Poetic Structures

Acrostic Psalms

• (one line or stanza starting with each letter of the alphabet)
• There are nine acrostic psalms: 9-10; 25; 34; 37; 111; 112; 119 and 145
• Psalm 119 is the most elaborate

Poems

“Love in the Spring” Song of Solomon 2:10-13

My love answered
to me he said

Up now
my pretty darling,
come on!

For the winter is past
the rain is gone and done with.

The blooms can be seen in the land,
    pruning/singing time is near
and the turtle-dove’s voice can be heard

In our land the fig ripens her fruit
and the vines in blossom give off scent

Up now
my pretty darling
come on!

• (translation by W.G.E. Watson in Classical Hebrew Poetry, (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984) p.368)

Examples of Inverse Parallel Structures in the Psalms

Psalm 82

• 1
  • 2
    • 3-4
      • 5
    • 6
  • 7
• 8

Psalm 86

• 1-4
  • 5-6
    • 7
      • 8-10
        • 11
      • 12-13
    • 14
  • 15
• 16-17

Psalm 92

• 1-3
  • 4-6
    • 7
      • 8
    • 9
  • 10-11
• 11-15
• Cited from http://home1.gte.net/res00j35/ss/psalms.htm

Updated 2010-05-27 by Andrew Fountain