What is an acrostic poem? What examples of acrostic poems are in the Bible?

One of their most marked styles is an alphabetical poem. These consist of twenty-two lines or stanzas, or systems of lines, and the lines or stanzas begin with letters which follow in alphabetical order: the first A, the second B, and so on. There is doubtless a spiritual significance in these arrangements: such as intense human exercises, emotions, etc., under the working of the Spirit. And they may have assisted the memory, at least in the Psalms when they were sung. Such may be found in Ps. 25; Ps. 34; Ps. 37; Ps. 111; Ps. 112; Ps. 119; Ps. 145; Prov. 31:10-31; Lam. 1; Lam. 2; Lam. 3; Lam. 4.

You are probably aware that it is a long acrostic poem. It is a poem in 22 sections and unlike the division into verses in other parts of scripture (which in general are a convenience but not inspired), here the division into verses follows the divinely given pattern of the psalm. Each of the 22 sections has 8 verses. Within each section, the first word of every verse starts with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each section is based on a different letter.

The book consists of five chapters, each chapter being a separate poem in itself. The first four poems are alphabetical acrostics, a device of Hebrew poetry found sometimes in the Psalms: see Ps. 25, Ps. 34, Ps. 37, Ps. 111, Ps. 119, Ps. 145. Each verse in chapter 1, 2, 4, begins with a successive letter of the alphabet, as does each stanza of three verses in chap. 3. Unlike some of the alphabetical Psalms the alphabet is complete in all these poems. Twenty-two letters compose the alphabet, so twenty-two verses are found in chapters 1, 2, 4, and sixty-six in chapter 3, but, whilst the arrangement of chapter 1 corresponds to the regular order of the alphabet, in chapters 2, 3, 4, the stanza commencing with pe precedes that commencing with ain, an arrangement not met with elsewhere. The reason of this inversion of the regular order of the alphabet has not been satisfactorily accounted for. The ancient versions, LXX., Vulgate, and Targum of Jonathan, agree with the order of the Hebrew, but the Syriac in each chapter reverses it, placing 2:17, 4:17, 3:49-51 before 2:16, 4:16, 3:46-48. At an early epoch some scribe of the LXX. wrote the letters of the Hebrew alphabet at the commencement of each verse or stanza, to mark that the poems were alphabetical acrostics; but either from ignorance of the Hebrew, or from carelessness, inserted uniformly ain before the pe stanza, and pe before the ain stanza, thus misleading the reader of the Greek as to the alphabetical order in the Hebrew.

Lamentations 1 opens with a description of the city and country, consequent on the triumph of the Babylonian arms. Full of people once, now as a widow, great among the nations, princess among the provinces, this enviable position Jerusalem had occupied; now she has become tributary, her independence is gone, and her gates, never entered by the boastful king of Assyria, have been thrown down by the Chaldeans. Zion's ways, once thronged with people, are now mourning, because none come to the solemn feasts. Friendless, bereaved, desolate, how changed is her state! Besides all this the adversaries mocked at her sabbaths, or rather at the cessation of all her prosperity and glory. (Lam. 1:7.) Was not this enough to call forth the lamentation of any who loved her? Yet not without reason had all this happened. "Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, therefore is she removed." (Lam. 1:8.) This the prophet owns, nor he only, for from the words in Lam. 1:11: "See, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile." Jerusalem breaks in, and continues to speak (Lam. 1:17 excepted) to the close of the poem and chapter. She acknowledges her sin before the Lord, and what it has brought on her. Right was it for her to do this. She thus speaks of the past. But what of the future? The acknowledgment of one's guilt, and of the Lord's justice in dealing with a soul, can of itself give no hope for better times, and renewed prosperity in the future. To own one's sin, when under chastening on account of it, is simply to acknowledge the justice of God: but justifying God in His dealings with us can never illumine the heart with the brightness of hope. So throughout this chapter there is no hint of restoration to former favour and blessing, nor any relief to the monotony and heaviness of this widespread desolation. All that she can say of the future is simply this: "All mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me. Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint." (Lam. 1:21-22.) She has felt that God acts in government, and therefore can look for His dealing with the nations as He has dealt with her. But this is poor comfort certainly. She deserved it, they deserve it likewise, and this is all she here says. The punishment of her enemies was certain. Of her future blessing there is not a word.

The composition of this Psalm is therefore in the form of a perfect and regular alphabetic acrostic of 22 sections, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section is of eight verses. There are eight other acrostic Psalms:

a. Psalms 9 and 10. The alphabet runs through the two Psalms. Psalm 9 has the first half of the letters and Psalm 10 gives the remaining letters but with some omissions. The acrostic is therefore incomplete.

d. Psalm 37. This is a complete acrostic.

e. Psalms 111 and 112. These are complete acrostics.

f. Psalm 145. This is a complete acrostic but for one letter only.

There are two more examples of the acrostic device, apart from the Psalms. In the book of Proverbs, chapter 31, the twenty-two verses describing the virtuous woman all begin respectively with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (verses 10-31). Lastly, in the book of Lamentations the arrangement is similar to that of Psalm 119.

Acrostics are of interest in Scripture, as showing the condescension of God to man's ways. even in the style of composition. I know of none in the New Testament. In the Lamentations, each verse of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th chapters begins with the letters of the alphabet in their successional order. Chap 3 is in triplets; the first three verses have Aleph; the next three have Beth, and so on.

All translations should at least show the structure of scripture as inspired by God. We may be thankful that Psalm 119 is partly preserved for us thus in the Authorised Version of the Bible. Full of gladsome meaning, it is an attractive example, having 22 sets of 8 verses each; and in an ordered manner a separate letter characterizes each set of 8, in which every several verse begins with the same letter. Thus 8 verses commence with A; 8 verses with B; and so on; whilst the structure rises regularly upward, till the whole Hebrew alphabet has been used in this striking manner by the Spirit 8 times over. So constructed, in its completeness, this eightfold new-covenant Psalm shows us the way the law will be written in the heart and mind of the godly Jewish remnant; so that eventually, having been brought to own Jesus as the Christ, all sins being forgiven and forgotten, the soul sings experimentally, “The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”

I was arrested by the structure of the alphabetic psalms. Our version is here in general deficient, and with one exception, the nine psalms of this character have nothing to mark them out as such to the English reader. The hundred and nineteenth psalm is this one exception; and even here, many are not aware that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which are found at the head of each section in it, are intended to notify us of the fact that each of these letters begins the eight verses of the section which it heads. There are twenty-two letters in the alphabet, and twenty-two sections in the psalm. Thus the psalm runs through the alphabet: twenty-two sections of always eight verses each.

This is the longest and most perfect Psalm in the whole collection. It is an alphabetical acrostic. It is composed of 22 sections, each having eight verses, 176 verses in all. Each section begins with a different letter of the alphabet and each verse of the different sections begins also with the corresponding letter of the section. Eight times each letter of the alphabet is mentioned in the 22 sections. The number eight in the Word has the meaning of resurrection, death is gone and life has come. Israel has passed from death to life and now extols the Word and the Law of God. The time has come when it is fulfilled what the Lord spoke through Jeremiah concerning the new covenant, "I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts." We behold then in this Psalm the joy of Israel in knowing the Word, in praising the Word and being obedient to the Word. In each verse except verses 90 and 122 the Word is mentioned and the following terms are employed: Law, commandment, word, saying, path, way, testimonies, judgments, precepts and statutes.

The Psalms are full of this subject, the longest one in the entire collection being given to it (Ps. 119). The structure of this psalm is remarkable. Each section, as is known, of eight verses, is devoted to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in its order, each verse beginning with that letter. It is as though the perfections of the word of God were suggested in this way. The entire alphabet is used. All the possibilities of human language are exhausted in setting forth the fulness and perfection of the word of God.

Other acrostic psalms, and other portions of Scripture suggest the same precious truth.