BSN: Hebrew Acrostics

  • Psalm 119 is the most prominent example of an acrostic in the Bible. See notes on it here.
  • Other acrostic Psalms include Psalms 9-10, 25, 34, 37, 11, 112, 119, and 145.
  • Other acrostic passages include Proverbs 31:10-31; and Lamentations 1-4.
  • There are no acrostics in the New Testament, primarily because it doesn’t include a collection of poems or proverbs as in the Old Testament. That said, there are occasional lines which seem to be taken from poems, chants, songs, or hymns. Perhaps the most notable such example is Phil 2:5-11, which is called the Carmen Christi (Latin for “Hymn of Christ”). That is, Paul may have been invoking a well-known hymn in this portion of the letter rather that originating the words. Another example is 1 Tim 1:15.

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