Baruch
The name Baruch means “who is blessed”
Summary
Profile
Baruch, the son of Neriah, was a royal scribe in Jerusalem. He worked as a secretary for the prophet Jeremiah. His brother, Seraiah, was a staff officer in Zedekiah’s administration (Jeremiah 51:59–64). Baruch’s family likely held a high position in Judah's administration.
In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah (605 BC), God told Jeremiah to write down the messages he had given to Israel, Judah, and other nations (Jeremiah 36:1–3). Jeremiah asked Baruch to write the prophecies (Jeremiah 36:4) and read them to the people (36:8–19). When Jehoiakim heard the message, he destroyed the scroll and ordered the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:21–26). However, they hid, and Jeremiah repeated the prophecies while Baruch wrote them down again (Jeremiah 36:27–32).
Around that time, God sent Baruch a personal message through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 45). Baruch might have worried about losing career opportunities or personal comfort because of his connection with Jeremiah. God reassured Baruch with a promise of protection and advised him not to seek "great things" for himself, as Judah's destruction was certain.
When Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC, Baruch stayed with Jeremiah and others who remained. Baruch seemed influential because the rebel leaders wanted to go to Egypt. When Jeremiah warned them not to go (Jeremiah 42), they accused Baruch of influencing Jeremiah. The leaders ignored the warning and took Baruch and Jeremiah to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:1–7). We do not know how, when, or where Baruch died. One tradition says he was taken to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt. It is also possible that Baruch died in Egypt.
God warned Baruch not to seek greatness, and he appeared to die without honor. However, his legacy may be the book of Jeremiah. He likely helped create this book, which warns of judgment and clearly expresses hope for the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
In 1975, a clay impression (called a bulla) from a scribe’s seal was found. It had the words “[Belonging to] Berechiahu, son of Neriahu, the scribe.” (Berechiahu is the long form of the name Baruch.) Each scribe and government official had a unique seal with his name. They used it to seal documents, like a signature today. The seal was pressed into soft clay to make an impression (bulla), which was attached to the signed document. Baruch's bulla is from the time of Jeremiah and Baruch. Other bullae found include names of people in Jeremiah, like:
“Gemariah son of Shaphan” (Jeremiah 36:10–12, 25)
Ishmael (Jeremiah 40:7–41:10)
Most scholars agree that Baruch's bulla was made by Baruch's seal, Jeremiah’s scribe. These bullae, small artifacts from an ancient civilization, provide independent historical proof of some details in Jeremiah’s account.
Passages for Further Study
Glossary entries
Family members
Alternative names
- בָּרוּךְBaruch
Mentions
Includes 5 verses that refer to Baruch without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.
- …and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement and all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
- In their sight I instructed Baruch,
- Jeremiah 32:14Referred to, not named“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Take these deeds—both the sealed copy and the open copy of the deed of purchase—and put them in a clay jar to preserve them for a long time.
- After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
- So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and at the dictation of Jeremiah, Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words that the LORD had spoken to Jeremiah.
- Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD;
- Jeremiah 36:6Referred to, not named…so you are to go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting, and in the hearing of the people you are to read the words of the LORD from the scroll you have written at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of all the people of Judah who are coming from their cities.
- So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him. In the house of the LORD he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.
- From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.
- And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
- Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come here.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.
- “Please sit down,” they said, “and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.
- When they had heard all these words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, “Surely we must report all these words to the king.”
- “Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”
- “It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”
- Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one where you are.”
- Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
- After the king had burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
- Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at Jeremiah’s dictation he wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
- Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, so that they may put us to death or exile us to Babylon!”
- …the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.
- This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
- “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:
- Jeremiah 45:3Referred to, not namedYou have said, ‘Woe is me because the LORD has added sorrow to my pain! I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.’”
- Jeremiah 45:4Referred to, not namedThus Jeremiah was to say to Baruch: “This is what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will demolish what I have built and uproot what I have planted.
- Jeremiah 45:5Referred to, not namedBut as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life as a spoil of war.”