Sela סלע

A Web-Based Exegetical Tool for
Close Reading of the Hebrew Bible

Sela helps readers explore meaning that emerges through Hebrew syntax, word repetition, and literary structure. Readers can work in Hebrew, English, or both, while the display retains the original Hebrew word order and word count.

To support careful literary analysis, the platform makes it easy to divide texts into literary units, compare parallel lines, trace repetition, explore syntactic patterns, and record observations directly in the text. It is especially well suited for biblical Hebrew poetry, where structure and parallelism are central, but it also functions as a general tool for text-centered Hebrew exegesis.

Launch Sela

Major Features

Rows of colored text boxes with parts of biblical verses from Psalm 1, including words like "Blessed is," "does not," "stands," and "sits," laid out on a light green background.

Engage an English Text
in Hebrew Word Order

Preserving Hebrew word order and word count makes poetic parallelism, emphasis, and line correspondence visible even when working in English.

A digital screenshot of a written poem divided into three columns, labeled 'Stanza One,' 'Stanza Two,' and 'Stanza Three.' The poem reflects themes of suffering, faith, and longing, addressed to Yahweh, with some sections highlighted in yellow and blue backgrounds.

Divide the Text
into Literary Units

Organizing the passage into lines, strophes, and stanzas allows units to be compared side by side, clarifying structure and poetic development.

A color palette with a checkmark over a purple hue, overlaid on a colorful educational chart with text in Hebrew and English about singing and playing music.

Track Layered Observations
with Color Layers

Layered color markings expose poetic patterns, enabling multiple literary, structural, and lexical observations to be visually compared, even in translation.

Screenshot of a digital text editing tool displaying verses from Genesis 1 with highlighted phrases such as "And there was," "and let it," and "and there was" in blue, along with a sidebar listing related words and their frequencies.

Instantly Find
Repeated Words and Ideas

Tracing true lexical repetition in Hebrew, regardless of English translation, highlights repeated themes and key poetic structural markers within the text.

Screenshot of a digital text analysis highlighting parts of speech, including verbs, verb conjugations, and phrases from a biblical passage with various annotations and color-coded labels.

Explore Patterns
in the Hebrew Syntax

Using Hebrew grammatical data, the tool reveals recurring syntactical patterns, highlighting textual parallels and progression across poetic lines.

Excerpt from the Bible, Psalm of David, with highlighted words and phrases and a with a word analysis panel on the right, including the Hebrew word for "to go" and its meanings and grammatical details.

Access Word Parsing
and Lexical Information

Immediate access to morphology and lexicon while reading and working in the text supports precise grammatical and semantic analysis without interruption.

Highlighted Bible verses about God's judgments, enemies, wickedness, and the end of evil, with annotations and color highlights.

Annotate Observations
and Label Literary Units

Add titles and concise notes to strophes and literary units to organize observations, summarize sections, and preserve interpretive reasoning over time

A digital scripture with highlighted verses, including praise, judgment, and prophecy themes from the Book of Psalms.

See the Poem
as a Unified Whole

Step back to observe the poem’s big-picture design, structural architecture, flow of ideas, and recurring literary features that run through the work from beginning to end.

Ready to Study
the Hebrew Bible
more closely?

Launch the Web App

Sound and Read Aloud Features
Tools for exploring sound patterns in Hebrew poetry, including reading text aloud, analyzing sound distribution, and detecting phonetic wordplay.

Masoretic Accents Analysis
Expanded tools for analyzing poetic structure through accent markers, pauses, and word-count patterns across lines and strophes.

Personalized Highlight Layers
Custom highlight layers that allow users to group, label, and organize observations across different analytical dimensions.

User Experience Enhancements
Improved study modes and onboarding options, including reader-focused views and streamlined access for new users.

More Features Coming Soon…

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When new features are ready, we’ll share updates on Sela’s development.
We also occasionally reflect on the challenges and provisions encountered along the way, as this work seeks to serve God’s people faithfully.