Say Your Alphabet


alphabet
Learn the alphabet with Psalm 119 - the Hebrew alphabet, that is. Then whenever you find you cannot sleep, don't count sheep; say the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and recite a favorite verse under each of the letters.

Psalm 119 is a wonderfully moral Psalm. It shows absolute order and the finest of detail. It is also the longest Psalm, and the longest chapter in the Bible. It contains 176 verses, 22 sections, with 8 verses for each of the sections. Psalm 119 is an acrostic, that is, each of the first 8 verses begin with ALEPH, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Likewise, each of the second 8 verses begin with BETH, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and so on until one reaches the end of the chapter. All 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are depicted in this Psalm. It is important to note that this Psalm, with the letters, will NOT work the way God designed it to work in any language other than Hebrew.

All alphabet spellings used here are from the King James Version of the Bible. Please note that although Hebrew reads from right to left, I have cited the alphabet in English order: ALEPH, BETH, GIMEL, DALETH, HE, VAU, ZAIN, CHETH, TETH, JOD, CAPH, LAMED, MEM, NUN, SAMECH, AIN, PE, TZADDI, KOPH, RESH, SCHIN, and TAU.

Though lengthy, this is a wonderful Psalm to teach to children, but they will not learn it in school, as it is against the law to teach Bible in public schools, at least in the United States. Some scholars have suggested that this Psalm is used in homeschooling to help young Jewish children learn their Hebrew Alphabet, as well as Biblical truths, all the while, developing a love for God's Word. Many Messianic Jews homeschool their children in preference to Hebrew School or a regular school system.

I always carried my third graders through Psalm 119. They enjoyed making posters to which they added their favorite verses throughout the chapter. For teachers who use a unit approach, or individualized stations, all areas of the curriculum can be covered:(Hebrew if applicable), math, language arts, reading, handwriting, social studies, science, and Bible.

The following are some favorite verses from the chapter sections which my students picked.

1 ALEPH--Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
11 BETH--Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

The copyright of the article Say Your Alphabet in Messianic Judaism is owned by Virginia Marin. Permission to republish Say Your Alphabet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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