What were some characteristics of Hebrew poetry?

Answer 1

Many of the psalms, other biblical poems and piyyutim (Medieval liturgical poems) are written as acrostics. Alphabetical acrostics are particularly common, but some piyyutim have the author's name embedded in the acrostic. Another common structure, particularly in the psalms, is an antiphonal structure where the second half of each verse is the antiphon to the first half. Yehuda Halevi, writing in the 12th century, noted that the psalms were free verse, not bound by the tyranny of rhyme and meter.

Answer 2

Hebrew poetry often featured parallelism, where ideas are repeated with variations for emphasis. It also frequently included imagery, symbolism, and metaphors to convey deeper meanings. Additionally, Hebrew poetry often used acrostics, where the first letters of each line or stanza spell out a word or message.