite article ('the crag') points to the one God named in verse 8.

Numbers 20:11 הַסֶּ֛לַע the rock

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.

Here: 'The crag.' This is the same rock named in vv.8 and 10, a cliff or rock face in front of which the people had been gathered. The Exodus 17 story uses a different word (tsur).

Numbers 24:21 בַּסֶּ֖לַע in the rock

Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff.

Deuteronomy 32:13 מִסֶּ֔לַע from a rock

He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,

Here: 'From a crag': a cliff or rocky outcrop. This is the first of three rock words in the line, and together they stress how hard and barren the source is.

Judges 6:20 הַסֶּ֣לַע the rock

And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.

Judges 15:8 סֶ֥לַע [the] rock of

And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.

Here: A rocky crag or cliff face, the kind of rugged hill-country rock that gave refuge to fugitives. Here it is part of a place name: 'the crag of Etam'.

Judges 15:11 סֶ֣לַע [the] rock of

In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.

Judges 15:13 הַסָּֽלַע׃ the rock

“No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

Judges 20:45 סֶ֣לַע [the] rock of

Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.

Judges 20:47 סֶ֣לַע בְּסֶ֣לַע [the] rock of, at [the] rock of

But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

Here: A rocky outcrop or cliff-face, not a loose stone. Here it is a natural stronghold that is hard to climb and probably full of caves.

Judges 21:13 בְּסֶ֣לַע [were] at [the] rock of

Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.

Here: "In/at the Crag." A sela' is a rocky height or cliff, the kind of natural stronghold fugitives held. The survivors had stayed there for four months (20:47).

1 Samuel 13:6 וּבַסְּלָעִ֔ים and in <the> cliffs

Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.

Here: Rocky cliffs and clefts, the kind of broken ground found in the deep ravines around Michmash (14:4–5).

1 Samuel 14:4 הַסֶּ֤לַע הַסֶּ֥לַע the rock

Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh.

1 Samuel 23:25 הַסֶּ֔לַע the rock

and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this, he pursued David there.

Here: With 'the', this is a particular rock outcrop or cliff the first hearers would know. There is no 'to' in the Hebrew: the bare noun marks the destination. It is very likely the place named in v. 28, 'Sela-hammahlekoth'.

2 Samuel 22:2 סַֽלְעִ֥י [is] rock my

He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

Here: 'My crag.' The word means a high rock face or cliff where a hunted person climbs out of reach. It describes height and inaccessibility more than a foundation underfoot.

1 Kings 19:11 סְלָעִים֙ rocks

Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

Here: Rock faces and cliffs, the very stone of the mountain, not loose pebbles.

2 Chronicles 25:12 הַסָּ֑לַע הַסֶּ֖לַע the cliff, <the> cliff

and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

Nehemiah 9:15 מִסֶּ֛לַע from a rock

In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.

Here: A cliff or rock face, the word used in the Meribah story of Numbers 20 (Exodus 17 uses tsur, 'rock'). The picture is water coming out of bare desert stone, which no one could make happen.

Job 39:1 סָ֑לַע rock

“Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the doe bear her fawn?

Job 39:28 סֶ֣לַע סֶ֝֗לַע a rock

He dwells on a cliff and lodges there; his stronghold is on a rocky crag.

Psalm 18:2 סַֽלְעִ֥י [is] rock my

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Here: 'My crag.' A high rock face or cliff with clefts a hunted man could climb into and hide in. The word suits David's years running from Saul in the rocky Judean wilderness.

Psalm 31:3 סַלְעִ֣י [are] rock my

For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.

Here: "My crag": a high rock face or cliff where a hunted person could climb out of reach. The point is a place to hide that cannot be reached, more than a steady foundation. It comes first in the Hebrew sentence for emphasis.

Psalm 40:2 סֶ֥לַע a rock

He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.

Here: "A crag." This is high, solid rock, the kind of cliff where people took refuge. It is the opposite of the low, liquid pit, so the move is from bottom to height and from mud to stone.

Psalm 42:9 סַלְעִי֮ rock my

I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”

Here: 'My crag': a high rock face or cliff, the kind of place where a hunted person climbs out of reach. To call God this is to name him as the speaker's refuge, which makes the following 'Why have you forgotten me?' sharper: the refuge is not giving refuge.

Psalm 71:3 סַלְעִ֖י [are] rock my

Be my rock of refuge, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

Here: 'My crag'. A sela is a steep rocky cliff or outcrop, the sort of terrain where people found refuge. It pairs with tsur earlier in the verse.

Psalm 78:16 מִסָּ֑לַע from a rock

He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

Psalm 104:18 סְ֝לָעִ֗ים crags

The high mountains are for the wild goats, the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.

Psalm 137:9 הַסָּֽלַע׃ the rock

Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Psalm 141:6 סֶ֭לַע a rock

When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Here: A high, jagged rock face, not a pebble or a stony field. Together with the verb it pictures people thrown over a cliff, a known form of execution.

Proverbs 30:26 בַסֶּ֣לַע in the rock[s]

the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

Here: "In the crag": a high, broken rock face full of cracks. Hebrew uses it for places of refuge that are hard to get to. The singular is collective: rocky cliffs as a habitat, not one particular stone.

Song of Songs 2:14 הַסֶּ֗לַע the rock

O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely.

Here: "The rock": a high rock face or crag, the natural home of the rock dove.

Isaiah 2:21 הַסְּלָעִ֑ים the cliffs

They will flee to caverns in the rocks and crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.

Isaiah 7:19 הַסְּלָעִ֑ים the rocks

And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

Isaiah 22:16 בַסֶּ֖לַע in the rock

What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?

Isaiah 31:9 וְסַלְעוֹ֙ and rock its

Their rock will pass away for fear, and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 32:2 סֶֽלַע־ a rock

Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

Here: A large rock outcrop or cliff, not a stone. The same word is used of God as 'my rock' (Ps 18:2).

Isaiah 33:16 סְלָעִ֖ים cliffs

he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.

Here: High rock faces or cliffs. 'Strongholds of crags' means fortresses made by the cliffs themselves, so they cannot be taken.

Isaiah 57:5 הַסְּלָעִֽים׃ the cliffs

who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Here: 'The crags'. Elsewhere in Scripture 'rock' (selaʿ) is a common picture of God as refuge (Ps 18:2). Here the rocky places shelter murder instead.

Jeremiah 5:3 מִסֶּ֔לַע more than rock

O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

Here: 'More than rock': the bare cliff-rock of the Judean hills. Their faces have become harder than a crag.

Jeremiah 13:4 הַסָּֽלַע׃ the rock

“Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to Perath and hide it there in a crevice of the rocks.”

Jeremiah 16:16 הַסְּלָעִֽים׃ the rocks

But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks.

Here: 'The crags': cliffs and rock faces with caves, where fugitives hid. Even there the hunters reach them.

Jeremiah 23:29 סָֽלַע׃ ס rock

“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

Here: A cliff, crag or rock face. It means bedrock and boulders, not a pebble. It stands for the hardest, most immovable thing there is, and even that splits under this word.

Jeremiah 48:28 בַּסֶּ֔לַע among the rock[s]

Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.

Jeremiah 49:16 הַסֶּ֔לַע the rock

The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

Here: 'The crag': a towering rock or cliff. It doubles as a name. Sela was a famous Edomite stronghold (2 Kgs 14:7), so the first hearers would likely catch the place name inside the word.

Jeremiah 51:25 הַסְּלָעִ֔ים the crags

“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.

Here: 'The crags'. These are high rock faces, the places of safety and strength. The mountain is pushed off its own heights.

Ezekiel 24:7 סֶ֖לַע rock

For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.

Ezekiel 24:8 סָ֑לַע rock

In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’

Ezekiel 26:4 סָֽלַע׃ rock

They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make her a bare rock.

Here: A rock face or crag. Together with the word before it: 'a bare, sun-baked rock'. This is the wordplay: Tsor, 'Rock', becomes nothing but rock.

Ezekiel 26:14 סֶ֗לַע rock

I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’

Amos 6:12 בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙ on the crag[s]

“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

Here: Bare, jagged rock: cliff faces and rocky heights. In Amos's day horses were not shod, so a galloping horse would split its hooves or fall here.

Obadiah 1:3 סֶּ֖לַע rock

The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

Here: 'Rock', a high cliff or crag. It is probably also a pun on Sela, a known Edomite stronghold (2 Kings 14:7), so 'the Rock' may be heard as a place name.