Zakef Gadol
Zakef Gadol is a disjunctive (pausal) cantillation mark in the Torah that signals a stop within a verse. It is one of two versions of the Zakef trope and sits at the second level of the disjunctive hierarchy—the level traditionally called the "Kings."
זָקֵף גָּדוֹל
Disjunctive (pausal) accentWhat it does in the verse
As a disjunctive accent, Zakef Gadol separates two segments of a verse, telling the reader to pause. It performs the same second-level dividing role as its more common sibling, Zakef Katan: when that second-level division would normally fall on a single short word that has no preceding conjunctive accent, the word takes Zakef Gadol instead. Within the "Kings" tier, it ranks just below the first-level "Emperors" (sof pasuk/silluk and atnach/etnachta), and a Zakef is replaced by tifcha when it falls in the immediate neighborhood of sof pasuk or atnach. In TropeTrainer you can hear Zakef Gadol chanted and practice it inside real Torah readings.
What the symbol looks like
The symbol is a vertical line on the left with two dots, one above the other, on the right. It is written on the stressed (accented) syllable of the word it marks. Its Unicode codepoint is U+0595, HEBREW ACCENT ZAQEF GADOL (◌֕). TropeTrainer displays the glyph in context so you can see exactly where it sits on the word, lets you hear it chanted, and lets you practice the readings it appears in.
Good to know
The name combines zakef, "upright" (a reference to the mark's shape or the traditional hand signal), with gadol, "large" or "big," distinguishing it from Zakef Katan ("small Zakef"). Words that carry Zakef Gadol are generally short and lack a preceding conjunctive accent. It is a fairly common accent: per Wikipedia it appears 524 times across the Torah (Genesis 175, Exodus 99, Leviticus 56, Numbers 125, Deuteronomy 69). By comparison, its sibling Zakef Katan is one of the most frequent marks of all, occurring roughly 6,992 times in the Torah, while the famously rare Shalshelet appears only 4 times—placing Zakef Gadol comfortably in the everyday vocabulary of Torah reading rather than among the exotic accents. With TropeTrainer you can hear Zakef Gadol chanted aloud and practice the readings where it appears.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Zakef Gadol trope?
Zakef Gadol is a disjunctive (pausal) cantillation mark used in the Torah. It signals a stop within a verse and is one of two versions of the Zakef trope, sitting at the second level of the disjunctive hierarchy known as the 'Kings.'
What does Zakef Gadol mean?
The name means 'large/big upright.' Zakef comes from the Hebrew for 'upright' (referencing the mark's shape) and gadol means 'large' or 'big,' distinguishing it from the smaller Zakef Katan.
Is Zakef Gadol a pause?
Yes. Zakef Gadol is a disjunctive accent, meaning it acts as a separator that divides a verse into segments and tells the reader to pause. It performs the same second-level dividing role as Zakef Katan.
What is the difference between Zakef Gadol and Zakef Katan?
They are the two versions of the Zakef trope and share the same second-level disjunctive role. Zakef Katan is the usual form and is far more common; Zakef Gadol replaces it when the division falls on a single short word that has no preceding conjunctive accent.
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