Acrostic Psalms

So some of these psalms that we've been reading follow an acrostic pattern, where the first letters of lines go through the Hebrew alphabet one by one. Some are imperfect, skipping letters and/or using the same letter for two or more verses while others are used for only one. Others are known as Short Acrostics, where each verset starts with a new letter, rather than using one for each whole verse or line of poetry. Then there are those like Psalm 119, which uses each letter as the beginning of eight consecutive lines, repeating much of the same text or ideas and going on for 176 verses. What could be the purpose of these acrostics? Perhaps it is a device meant to stimulate the memory and make it easier to remember for recitation or instructional purposes.

It is undoubtedly much easier to remember something that has a specific pattern, whether it be rhyme, meter, or what-have-you. The alphabetical beginnings of lines in the psalms mentioned (in the original Hebrew) would surely make them catchier and more likely to stick in the memory. This may have been the intent of the authors, or it may not have been. Either way, acrostic psalms sort of lend themselves to memorization and recitation. The acrostic sort of serves as a mnemonic, an aid to memory for children or anyone not prone to quick memorization. This is especially useful in an instructional situation, where children are to learn certain verses and repeat them when asked, much like a catechism. The repetition in particular psalms like 119 would also be quite useful in recalling the poem; for the most part, each lettered section dwells on one particular thing, repeating and rephrasing it over and over.

Such incessant repetition serves another purpose as well. The more times a person has to read or repeat the same basic idea, the more likely that person is to remember, think about, and reflect on that idea. This comes through to some extent in most of the acrostics, where just one line or possibly two is devoted to each idea; the second verset, as in most Hebrew poetry, reinforces the first. The point is inescapably driven home in a Long Acrostic such as Psalm 119, though. Eight verses, each composed of two or three versets, all saying the same thing is bound to make some sort of impression. Even the most recalcitrant child could almost not help but understand what the psalm is saying. Whether or not the author of the psalm intended this instructional advantage, however, is another matter for another time.