Rivia
The Rivia (רְבִיעַ, [rəviaʕ]) is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts. The Aram word רְבִיעַי) has its Hebrew counter part רְבִיעִי Rivi'i, with other variant English spellings. Its meaning is 'the fourth'.[1]
| Rivia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| cantillation | |||||||
| Sof passuk | ׃ | paseq | ׀ | ||||
| etnachta | ֑ | segol | ֒ | ||||
| shalshelet | ֓ | zaqef qatan | ֔ | ||||
| zaqef gadol | ֕ | tifcha | ֖ | ||||
| rivia | ֗ | zarqa | ֘ | ||||
| pashta | ֙ | yetiv | ֚ | ||||
| tevir | ֛ | geresh | ֜ | ||||
| geresh muqdam | ֝ | gershayim | ֞ | ||||
| qarney para | ֟ | telisha gedola | ֠ | ||||
| pazer | ֡ | atnah hafukh | ֢ | ||||
| munach | ֣ | mahapakh | ֤ | ||||
| merkha | ֥ | merkha kefula | ֦ | ||||
| darga | ֧ | qadma | ֨ | ||||
| telisha qetana | ֩ | yerah ben yomo | ֪ | ||||
| ole | ֫ | illuy | ֬ | ||||
| dehi | ֭ | zinor | ֮ | ||||
Rivia is considered to have medium strength. It is stronger than a Pashta or Tevir, but weaker than a Zakef or Tipcha.[2]
The Rivia can occur either by itself, or following one or two Munachs. When there are two Munachs prior to a Rivia, 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 with fourth in printouts it is represented by a diamond-shaped mark. However in manuscripts it's just a dot.[3]
Total occurrences
| Book | Number of appearances |
|---|---|
| Torah | 2430[4] |
| Genesis | 610[4] |
| Exodus | 504[4] |
| Leviticus | 312[4] |
| Numbers | 497[4] |
| Deuteronomy | 507[4] |
| Nevi'im | 2239[5] |
| Ketuvim | 1672[5] |
Melody
The Rivia is read in a slow, downward tone, with a pause in the middle breaking upward.
References
- Buhl, Dr. Frants (2021). Wilhelm Gesenius' Hebräisches und aramäisches Handwörterbuch [Hebrew and Aram concise dictionary by Wilhelm Gesenius] (in German) (17 ed.). Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer. p. 742. ISBN 978-3-642-94264-8.
- Chanting the Hebrew Bible By Joshua R. Jacobson, page 102
- The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot ... By Marshall Portnoy, Josée Wolff, page 43
- Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6
- Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5