When the vav is next to these three letters, namely ב̇מ̇ף, it should not be pronounced in this way (i.e. like bet) and it is not pointed with shewa, but rather with one point in the body of the vav, as in וּבָנָ֞ה ‘and he will build’ (Josh. 6.26, etc.), וּבֵ֣רֵאת֔וֹ ‘and you will clear it’ (Josh. 17.18), וּבָרָ֣א ‘and he will create’ (Isa. 4.5), וּבִינַ֥ת ‘and the discernment of’ (Isa. וּבַ֗ר ,( 29.14 ‘and clean’ (Job 11.4), וּפֶן ‘and lest’ (Deut. 4.9, etc.), וּפָנָ֞ה ‘and he will turn’ (Deut. 31.20, etc.), וּפ֥וּט ‘and Put’ (Gen. 10.6), וּפִֽי ‘and the mouth of’ (Exod. 39.23, etc.), וּפ֥וֹל ‘and beans’ (2 Sam. 17.28), וּפְחִ֛י ‘and breathe’ (Ezek. וּמֶ֥לֶךְ ,( 37.9 ‘and king’ (Gen. 14.2, etc.), וּמַלכוּת (cf. וּמַלְכוּתָהּ֙ ‘her royal office’ Esther 1.19), וּמֹשֵׁ֖ל ‘and the ruler’ (Gen. 45.8, etc.), וּמַקְל֖וֹ ‘and his staff’ (Hos. 4.12), וּמֵעַ֥ל ‘and from upon’ (1 Sam. 6.5, etc.), וּמָעַל ‘and he acted treacherously’ (cf. מָ֤עַל Josh. 22.20). Nothing of this category is found that is pointed or read וְמָשַׁל ,וְבָנה, or וְפוּט, because these three letters are different from the other letters in this respect. When they read them (i.e. these words), it is not pronounced bet, I mean the vav in them is not pronounced bet, as the aforementioned cases that have shewa. Rather, you read their vavs as if you are pronouncing אוּ, as if you are saying אֻפָנָה אֻמָלַךְ, אֻבָרָא, אֻבָנָה. You should read all of them in this way. You need not read with a pure ʾalef, for an ʾalef does not appear in them, but I have only compared it (to ʾalef) by way of approximation. … And if the second letter of the words has shewa, then it is always pointed and read with a point in the body of the vav and it is not read as bet, I mean with shewa, rather it is read as a pure vav, as in וּלְלֵוִ֣י ‘and regarding Levi’ (Deut. 33.8), וּשְׁמַ֥ע ‘and hear’ (Exod. 23.21, etc.), וּדְבַ֥ר ‘and the matter of’ (Num. 23.3), וּקְרָא ‘and call’ (Ruth 4.11, etc.), וּרְד֞וּ ‘and have dominion over’ (Gen. 1.28, etc.), and other cases.
