Revia (, []) is a Hebrew cantillation, cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts.
It is commonly explained as being the Aramaic language, Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew Revi'i, meaning 'fourth' or 'quarter'., and for that reason is sometimes called Revi'i. However, this is probably a
folk etymology
Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...
: the more likely meaning in Aramaic is "crouching" or "lying", referring to its position vertically above the word.
Revia is considered to have medium strength. It is stronger than a
Pashta or
Tevir
Tevir (Hebrew: , with variant English spellings including ''T'vir'' and ''Tebir'') is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other Hebrew biblical books. It can be found independently or it can follow any number of other can ...
, but weaker than a
Zakef or
Tifcha.
Revia can occur either by itself, or following one or two
Munach
The Munach (Hebrew: , also spelled ''Munah'' or ''Munakh''), translating to English as ''"to rest,"'' is a common cantillation sound. In Sephardi and Oriental traditions it is often called Shofar holekh. It is marked with a right angle below the co ...
s. When there are two Munachs prior to a Revia, the first Munach has a long melody, and the second one is short. When there is one Munach, it is short.
Based on its translation as ''fourth'', in printed texts it is represented by a diamond-shaped mark. However in manuscripts it is just a dot.
[The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot ... By Marshall Portnoy, Josée Wolff, page 43]
Total occurrences
Melody
The Rivia is read in a slow, downward tone, with a pause in the middle breaking upward.
References
Cantillation marks
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