text · B0022
Megillat Eichah מגילת איכה
The lament over Yerushalayim's fall, read every Tishah b'Av. The baraita of Bava Batra calls it by its older name — Kinot, "the laments" — and gives it to Yirmiyahu together with his book and Melachim: the same prophet writes the history of the destruction, the prophecies that foretold it, and the poetry that mourns it.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- מגילת איכה
- Also known as
- Eichah, Kinot, Lamentations
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- written down by Yirmiyahu at the churban, c. 3338–3350 AM per Bava Batra 15a
- Academic
- composed in the aftermath of 586 BCE
- Duration
- ≈12 years
- Precision
- approximate
IV. What
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Structure
- Five laments; chapters 1–4 are alphabetic acrostics.
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Yirmiyahu wrote his book, and the book of Melachim, and Kinot" (ירמיה כתב ספרו וספר מלכים וקינות) — Kinot being Eichah, the baraita of Bava Batra. | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Timeline placement c. 3338–3350 AM, at and after the churban (3338 AM traditional) that the laments mourn; the span is schematic. | tradition reconstruction | ★★★☆☆ |