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Alphabet poems

Also called Acrostics, Acrostic psalms.

Poems that run through the Hebrew alphabet, each verse or group of verses beginning with the next of its twenty-two letters.

An alphabet poem, or acrostic, is a discipline and a promise of completeness: the poet says everything, from aleph to tav. Psalm 119 gives each letter eight verses, 176 in all; Lamentations gives each one verse, or three in chapter 3, and then in chapter 5 keeps the twenty-two verses but lets the alphabet go. The poem of the capable wife closes Proverbs the same way. The small irregularities are part of the record: chapters 2 to 4 of Lamentations put pe before ayin, Psalm 145 has no verse for nun, and Psalms 25 and 34 both skip a letter and end on an extra pe. English cannot carry any of it, which is why these poems are easy to read without knowing they are built this way.

Each alphabet poem, letter by letter
after ת תtav שshin רresh קqof צtsade פpe עayin סsamekh נnun מmem לlamed כkaf יyod טtet חhet זzayin וvav הhe דdalet גgimel בbet אaleph
Lamentations 1one verse a letter ת22 ש21 ר20 ק19 צ18 פ17 ע16 ס15 נ14 מ13 ל12 כ11 י10 ט9 ח8 ז7 ו6 ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1
Lamentations 2פ before ע ת22 ש21 ר20 ק19 צ18 פ16 ע17 ס15 נ14 מ13 ל12 כ11 י10 ט9 ח8 ז7 ו6 ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1
Lamentations 3three verses a letter; פ before ע ת64–66 ש61–63 ר58–60 ק55–57 צ52–54 פ46–48 ע49–51 ס43–45 נ40–42 מ37–39 ל34–36 כ31–33 י28–30 ט25–27 ח22–24 ז19–21 ו16–18 ה13–15 ד10–12 ג7–9 ב4–6 א1–3
Lamentations 4פ before ע ת22 ש21 ר20 ק19 צ18 פ16 ע17 ס15 נ14 מ13 ל12 כ11 י10 ט9 ח8 ז7 ו6 ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1
Lamentations 522 verses, no alphabet
Psalm 119eight verses a letter ת169–176 ש161–168 ר153–160 ק145–152 צ137–144 פ129–136 ע121–128 ס113–120 נ105–112 מ97–104 ל89–96 כ81–88 י73–80 ט65–72 ח57–64 ז49–56 ו41–48 ה33–40 ד25–32 ג17–24 ב9–16 א1–8
Proverbs 31:10–31one verse a letter ת31 ש30 ר29 ק28 צ27 פ26 ע25 ס24 נ23 מ22 ל21 כ20 י19 ט18 ח17 ז16 ו15 ה14 ד13 ג12 ב11 א10
Psalm 145no נ ת21 ש20 ר19 ק18 צ17 פ16 ע15 ס14 no nun מ13 ל12 כ11 י10 ט9 ח8 ז7 ו6 ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1
Psalm 34no ו; an extra פ to close פ22 ת21 ש20 ר19 ק18 צ17 פ16 ע15 ס14 נ13 מ12 ל11 כ10 י9 ט8 ח7 ז6 no vav ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1
Psalm 25no ו or ק; an extra פ to close פ22 ת21 ש20 ר18–19 no qof צ17 פ16 ע15 ס14 נ13 מ12 ל11 כ10 י9 ט8 ח7 ז6 no vav ה5 ד4 ג3 ב2 א1

Read from the first Hebrew word of each verse, after the psalm headings, in the site’s Hebrew text; the alphabet runs right to left. In Psalm 25 the ב is the second word of verse 2. Psalms 111 and 112 are alphabet poems too, but by half-lines, which verse numbers cannot show; so is part of Nahum 1.

Not a word scripture uses. A form, not a word the text uses. The poems are found by their first letters in Hebrew; "acrostic" is a later Greek name for them.

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