only when they were brought together that the alphabetic confusion would have arisen! Another theory, originating with de Wette (530–32), is that the purpose of the acrostic was to convey completeness in the expression of grief. This view has been picked up and expressed differently by a number of commentators. The last word, the ultimate in confession or in lament, can only be achieved if all the letters in the Hebrew alphabet are used; and the tidiness of the acrostic serves to emphasise this.