a.
It would call attention to itself to the Hebrew reader, and it creates an imbalance.
b.
By altering the accepted structure ever so slightly, the author tells you that things are not right.
c.
The imbalance speaks of the reversal of fortune in Judah and Jerusalem.
d.
The imbalance validates the fact that the accepted order has been broken.
e.
And the imbalance aptly suggests that things are not what you expected and certainly not what should have been expected for people whose God is The Almighty Jehovah.
2.
Second, each section has different arrangements of its verses within the acrostic pattern.
a.
These changes are important for some good reasons.
b.
The changes help the author to produce a tear like presentation so he can well describe the tears of grief that came because of sin against God by the leaders and the people of the city as well.
c.
Some of the changes especially in the alphabet listing changes calls to the people the fact that as his acrostics are lacking that they themselves are made to be lacking because of their sin and God’s judgment.
3.
Third, there are changes in the pronouns and points of view. Look at a couple of the ways an acrostic is changed and used in the Lamentations.
a.
The following acrostic is from chapter 1. The first chapter of Lamentations contains 22 verses, and each verse begins with the next Hebrew letter in sequence. One might fiddle with the English translation and carry the acrostic over. It would look something like the following lines. These are more paraphrases rather that strict quotes.
Alas the city that was full of people sits alone.
Bitterly she weeps in the night and her tears are on her cheeks