Abstract

This article argues that Jer 14,1–15,4 provides a window into the liturgical practice of the late preexilic Judean community. It represents a prophetic liturgy on the occasion of a drought. Links between this passage and Lev 26 reveal the beginning of a trend in religious expression which would see the silencing of the classic lament form so prevalent in the Psalter and the creation of a new Gattung called Penitential Prayer evident in Ezr 9, Neh 1; 9, and Dan 9.