Bible Dictionaries
Sela

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ssee' luh) Place name meaning, “rock.” Major fortified city in Edom. The biblical references lend themselves to varying interpretations, since Sela may also be read as a common noun referring to rocky country or wilderness. Judges 1:36 refers to a border of the Amorites, though some commentators change this to Edomites (REB). Amaziah of Judah (796-767 B.C.) captured Sela and renamed it Joktheel ( 2 Kings 14:7 ). Compare 2 Chronicles 25:12 in NRSV. Isaiah's oracle against Moab calls for action from Sela, which many commentators take to be the rocky wilderness bordering Moab rather than the more distant town of Sela ( Isaiah 16:1 ). Traditionally from the earliest Greek translation on, Sela has been identified with Petra, the capital of Edom, or the nearby umm-Bayyara in the wadi Musa. More recent study has placed it at es-Sela, two and a half miles northwest of Bozrah and five miles southwest of Tafileh. Modern translations include Sela in Isaiah 42:11 , God's call to joy at the coming salvation.