Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 43:3
But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
Baruch was but a clerk or secretary to Jeremiah, so not very probable to overrule the prophet to a falsifying of his trust, and a betraying of his countrymen into the hands of their enemies; but so fond are wicked men of their lusts, that they will say any thing in justification of them, rather than deny themselves in them, and become obedient to the will of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. BaruchHe being the youngerspake out the revelations which he received from Jeremiah morevehemently. From this cause, and from their knowing that he was infavor with the Chaldeans, arose their suspicion of him. Theirperverse fickleness was astonishing. In the forty-second chapter theyacknowledged the trustworthiness of Jeremiah, of which they had forso long so many proofs; yet here they accuse him of a lie. The mindof the unregenerate man is full of deceits.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us,…. First they charge the prophet with a lie, and deny his mission from the Lord; and now to lessen the prophet’s crime they charged him with, they lay the blame on Baruch, as if he, out of ill will to them, had instigated the prophet to deliver such a message; which is not at all likely, that he should be prevailed upon by a younger person, and his secretary, to take such a step: nor can it be thought that Baruch should have any interest to serve by it; and, besides, both he and the prophet were too good men, the one to instigate, and the other to be instigated, to declare a falsehood in the name of the Lord. The end proposed, they suggest, was
for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon; either that he or the prophet might deliver them into the hands of the Chaldeans, to be put to death by them, or be carried captive; which is not at all probable, it being inconsistent with that piety and humanity which were conspicuous in them both, and with their conduct, who chose rather to abide in their own land, with this small and despicable handful of people, than to go and live in the court of Babylon, where good care would have been taken of them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They afterwards throw the blame on Baruch, who had been the Prophet’s faithful servant. As they could not find out any reason why Jeremiah should speak falsely, they turned their fury against Baruch. They did not then spare Jeremiah for honor’s sake, but as they had no reason whatever to speak evil of him, they fixed the blame on Baruch, who yet was as innocent as Jeremiah. Baruch, they said, excites thee against us Had Jeremiah so prophesied through the influence of another, yet his crime might have been at least extenuated. Now they said that he was mendacious, and brought forth nothing but impositions; but the ungodly do not regard what they say, for the devil drives them on headlong. And they charged Baruch with a very groat crime, that he wished to betray them to the Chaldeans, and then to expose them to slaughter, and to deliver them that they might be driven into exile. All this would have been the greatest cruelty.: But then if we consider what sort of man Baruch had been, and how innocently he had conducted himself, how he had endangered his life in defending the true worship of God and prophetic doctrine, there was surely no reason for loading him with so great a reproach.
But we see that God’s servants have been always exposed to extreme reproaches, even when they have exhibited the greatest integrity. If then, at this day, we hear of evil reports, after having labored to act uprightly, it ought not to appear to us a hard or a new thing to bear them with patience. We must, indeed, do what we can to stop the mouths of the malevolent and the wicked; nor ought we to give occasion, as Paul admonishes us, to the malignant. But when we have done our duty faithfully, if yet dogs bark at us, if we be loaded with many reproaches and crimes, let us learn patiently to endure them. This, then, ought to be done by us, since we see that Baruch was accused of extreme perfidy and cruelty.
What now had Baruch to do with the Chaldeans? Had he fled to them? Was he anxious to gain influence for himself? or to procure favor for himself? There was no such thing; he always followed Jeremiah wherever he went. Jeremiah had indeed obtained some favor; but this was to be attributed to the gratuitous kindness of God. Baruch, then, had got leave from the Chaldeans to remain with the Prophet; for the condition of both was the same. But yet he had not followed the Chaldeans, when his option was given to him. For when the Chaldeans offered quietness and rest to Jeremiah, Baruch might have also gone to that fertile country; but he chose to remain in the land. We hence see that he had removed from himself every suspicion, and yet he could not stop the mouths of the malevolent, but they slandered and. calumniated him. Let us then know that God’s servants prove their firmness and constancy, when they are assailed on every side by the calumnies of men, and yet are satisfied with the testimony of their own conscience, and go on in their course, and look forward to the judgment of God, and care not what men think or speak, provided God approves of them, and is their judge in heaven.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us.This was the solution which presented itself to the suspicions of the murmurers. The prophets amanuensis had become his leader, and was making use of him as a tool for the furtherance of his own designs, and those designs were to court the favour of the conqueror by delivering the remnant of the people into his hands. The warning of Jer. 45:5 may perhaps be taken as an indication that there was a certain ambition and love of eminence in Baruchs character which gave a colour to the suspicion. Baruch himself has not appeared on the scene since the days of Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:32), but it lies in the nature of the case that he would be known as advocating, like Jeremiah, the policy of submission to Nebuchadnezzar. The apocryphal Book of Baruch (Bar. 1:1) represents him as being actually at Babylon at the time of the capture of Jerusalem, and this was in itself probable enough. On this assumption Jeremiah was perhaps suspected of actually receiving instructions from the Babylonian Court through Baruch, who in Jer. 43:6 suddenly re-appears as the prophets companion. Prophet and scribe were apparently seized and carried off by force, to prevent their carrying out the schemes of which they were suspected. The remnant of Judah returned from all nations refers to the fugitives from Moab, Ammon, or Edom, mentioned in Jer. 40:11. As the emigration included all who had gathered together under the protection of Gedaliah, it must have left the lands of Judah almost entirely depopulated, and the fear of this result may well have been among the reasons that determined Jeremiahs counsels.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Baruch setteth thee on Why Baruch is given this offensive pre-eminence does not appear. He was probably a younger man than Jeremiah, and was to some extent the medium of his communications. He may thus have given offence, and may have infused into the messages something of his own ardour and zeal.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 43:3. Baruch, the son of Neriah They would not directly accuse Jeremiah of partiality towards, or confederacy with the Chaldeans, as his enemies had done formerly, chap. Jer 37:13 but they lay the blame upon Baruch, whom they knew to be an intimate companion of Jeremiah, and to have been kindly used by the Chaldeans upon his account. Houbigant renders the last clause of the verse, That he may devote us to death, or that we may be carried away.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 43:3 But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
Ver. 3. But Baruch, the son of Neriah, setteth thee on against us. ] A likely matter. What should Baruch gain by that? but malice careth not how truly or rationally it speaketh or acteth, so it may gall or kill Jeremiah and Baruch must be said to be in league together, and to collude for a common disturbance, like as the Papists say Luther and Zuinglius did; whereas they knew nothing one of another for a long time after that they began to stickle against Popery in several climates; and when they did hear of one another, they differed exceedingly, in the doctrine of the sacrament especially.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Baruch. A man of noble family (Jer 32:12) suspected here. The reason may be found in Jer 45:1-5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Baruch: Jer 43:6, Jer 36:4, Jer 36:10, Jer 36:26, Jer 45:1-3
to deliver: Jer 38:4, Psa 109:4, Mat 5:11, Mat 5:12, Luk 6:22, Luk 6:23, Luk 6:26
Reciprocal: Num 16:41 – Ye have 1Ki 22:8 – but I hate him 2Ch 18:17 – Did I not tell Psa 119:69 – proud Jer 5:12 – have belied Jer 29:27 – which Jer 32:12 – Baruch Jer 36:18 – He Jer 41:18 – for they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 43:3. Baruch was Jeremiahs secretary (Jer 32:12-14) and was a good man. There was no ground for saying that he had influenced Jeremiah in the wrong direction. But some pretext had to he used for opposing the prophet since he had previously supported him in his teaching. If a good man could be Influenced at all in tbe wrong direction, it would probably be possible to be done by the words of a friend; hence the mention of Baruch who was a trusted servant of Jeremiah.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
43:3 But Baruch the son of Neriah {e} setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
(e) Thus the wicked not only contemn and hurt the messengers of God, but slander and speak wickedly of all them that support or favour the godly.