Baruch
BARUCH
1. The son of Neriah, of a distinguished family in the tribe of Judah. He was the faithful friend of Jeremiah. About 605 B. C. he wrote down, from the lips of Jeremiah, all the divine messages to that prophet, and subsequently read them to the people, and again to certain princes. These last took the book, and soon made known its contents to king Jehoiakim, who impiously destroyed it. Baruch wrote it down a second time as before, with some additions, Jer 36:1- 32.He is supposed by some to have accompanied his brother Seraiah to Babylon, with the predictions of Jeremiah respecting that city, Jer 51:59-64 . He afterwards shared the persecution of the prophet, was imprisoned with him, and forced to go to Egypt with the rebellious Jews, Jer 43:1-13 . After the death of Jeremiah, the rabbins say, he returned to Babylon. An apocryphal book is ascribed to him.2. Another Baruch is mentioned among the friends of Nehemiah, Neh 3:20 10:6 11:5.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Baruch
(Hebrew: blessed)
Prophet of the Old Testament, disciple of Jeremias, and author of the Book of Baruch . He lived during the days of the decline and fall of the Kingdom of Juda, and, like Jeremias, was desolated at the prospect of the subjugation of Juda by Babylon. He was forced into the office of prophesying failure upon the dismal statesmanship of the kings of Juda. He warned them against provoking a foe whom they could not withstand; and, when they had fallen into captivity with the best of their people, he warned the remnant to cease arousing Babylon and place their trust in God. He continued consistently to bear witness against the melancholy unfaithfulness of the Jews and to point to the day when Jerusalem , purged by penitence, should rise from her desolation and reclaim her scattered children.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Baruch
(Hebrew Barûkh, blessed, Benedict; Sept. Barouch).
The disciple of Jeremiah, and the traditional author of the deuto-canonical book, which bears his name. He was the son of Nerias (Jeremiah 32:12, 32:16; 36:4, 8, 32; Baruch 1:1), and most probably the brother of Saraias, chief chamberlain to King Sedecias (Jeremiah 32:12; 51:59; Baruch 1:1). After the temple of Jerusalem had been plundered by Nebuchadnezzar (599 B.C.), he wrote under the dictation of Jeremiah the oracle of that great prophet, foretelling the return of the Babylonians, and read them at the risk of his life in the hearing of the Jewish people. He wrote also the second and enlarged edition of the prophecies of Jeremiah after the first had been burned by the infuriated king, Joachim (Jer. 36). Throughout his life he remained true to the teachings and ideals of the great prophet, although he seems at times to have given way to feelings of despondence, and perhaps even of personal ambition (cf. Jer. 45). He was with Jeremiah during the last siege of Jerusalem and witnessed the purchase by the prophet of his ancestral estate in Anathoth (Jer. 32). After the fall of the Holy City and the ruin of the Temple (588 B. C.), Baruch lived probably for some time with Jeremiah at Masphath. His enemies accused him of having prompted the prophet to advise the Jews to remain in Juda, instead of going down into Egypt (Jer. 43), where, according to a Hebrew tradition preserved by St. Jerome (In Isaiah 30:6, 7), both died before Nebuchadnezzar invaded that country. This tradition, however, conflicts with the data found in the opening chapter of the Prophecy of Baruch, wherein we are told of Baruch writing his book in Babylonia, reading it publicly in the fifth year after the burning of the Holy City, and apparently being sent to Jerusalem by the Jewish captives with sacred vessels and gifts destined to the sacrificial service in Yahweh’s Temple. It conflicts likewise with various traditions, both Jewish and Christian, which perhaps contains some particles of truth, but which do not allow us to determine the date, pace, or manner of Baruch’s death, with anything like probability.
In the Catholic Bible “the Prophecy of Baruch” is made up of six chapters, the last of which bears the special title of an “epistle of Jeremiah”, and does not belong to the book proper. The Prophecy opens with an historical introduction (1:1-14), stating first (1-2) that the book was written by Baruch at Babylon in the fifth year after Jerusalem had been burned by the Chaldeans, and next (verses 3-14) that it was read in an assembly of King Jechonias and other Babylonian exiles upon whom it produced the most beneficial effects. The first section in the body of the book (1:15; 3:8) contains a twofold confession of the sins which led to the exile (1:15-2:5; 2:6-13), together with a prayer that God may at length forgive His people (2:14; 3:8). While the foregoing section has much in common with the Book of Daniel (Dan. 9:4-19), Baruch’s second section (3:9; 4:4) closely resembles passages in Job 28, 38. It is a beautiful panegyric of that Divine Wisdom which is nowhere found except in the Law given to Israel; only in the guise of the Law has Wisdom appeared on the earth and become accessible to man; let, therefore, Israel prove faithful again to the Law. The last section of the Book of Baruch extends from 4:5 to 5:9. It is made of up four odes, each beginning with the expression, “Take courage” (4:5, 21, 27, 30), and of a psalm closely connected with the eleventh of the apocryphal Psalms of Solomon (4:36; 5:9). Chapter 6 contains as an appendix to the whole book “The Epistle of Jeremiah”, sent by that prophet “to them that were to be led away captive into Babylon” by Nebuchadnezzar. Because of their sins they were to be removed to Babylon and to remain there “for a long time, even to seven generations”. In that heathen city they would witness the gorgeous worship paid to “gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of wood”, but should not conform to it. All such gods, it is argued in various ways, are powerless and perishable works of man’s hands; they can do neither harm nor good; so that they are not gods at all.
It is certain that this sixth chapter of Baruch is truly distinct from the rest of the work. Not only its special title, “The Epistle of Jeremiah”, but also its style and contents clearly prove that it is a writing wholly independent of the Prophecy of Baruch. Again, while some Greek manuscripts that have Baruch have not the “Epistle”, others, among the best, have it separate from the Book of Baruch and immediately before the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The fact that the sixth chapter of Baruch bears the title, “The Epistle of Jeremiah”, has been, and is still in the eyes of many, a decisive reason for holding the time-honoured view that the great prophet is its author. It is also urged that the vivid and accurate description of the splendid, but infamous, worship of the Babylonian gods in Baruch, vi, makes for the traditional authorship, since Jer. 13:5, 6, probably speaks of the twofold journey of Jeremiah to the Euphrates. Finally it is affirmed that a certain number of Hebraisms can be traced back to a Hebrew original point in the same direction. Over against this traditional view, most contemporary critics argue that the Greek style of Baruch, vi, proves that it was originally written not in Hebrew, but in Greek, and that consequently Jeremiah is not the author of the Epistle ascribed to him. For this and for other reasons suggested by the study of the contents of Baruch, vi, they think that St. Jerome was decidedly correct when he called this writing pseudepigraphos, that is, inscribed with a false name. However this may be, an important study of the Canon of Holy Writ proves that, despite the assertions of Protestants to the contrary, Baruch 6 has always been recognized by the Church as an inspired work.
With regard to the original language of the Book of Baruch proper (chaps. 1-5), a variety of opinions prevail among contemporary scholars. Naturally enough, those who simply abide by the title which ascribes the Book to Baruch, admit that the whole work was originally written in Hebrew. On the contrary, most of those who question or reject the correctness of that title think that this writing was totally, or at least partially, composed in Greek. It is indeed true that the Greek literary features of the various sections do not point back with equal force to a Hebrew original. Yet, it can hardly be doubted that the whole of Baruch proper in its extant Greek form looks like a translation. The linguistic evidence is also confirmed by the following considerations:
It is highly probable that Theodotion (end of the second century of our era) translated the Book of Baruch from a Hebrew original. There are some marginal notes of the Syro-Hexaplar text stating that a few words in the Greek “are not found in the Hebrew”. Baruch 1:14 says that the book was meant to be read publicly in the Temple; hence it must have been composed in Hebrew for that purpose.
Besides this unity as regards its original language, Baruch presents a certain unity in point of subject-matter, so that most of those who maintain that the whole work was primitively written in Hebrew admit also its unity of composition. There are, however, in the Book of Baruch many traces of the compilatory process whereby its various parts were apparently brought together. The difference in literary form between 1-3:8, on the one hand and 3:9-5, is very great indeed, and, taken together with the abrupt manner in which the panegyric on Wisdom is introduced at 3:9, suggests a difference with respect to origin. The two confessions of the sins which led to the exile in 1:15; 3:8, are put side by side without any natural transition. The literary differences between 3:9-4:4, and 4:5-5:9, are considerable, and the beginning of the third section at 4:5, is no less abrupt than that of the second at 3:9. Again, the historical introduction seems to have been composed as a preface to only 1:15-2:5. In view of these and other such facts, contemporary critics generally think that the work is the outcome of a compilatory process, and that its unity is due to the final editor, who put together the various documents which obviously bore upon the exile. Such a literary method of composition does not necessarily conflict with the traditional authorship of the Book of Baruch. Many of the sacred writers of the Bible were compilers, and Baruch may, and, according to the Catholic scholars who admit the compilatory character of the work inscribed to him, must, be numbered among them. The grounds of Catholics for this view are chiefly three:
The book is ascribed to Baruch by its title; it has always been regarded as Baruch’s work by tradition; its contents present nothing than would be later than Baruch’s time, or that should be regarded as foreign to the style and manner of that faithful disciple and secretary of Jeremiah.
Over against this view, non-Catholics argue:
That its ultimate basis is simply the title of the book; that this title itself is not in harmony with the historical and literary contents of the work; and that those contents, when impartially examined, point to a much later compiler than Baruch; in fact some of them go so far as to ascribe the composition of the book to a writer living after A.D. 70.
Catholics easily disprove this last date for the Book of Baruch; but they do not so easily dispose of the serious difficulties that have been raised against their own ascription of the whole work to Baruch. Their answers are considered sufficient by Catholic scholars generally. Should anyone, however, judge them inadequate, and therefore consider the Book of Baruch as the work of a later editor, the inspired character of the book would still remain, provided this later editor himself be regarded as inspired in his work of compilation. That the Book of Baruch is “a sacred and canonical” writing has been defined by the Council of Trent; that it has just as much right to be held “inspired of God” as any other book of Holy Writ can readily be shown by a close study of the Canon of the Bible. Its Latin rendering in our Vulgate goes back to the old Latin version anterior to St. Jerome, and is tolerably literal from the Greek text.
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FRANCES E. GIGOT Transcribed by Janet Grayson
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Baruch
(Heb. Baruk’, , blessed; Sept. , Josephus ), the name of three men.
1. The faithful friend of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 32:12; Jer 36:4 sq.) was of a noble family of the tribe of Judah (Jer 51:59; Bar 1:1; Joseph. Ant. 10:6, 2; 9, 1), and generally considered to be the brother of the prophet Seraiah, both being represented as sons of Neriah; and to Baruch the prophet Jeremiah dictated all his oracles. SEE JEREMIAH.
In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiachim, king of Judah (B.C. 605), Baruch was directed to write all the prophecies delivered by Jeremiah up to that period, and to read them to the people, which he did from a window in the Temple upon two solemn occasions (Jeremiah 36). He afterward read them before the counsellors of the king at a private interview, when Baruch, being asked to give an account of the manner in which the prophecy had been composed, gave an exact description of the mode in which he had taken it down from the prophet’s dictation. Upon this they ordered him to leave the roll, advising that he and Jeremiah should conceal themselves. They then informed the king of what had taken place, upon which he had the roll read to him; but, after hearing a part of it, he cut it with a penknife, and, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his counsellors, threw it into the fire of his winter parlor, where he was sitting. He then ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be seized, but they could not be found. The Jews to this day commemorate the burning of this roll by an annual fast. SEE CALENDAR (JEWISH).
Another roll was now written by Baruch from the prophet’s dictation, containing all that was in the former, with some additions, the most remarkable of which is the prophecy respecting the ruin of Jehoiachim and his house as the punishment of his impious act. This roll is the prophecy of Jeremiah which we now possess. Baruch, being himself terrified at the threats contained in the prophetic roll, received the comforting assurance that he would himself be delivered from the calamities which should befall Judah and Jerusalem (Jeremiah 45). During the siege of Jerusalem Baruch was selected as the depositary of the deed of purchase which Jeremiah had made of the territory of Hanameel, to which deed he had been a witness (Jer 32:12 sq.). B.C. 589. His enemies accused him of influencing Jeremiah in favor of the Chaldaeans (Jer 43:3; comp. 37:13); and he was thrown into prison with that prophet, where he remained till the capture of Jerusalem, B.C. 588
(Joseph. Ant. 10:9, 1). By the permission of Nebuchadnezzar he remained with Jeremiah at Masphatha (Joseph. 1. c.); but in the fourth year of Zedekiah (B.C. 595) Baruch is supposed by some to have accompanied Seraiah to Babylon, when the latter attended Zedekiah with the prophecies contained in Jeremiah, ch. 1 and 51, which he was commanded by Jeremiah to read on the banks of the Euphrates, and then to cast the prophetic roll into the river, with a stone attached to it, to signify the everlasting ruin of. Babylon (Jer 51:61). At least Baruch, in the book which bears his name (in the Apocrypha), is said to have read these prophecies at Babylon, in the hearing of King Jehoiachim and the captive Jews, in the fifth year of the taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldaeans (see below), which must have been the same taking of it in which Jehoiachim was made prisoner; for after the other taking of Jerusalem, in the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, when the Jews, after their return from Babylon, obstinately persisted in their determination to migrate to Egypt against the remonstrances of the prophet, both Baruch and Jeremiah accompanied them to that country (Jer 43:6; Joseph. Ant. 10:9, 6), from whence there is no account in Scripture of Baruch’s return. The rabbins, however, allege that he died in Babylon in the twelfth year of the exile (see Calmet’s Preface). Jerome, on the other hand, states, on the authority of the Jews (Hebraei tradunt), that Jeremiah and Baruch died in Egypt before the desolation of the country by Nabuchodonosor (Comm. in Isa 30:6-7, p. 405). Josephus asserts that he was well skilled in the Hebrew language; and that, after the taking of Jerusalem, Nebuzaradan treated Baruch with consideration from respect to Jeremiah, whose misfortunes he had shared, and whom he had accompanied to prison and exile (Ant. 10:9, 1 and 2).
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Baruch
blessed. (1.) The secretary of the prophet Jeremiah (32:12; 36:4). He was of the tribe of Judah (51:59). To him Jeremiah dictated his prophecies regarding the invasion of the Babylonians and the Captivity. These he read to the people from a window in the temple in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Jer. 36). He afterwards read them before the counsellors of the king at a private interview; and then to the king himself, who, after hearing a part of the roll, cut it with a penknife, and threw it into the fire of his winter parlour, where he was sitting.
During the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, he was the keeper of the deed of purchase Jeremiah had made of the territory of Hanameel (Jer. 32:12). Being accused by his enemies of favouring the Chaldeans, he was cast, with Jeremiah, into prison, where he remained till the capture of Jerusalem (B.C. 586). He probably died in Babylon.
(2.) Neh. 3:20; 10:6; 11:5.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Baruch
(“blessed, Benedict”.) Neriah’s son, Jeremiah’s (Jer 32:12; Jer 36:4-32) steadfast attendant and amanuensis; brother to Seraiah, of princely family (Jer 51:59) and position. He was the friend to whom Jeremiah in prison entrusted the papers of the purchase of his uncle’s field at Anathoth, the year before Jerusalem’s destruction, to assure the Jews of the certainty of their return from Babylon. He wrote out Jeremiah’s prophecies against the Jews and other nations, and, while the prophet was shut up, i.e. prevented coming forward, read them before the people; in consequence of which king Jehoiakim sought to kill him and Jeremiah, but the Lord hid them. Jehoiakim having destroyed the first roll, Baruch wrote again the same words with many additions. Azariah and Johanan after the capture of the city, when Jeremiah warned them against going to Egypt, said: “Baruch setteth thee on against us for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
On, the former occasion Baruch yielded to despondency; and as Paul subjoins epistles to individuals after epistles to churches, so Jeremiah subjoins a prophecy concerning Baruch after the prophecies and histories concerning the Jews and their kings: “Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch. Thou didst say, Woe is me now, for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow, I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” When a “whole land,” the people of My “planting,” are being plucked up; “seekest thou great things for thyself?” i.e., dost thou expect to be exempt from trial?
A promise is added to the reproof: “thy life will I give unto thee for a prey.” How striking, that Jeremiah (Jer 12:1-5; Jer 15:10-18; Jer 15:45), who once was so desponding himself, is enabled to minister counsel to Baruch falling into the same error. God allows His servants to be tempted, in order to fit them for succoring others who are tempted. Baruch was carried with Jeremiah by Johanan into Egypt (Jer 43:6). The apocryphal book of Baruch is evidently one of later composition.
2. Son of Zabbai (Neh 3:20).
3. Son of Colhozeh (Neh 11:5).
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Baruch
BARUCH (blessed).1. Son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah and brother of Seraiah (Jer 51:59); known from Jer 36:1-32; Jer 45:1-5; Jer 32:12-16; Jer 43:3; Jer 43:8; by Jeremiahs side in the conflict with Jehoiakim (b.c. 604), again during the last siege of Jerusalem (5876), and again amongst the Judans left behind after the Second Captivity. Baruch the scribe, named in Jer 36:26 along with Jeremiah the prophet, is already the recognized attendant and amanuensis of the latter; he seems to have rendered the prophet over twenty years of devoted service. He belonged to the order of princes, among whom Jeremiah had influential friends (Jer 26:16; Jer 36:25); Baruchs rank probably secured for Jeremiahs objectionable roll (ch. 36) the hearing that was refused to his spoken words. When he cast in his lot with Jeremiah, Baruch made a heavy sacrifice; he might have sought great things for himself, and is warned against his natural ambition (Jer 45:3-5). The promise that Baruchs life shall be given him for a prey wherever he goes, placed where it is (Jer 45:5), suggests that he survived his master, to act as his literary executor. The Book of Jeremiah (see art.) owes much to this loyal secretary, though the final arrangement of the materials is far from satisfactory. Tradition adds nothing of any certainty to the references of Scripture; see, however, Jos. [Note: Josephus.] Ant. X. ix. 1, 7. For the Apocryphal writings attached to his name, see Apocrypha and Apocalyptic Literature. 2. One of the wall-builders (Neh 3:20). 3. A signatory to the covenant (Neh 10:5). 4. A Judahite (Neh 11:5).
G. G. Findlay.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Baruch
Son of Neriah, An interesting character, as related to us in the prophecy of Jeremiah. (Jer 32:1-44 Jer 36:1-32 Jer 43:1-13 Jer 45:1-5) His name is derived from Barach, to bless.
Fuente: The Poor Mans Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures
Baruch
baruk, baruk (, baruk; , Barouch, blessed):
(1) Son of Neriah and brother of Seraiah, King Zedekiah’s chamberlain (Jer 51:59). He was the devoted friend (Jer 32:12), the amanuensis (Jer 36:4, Jer 36:32) and faithful attendant (Jer 36:10; Josephus, Ant, X, vi, 2) of the prophet Jeremiah. He seems to have been of noble family (see Ant, X, ix, 1; compare Jer 51:59; Baruch 1:1). He was also according to Josephus a man of unusual acquirements (Ant., X, ix, 1). He might have risen to a high position and seemed conscious of this, but under Jeremiah’s influence (see Jer 45:5) he repressed his ambition, being content to throw in his lot with the great prophet whose secretary and companion he became. Jeremiah dictated his prophecies to Baruch, who read them to the people (Jer 36). The king (Jehoiakim) was greatly angered at these prophecies and had Baruch arrested and the roll burnt. Baruch however rewrote the prophet’s oracles. In the final siege of Jerusalem Baruch stood by his master, witnessing the purchase by the latter of his ancestral estate in Anathoth (Jer 32). According to Josephus (Ant., X, ix, 1) he continued to reside with Jeremiah at Mizpah after the fall of Jerusalem. Subsequent to the murder of Gedaliah, he was accused of having unduly influenced Jeremiah when the latter urged the people to remain in Judah – a fact which shows how great was the influence which Baruch was believed to have had over his master (Jer 43:3). He was carried with Jeremiah to Egypt (Jer 43:6; Ant, X, ix, 6), and thereafter our knowledge of him is merely legendary. According to a tradition preserved by Jerome (on Isa 30:6 f) he died in Egypt soon after reaching that country. Two other traditions say that he went, or by Nebuchadnezzar was carried, to Babylon after this king conquered Egypt. The high character of Baruch and the important part he played in the life and work of Jeremiah induced later generations still further to enhance his reputation, and a large number of spurious writings passed under his name, among them the following: (a) The APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH (which see); (b) The Book of Baruch; (c) The Rest of the Words of Baruch; (d) The Gnostic Book of Baruch; (e) The Latin Book of Baruch, composed originally in Latin; (f) a Greek Apocalypse of Baruch belonging to the 2nd century of our era; (g) another Book of Baruch belonging to the 4th or 5th century.
(2) A son of Zabbai who aided Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 3:20).
(3) One of the priests who signed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh 10:6).
(4) The son of Colhozeh, a descendant of Perez, the son of Judah (Neh 11:5).
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Baruch
Baruch, blessed; the faithful friend and amanuensis of the prophet Jeremiah, was of a noble family of the tribe of Judah, and generally considered to be the brother of the prophet Seraiah, both being represented as sons of Neriah; and to Baruch the prophet Jeremiah dictated all his oracles. During the siege of Jerusalem, Baruch was selected as the depositary of the deed of purchase which Jeremiah had made of the territory of Hanameel, to which deed he had been a witness. In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiachim, king of Judah (B.C. 605), Baruch was directed to write all the prophecies delivered by Jeremiah up to that period, and to read them to the people, which he did from a window in the Temple upon two solemn occasions. He afterwards read them before the counselors of the king at a private interview, when Baruch being asked to give an account of the manner in which the prophecy had been composed, gave an exact description of the mode in which he had taken it down from the prophet’s dictation. Upon this they ordered him to leave the roll, advising that he and Jeremiah should conceal themselves. They then informed the king of what had taken place, upon which he had the roll read to him; but, after hearing a part of it, he cut it with a penknife, and, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his counselors, threw it into the fire of his winter parlor, where he was sitting. He then ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be seized, but they could not be found. The Jews to this day commemorate the burning of this roll by an annual fast. Another roll was now written by Baruch from the prophet’s dictation, containing all that was in the former, with some additions, the most remarkable of which is the prophecy respecting the ruin of Jehoiachim and his house, as the punishment of his impious act. This roll is the prophecy of Jeremiah which we now possess. Baruch, being himself terrified at the threats contained in the prophetic roll, received the comforting assurance that he would himself be delivered from the calamities which should befall Judah and Jerusalem. After the capture of Jerusalem, in the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, when the Jews, after their return from Babylon, obstinately persisted in their determination to migrate to Egypt, against the remonstrances of the prophet, both Baruch and Jeremiah accompanied them to that country, where they remained until the death of Jeremiah. There is no account in Scripture of Baruch’s return from Egypt, but the Rabbins allege that he died in Babylon, in the twelfth year of the exile, Josephus asserts that, he was well skilled in the Hebrew language; and that, after the taking of Jerusalem, Nebuzaradan treated Baruch with consideration, from respect to Jeremiah, whose misfortunes he had shared, and whom he had accompanied to prison and exile (Antiq. x. 9, 1-2).
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Baruch
[Ba’ruch]
1. Son of Zabbai: he helped to build the wall of Jerusalem. Neh 3:20.
2. A priest who sealed the covenant. Neh 10:6.
3. Father of Maaseiah who returned from exile. Neh 11:5.
4. Son of Neriah, and faithful secretary to Jeremiah. He was eventually carried with Jeremiah into Egypt. Jer 32:12-16; Jer 36:4-32; Jer 43:3; Jer 43:6; Jer 45:1-2.
BARUCH, BOOK OF. This forms part of the O.T. Apocrypha, though its professed author is Baruch, the friend and secretary of Jeremiah. It relates that the Jews in Babylon sent a deputation to Jerusalem with money for sacrifices, and requested that prayers might be offered for Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar. It confesses that their sufferings were in consequence of their sins. It points to the sin of neglecting the source of wisdom, and exhorts to a return. It laments over Jerusalem; but exults in its future blessing. It ends with an Epistle of Jeremiah to those who were to be led captive into Babylon, warning them against the idols they would find there. It is generally agreed that the book was not written by its assumed author, but there is great diversity of opinion as to its probable date: some placing it B.C. 160, and others not till B.C. 79-69.
Fuente: Concise Bible Dictionary
Baruch
H1263
1. An amanuensis of Jeremiah
Jer 32:12-16; Jer 36:4-32; Jer 43:3-6; Jer 45:1-2
2. Son of Labai
Neh 3:20; Neh 10:6
3. A descendant of Pharez
Neh 11:5
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Baruch
Baruch (b’rook), blessed. 1. The secretary of the prophet Jeremiah, and who was of a distinguished Jewish family. Jer 32:12. His friendship for Jeremiah was strong and constant. At his dictation Baruch wrote Jeremiah’s prophecies. These he read before the princes, who rehearsed them to Jehoiakim, the king, having previously placed the writing in one of the offices of the temple. The king ordered the writing to be read in his presence, and he became so angry that he destroyed the manuscripts and gave orders to arrest both the prophet and his secretary, but they had concealed themselves. Jehovah, however, repeated the prophecies to Jeremiah, with some additions, and Baruch wrote them a second time. Baruch was falsely accused of influencing Jeremiah in favor of the Chaldans, and they were both imprisoned until the capture of Jerusalem, b.c. 586. They were afterward forced to go down to Egypt. Jer 43:6; Jer 7:2. The name of three other persons, otherwise unknown. Neh 3:20; Neh 10:6; Neh 11:5.
Fuente: People’s Dictionary of the Bible
Baruch
Ba’ruch. (blessed).
1. Son of Neriah, the friend Jer 32:12, amanuensis [A person whose employment is to write what another dictates.], Jer 26:4-32, and faithful attendant of Jeremiah. Jer 36:10 ff. (B.C. 603).
He was of a noble family, compare Jer 51:59; Bar 1:1, and of distinguished acquirements. His enemies accused him of influencing Jeremiah in favor of the Chaldaeans, Jer 43:3, comapre Jer 27:13, and he was imprisoned until the capture of Jerusalem, B.C. 586.
By the permission of Nebuchadnezzar, he remained with Jeremiah, at Mizpeh, Jos. Ant. X.9, 1, but was, afterwards, forced to go down to Egypt. Jer 43:6 Nothing is known certainly of the close of his life.
2. The son of Zabbai, who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Neh 3:20. (B.C. 446).
3. A priest, or family of priests, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. Neh 10:6. (B.C. 410).
4. The son of Col-hozeh, a descendant of Perez or Pharez, the son of Judah. Neh 11:5. (B.C. 536).
Fuente: Smith’s Bible Dictionary
BARUCH
writes Jeremiah’s prophecy
Jer 32:12; Jer 36:4; Jer 36:10; Jer 36:32; Jer 43:3; Jer 43:6
Fuente: Thompson Chain-Reference Bible
Baruch
the son of Neriah, and grandson of Maaseiah, was of illustrious birth, and of the tribe of Judah. He had a brother of the name of Seraiah, who occupied an important station in the court of King Zedekiah; but he himself adhered to the person of the Prophet Jeremiah, and was his most steady friend, though his attachment to him drew on himself several persecutions and much ill treatment. He appears to have acted as his secretary during a great part of his life, and never left him till they were parted by death. In the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, A.M. 3398, Jeremiah having been thrown into prison, the Lord commanded him to commit to writing all the prophecies that he had delivered until that time.
He accordingly sent for Baruch, and dictated them to him by word of mouth. Some time afterward he instructed the latter to go and read them to the people, who were then assembled in the temple; on which Michaiah, who happened to be present, and heard them, instantly gave notice of them to the king’s counsellors. The latter immediately sent for Baruch, and commanded him to repeat to them what he had been reading to the people in the temple; which he accordingly did, to their great astonishment: and, finding that they contained some very unwelcome tidings respecting the fate of the kingdom, they inquired how he came into possession of them; intimating that their duty to the king required that they should make him acquainted therewith. Baruch was at the same time advised to consult his own safety, and to let no man know where he was to be found; after which they took from him the roll of his prophecies, and deposited it in the chamber of Elishama, the scribe. They next waited on the king, and told him what had passed. The latter sent Jehudi to fetch the book; which being brought, Jehoiakim commanded it to be read in his presence, and in the presence of his nobles who surrounded him. But Jehudi had not proceeded far before the king took the book, cut it with his secretary’s penknife, and threw it into the fire, where it was consumed before their faces. He at the same time gave orders to have both Baruch and Jeremiah seized; but the hand of Providence concealed them from his fury.
Jeremiah was instructed a second time to commit his prophecies to writing; and Baruch wrote them as before, with the addition of several others which were not contained in the former book. In the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, Baruch went to Babylon, carrying with him a long letter from Jeremiah, in which the Prophet foretold the judgments that should come upon Babylon, and promised the Jews, who were then captives in that country, that they should again be restored to their own land. The latter were exceedingly affected at hearing Jeremiah’s letter read to them, and returned an answer to their brethren at Jerusalem. After his return to Jerusalem, Baruch continued his constant attendance on Jeremiah; and when Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and Jeremiah thrown into prison, Baruch also was confined with him: but when the city had surrendered, Nebuzaraddan showed him much kindness, granted him his liberty, and permitted him to go with Jeremiah wherever he chose.
The remnant of the people who had been left in Judea under the care of Gedaliah, having adopted the resolution of going into Egypt, and finding that Jeremiah opposed their taking that journey, threw the blame upon Baruch; insinuating that the latter had influenced the Prophet to declare against it. They were, however, both of them at last compelled to follow the people into Egypt, where Jeremiah soon afterward died; on which Baruch retired to Babylon, where the rabbins say he also died in the twelfth year of the captivity, Jeremiah 36-43. The book of Baruch is justly placed among the apocryphal writings. Grotius thinks it a fiction written by some Hellenistic Jew; and St. Jerome gives as the reason why he did not write a commentary upon it, that the Jews themselves did not deem it canonical.