The Hebrew Psalter contains eight psalms that have long been known to contain acrostics, in this case the first letter of each line follows the last in alphabetical order (more or less). Maloney, a biblical scholar and army chaplain, examines the first four of these psalms. He rejects the opinion of some that these poems are "wooden" or that they are in an incomplete state. He studies each of them line by line stressing the poetic structure and thematic content. Each chapter concludes with Maloney's own translation of the psalm in question. The introduction gives a summary of discussions of the poems from Philo of Alexandria to the present. This meticulous study will be best appreciated by biblical scholars, but those who believe these psalms are a key to the mythical "Bible Code" would also benefit from Maloney's erudition. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)