What Is the Gershayim Trope?
Gershayim is a disjunctive (pausal) cantillation mark used when chanting the Hebrew Bible, whose name means "double geresh." It signals a break within a verse, dividing a phrase before a stronger accent rather than connecting words together.
גֵּרְשַׁ֞יִם
Disjunctive (pausal) accentWhat it does in the verse
As a disjunctive accent, Gershayim separates words rather than joining them, creating a pause in the flow of the verse. In the common four-tier description of the accents (Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Counts), it sits at the fourth and lowest level, so its pause is a relatively minor one. Functionally it parallels the Qadma v'Azla pair: on its own, Gershayim can precede a Mahpach, a Revia group, or a Tevir group. With TropeTrainer you can hear Gershayim chanted and practice the readings where it occurs.
What the symbol looks like
Gershayim is a supralinear mark, placed above the word as a "double geresh" — two slanted oblique strokes above the letter, the doubled form of the single Geresh. It is encoded at Unicode U+059E (HEBREW ACCENT GERSHAYIM) and renders above the base letter, as in ב֞. TropeTrainer displays the glyph in context and lets you hear it chanted so you can see and practice exactly where it sits.
Good to know
Gershayim is comparatively common: it appears 510 times across the Torah (Genesis 113, Exodus 99, Leviticus 76, Numbers 114, Deuteronomy 108), plus 447 times in Nevi'im (Prophets) and 341 times in Ketuvim (Writings) within the "21 prose books" cantillation system. That makes it far more familiar to readers than rare marks like Shalshelet, which occurs just four times in the entire Torah. Its name, "double geresh," reflects its appearance as the doubled counterpart of the single Geresh trope — though the two are distinct marks with distinct Unicode points (Geresh U+059C versus Gershayim U+059E). Geresh most often combines with Kadma to form Kadma-v'Azla, whereas Gershayim stands on its own. In the Sephardic tradition the mark is known as "Shene gerishin" ("two gerishin"). Note that the cantillation Gershayim should not be confused with the modern Hebrew punctuation gershayim (U+05F4) used to mark acronyms and Hebrew numerals — a related typographic symbol, but a different character with a different purpose. With TropeTrainer you can hear Gershayim chanted aloud and practice the readings where it appears.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gershayim?
Gershayim is a disjunctive (separating) cantillation accent used in chanting the Hebrew Bible. It marks a pause within a verse and is placed above the word as a doubled geresh stroke.
What does Gershayim mean?
The Hebrew name גֵּרְשַׁיִם means "double geresh." It describes the mark's appearance: two slanted strokes above the letter, the doubled form of the single Geresh accent.
Is Gershayim a pause?
Yes. Gershayim is a disjunctive accent, meaning it separates words and creates a break in the verse rather than connecting them. In the common four-tier system of accents it is a fourth-level (lowest tier) disjunctive, so it marks a relatively minor pause.
How is Gershayim different from Geresh?
Geresh is a single stroke, while Gershayim is its doubled counterpart ("double geresh"). They are distinct marks with separate Unicode points. Geresh most often pairs with Kadma to form Kadma-v'Azla, whereas Gershayim functions on its own.
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