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Revia (Hebrew: רְבִיעַ, ) is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts.

It is commonly explained as being the Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew רְבִיעִי Revi'i, meaning 'fourth' or 'quarter'., and for that reason is sometimes called Revi'i. However, this is probably a folk etymology: 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, but weaker than a Zakef or Tifcha.

Revia can occur either by itself, or following one or two Munachs. 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.

Total occurrences

Melody

The Rivia is read in a slow, downward tone, with a pause in the middle breaking upward.

References

1. 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.
2. Lier, Gudrun, "The Revia in the Context of Decoding Masoretic Accents", Journal of Semitics, 2011, Vol 21/1, pp. 28-51.
3. Chanting the Hebrew Bible By Joshua R. Jacobson, page 102
4. The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot ... By Marshall Portnoy, Josée Wolff, page 43
5. ^ Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6
6. ^ Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5

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