Tag Archives: Raphe

Rāphè (רָפֶה‎ i.e. weak, soft), a horizontal stroke over the letter, is the opposite of both kinds of Dageš and Mappîq, but especially of Dageš lene. In exact manuscripts every בגדכפת‎ letter has either Dageš lene or Rāphè, e.g. מֶלֶךְֿ‎ mèlĕkh, תָּפַֿר‎, שָׁתָֿה‎. In modern editions (except Ginsburg’s 1st ed.) Rāphè is used only when the absence of a Dageš or Mappîq requires to be expressly pointed out. Rāphè רָפֶה: The Sign of Softness in Hebrew Orthography Rāphè (רָפֶה, meaning “weak” or “soft”) is a diacritical mark in Biblical Hebrew orthography.… Learn Hebrew