Abstract
The puzzling question how the prayer in Daniel 9 functions in its present literary context can best be resolved when it is realized that the text is not a plea for revelation regarding Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years before restoration from exile. The prayer results from reflection on the 'letters' of Jeremiah to the exilic community recorded in Jeremiah 29. The prayer thus functions as Daniel's attempt to fulfill requirements for restoration set out in Jeremiah 29 by seeking YHWH'S face and confessing Israel's sin now that the seventy-year period is approaching its end. This sets the stage for the angel's revelation of the extension of the prophecy to seventy 'weeks' of years.
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