The Hebrew noun celiychah (סְלִיחָה) means forgiveness or pardon. It derives from the verb salach (H5545) and appears three times in the Old Testament. Like its verbal root, it is used exclusively in contexts of divine forgiveness — never human.
Celiychah is found in Psalm 130:4, Nehemiah 9:17, and Daniel 9:9 — all contexts of deep national or personal confession. In Psalm 130, the psalmist's confidence rests entirely on the fact that forgiveness belongs to God's very nature: "But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared." This theology anticipates the New Testament's declaration that through Christ, God extends this pardoning grace to all who call upon Him.