# Mercha

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mercha
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mercha.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercha
> Source revision: 1349321996
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Hebrew cantillation|name_en=Mercha|name_he=מֵרְכָ֥א|smbl=֥|smpl=וַיִּרְבּ֥וּ}}
'''Mercha''' ({{langx|he|מֵרְכָא}}, also called מַאֲרִיךְ '''Maarich''' or מַאַרְכָא '''Maarcha''') is a [cantillation](/source/Hebrew_cantillation) mark commonly found in the [Torah](/source/Torah), [Haftarah](/source/Haftarah), and other books that are chanted.

Mercha is a conjunctive (''mesharet'') which precedes the following disjunctives (''mafsikim''):
*[Tifcha](/source/Tifcha)
*[Sof passuk](/source/Sof_passuk)
*[Munach Legarmeh](/source/Munach)
*[Pashta](/source/Pashta): Only when the mercha and the pashta are followed, without any syllable between them, as in {{large|הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙}} <ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.2?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he Genesis 1:2]</ref>
*[Zarka](/source/Zarka_(trope)): Same rule as the Pashta<ref>When there is a [paseq](/source/paseq) before the zarqa, the conjunctive also turn into a mercha, but it is more likely to be an other cantillation (similar as [Munach legarmeh](/source/Munach)) See [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.3.14?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he Genesis 3:14]</ref>
*[Tevir](/source/Tevir): Only if there is one syllable  or less between the mercha and the tevir, as in {{large|מַעְיָ֥ן וּב֛וֹר}} <ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.11.36?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he Leviticus 11:36]</ref>.
In some codex, when the tevir is not preceded by a darga or a mercha, and has a [meteg](/source/meteg) because of a [hateph](/source/niqqud)-vowel, the meteg is then replaced by a mercha, as in {{large|וְנָ֥תְנ֛ו}} <ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.15.38?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he Numbers 15:38]</ref>

Mercha appears in the Torah 9117 times—the second most of any trope sounds. Only [Tipcha](/source/Tipcha) occurs more often.<ref name=Price6/>

The Aramaic word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|מֵרְכָא}} translates into English as ''elongation''.

==Total occurrences==
{| class="wikitable"
!'''Book'''
!Number of appearances
|-
|[Torah](/source/Torah)
|9117<ref name=Price6>Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6</ref>
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Genesis](/source/Book_of_Genesis)
|2415<ref name=Price6/>
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Exodus](/source/Book_of_Exodus)
|1879<ref name=Price6/>
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Leviticus](/source/Book_of_Leviticus)
|1371<ref name=Price6/>
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Numbers](/source/Book_of_Numbers)
|1859<ref name=Price6/>
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[Deuteronomy](/source/Book_of_Deuteronomy)
|1595<ref name=Price6/>
|-
|[Nevi'im](/source/Nevi'im)
|7672<ref name=Price5>Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5</ref>
|-
|[Ketuvim](/source/Ketuvim)
|5235<ref name=Price5/>
|}

==Melody==

===In Etnachta group===
File:MerchaEtGroup.jpg

===In Sof Passuk group===
First appearance (before Tipcha)
File:MerchaSof1.jpg<br />
Second appearance (after Tipcha)
File:MerchaSof2.jpg

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Torah reading}}

Category:Cantillation marks

{{Hebrew-Bible-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mercha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercha) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercha?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.