Sewa
The Sewa is a sign under a letter indicating that it either has no vowel, or that the vowel sign is an abbreviated one. There are two types: the silent and vocal sewa and the composite sewas.
Silent and Vocal Sewas
The silent sewa consists of two dots under a letter indicating that that letter ends a syllable and thus there is no vowel sound attributed to it other then its phonetic value (which in the case of the ו ה י ע and א there is no phonetic value/sound). Thus, in the word נַפְתּוּלים (naptûlîm) all you hear under the פ is the ph sound. The silent sewa will be preceded by one of the short vowels which are:
| בַּ | Patah – a as in bad |
| בֶּ | Seghol – e as in led |
| בִַּ | Hireq – i as in hid |
| בַֻּ | Qibbus – u as in pu |
| *בַָָּ | Qames-Hatuph – o as in most |
* This vowel sign is pronounced differently under certain, grammatical conditions.
The vocal sewa is the same two dots under a letter that either begins a syllable, or is preceded by one of the long vowels which are:
| *בָּ | Qames – ā as in fāther |
| בֵּ | Sere – ē as in obēy |
| בֵּי | Sere-yod – ê as in obêy |
| בִּי | Hireq-yod – as in Kristîne |
| בּוּ | Sureq – û as in frûit |
| בּוֹ | Full-Holem – ô as in tôe |
| בֹּ | Defective-Holem – ō as in tōe |
* This sign is pronounced differently under certain, grammatical conditions.
The sound associated with it is a short “e” sound. Thus, in the word סְנָאָה (sənā’â) you simply pronounce the ס (s) with a short “e.”
Composite Sewas
The composite sewas are shortened vowel sounds; i.e., they are vowels, but when pronounced, they are done so with a quick, abbreviated sound:
| 1. Hateph-Pathah – | בֲּ | (חֲסָדִים – hăsādîm) |
| 2. Hateph-Seghol – | בֱּ | (אֱלֹהִים – ’ĕlōhîm) |
| 3. Hateph-Qames – | בֳּ | (בִּקֳגָרִים – biqŏgārîm) |
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
