The Book of Baruch

Baruch is one of the shortest prophetic books, six chapters in all. It stands right after Jeremias (Jeremiah) and Lamentations because it belongs with them: its author was Jeremias' scribe, and the early Church read it as part of his master's book. Each chapter page sets the Vulgate beside the Douay-Rheims; here we set out who wrote it, what it says, how the Church has read it, and why it is missing from Protestant Bibles.

The author: Baruch the son of Nerias

The Church has received the book as the work of Baruch the son of Nerias, the disciple and secretary of the prophet Jeremias. Its first verse names him: "these are the words of the book, which Baruch the son of Nerias, the son of Maasias, the son of Sedecias, the son of Sedei, the son of Helcias, wrote in Babylonia" (Baruch 1:1). His name means "blessed" in Hebrew.

Baruch in the Book of Jeremias

We know Baruch well from the Book of Jeremias. He witnessed Jeremias' purchase of the field at Anathoth, and the prophet gave the deed into his keeping (Jeremias 32:12). In the fourth year of King Joakim he wrote down Jeremias' prophecies from the prophet's own mouth, and the next year he read them aloud in the house of the Lord.

When the king burnt the scroll, Baruch wrote it out a second time, "and there were added besides many more words than had been before" (Jeremias 36:32). A whole short chapter, Jeremias 45, is the Lord's word to him: he must not seek great things for himself, but his life will be spared. After the fall of Jerusalem the captains accused him of setting Jeremias against them "to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans", and carried both men down into Egypt (Jeremias 43:3–6).

The Fathers often read the book under the name of Jeremias himself. St Irenaeus quotes Baruch 4:36–5:9 as "Jeremias" (Against Heresies V.35). St Augustine cites the famous verses of chapter 3 as Jeremias' prophecy of Christ, and notes: "Some attribute this testimony not to Jeremiah, but to his secretary, who was called Baruch; but it is more commonly ascribed to Jeremiah" (City of God XVIII.33).

The sixth chapter carries its own title. It is "a copy of the epistle that Jeremias sent to them that were to be led away captives into Babylon", and tradition takes it as the work of Jeremias himself. In the Vulgate and the Douay it stands as the last chapter of Baruch.

The Pontifical Biblical Commission issued no decision on Baruch. Many modern scholars hold that the book was compiled later from several pieces and that chapter 6 was written in Greek. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia answers that such a compilation "does not necessarily conflict with the traditional authorship", and that even were a later inspired editor at work, the inspired character of the book would remain.

Date and setting

The book dates itself: "In the fifth year, in the seventh day of the month, at the time that the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and burnt it with fire" (Baruch 1:2). That places it in Babylon about five years after Nabuchodonosor destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, in the early sixth century before Christ. The Catholic Encyclopedia, which places the fall of the city in 588 BC, sets the book in "the fifth year after" it. The setting is the Babylonian captivity told in 4 Kings 24–25. Baruch reads the book to the exiled King Jechonias and the captives "by the river Sedi" (1:3–4), and they send it to Jerusalem with money for sacrifices.

The original language

The traditional view is that Baruch wrote in Hebrew. Only the Greek of the Septuagint survives, together with the ancient versions made from it. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the Greek "looks like a translation". The book asks to be "read in the temple of the Lord, on feasts, and proper days" (1:14), which, the Encyclopedia argues, supposes Hebrew; and the marginal notes of the Syro-Hexaplar version say that certain Greek words "are not found in the Hebrew". St Jerome left Baruch untranslated because the Jews of his day neither read nor kept it (Preface to Jeremias), so the Vulgate keeps the Old Latin, a fairly literal rendering of the Greek; see the Latin Vulgate Bible.

Summary of the Book of Baruch

The book has five parts. It moves from penance to wisdom to hope, and closes with a warning against idolatry.

Introduction: the book sent to Jerusalem (1:1–14)

In chapter 1 the exiles hear the book read, weep, fast and pray. They send money to the priest Joakim in Jerusalem for sacrifices, asking prayers for Nabuchodonosor and for themselves, "for we have sinned against the Lord our God".

The confession of sin and the prayer for mercy (1:15–3:8)

The longest part is a liturgical confession, meant to be said aloud: "To the Lord our God belongeth justice, but to us confusion of our face" (1:15). Israel admits that since the Exodus it has not listened to the Lord, and the curses foretold by Moses have come true. Chapter 2 goes on to beg for mercy, "not for the justices of our fathers", but because the Lord is merciful.

It also recalls His promise that the exiles would turn back in the land of their captivity, and that He would make "another covenant that shall be everlasting" (2:35). The prayer ends at the start of chapter 3: "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for thou art a merciful God." It is very close to the prayer of Daniel 9: "To thee, O Lord, justice: but to us confusion of face" (Daniel 9:7).

The praise of Wisdom (3:9–4:4)

The tone changes: "Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: give ear, that thou mayst learn wisdom" (3:9). Israel is in exile because "thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom". The princes of the nations, the merchants of Theman and the giants of old never found Wisdom. Only God, who calls the stars and they answer "Here we are", knows her and gave her to Jacob. This poem echoes Job 28. It ends by identifying Wisdom with the Law: "This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law, that is for ever" (4:1). The same thought appears in Ecclesiasticus 24.

Jerusalem consoles her children (4:5–5:9)

Again and again the voice cries "Be of good comfort" (4:5, 21, 27) and "Be of good heart, O Jerusalem" (4:30). Jerusalem speaks as a widowed mother who sent her children away weeping and waits for them to come home: "the Lord will bring you back to me with joy and gladness for ever." Chapter 5 tells her to put off "the garment of thy mourning", to stand on high and look east at her children gathered "from the rising to the setting sun". God will "bring down every high mountain ... and fill up the valleys" for their return, which is the same picture as Isaias 40.

The Epistle of Jeremias (chapter 6)

The last chapter is a sermon against idols. In Babylon the exiles will see "gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of wood borne upon shoulders". They rust, gather dust, cannot save themselves from thieves or fire, and are "as a scarecrow in a garden of cucumbers". Section after section closes on the same refrain, that they are not gods: "therefore fear them not" (6:15, 22, 28, 64). The captivity would last "even to seven generations", which the Douay note explains as seventy years. The letter ends: "Better, therefore, is the just man that hath no idols" (6:72).

The message and meaning of Baruch

Penance comes before restoration. The book teaches the exiles to blame themselves, not God, for their ruin. Its confession has the shape of every true act of contrition: God is just, and our sins are the cause of our sorrow. Here the soul "that is sorrowful for the greatness of evil she hath done ... giveth glory and justice to thee the Lord" (2:18). This is the spirit of the Act of Contrition.

True Wisdom is a gift from God, and it came down among men. The book's best-known verses close the hymn to Wisdom: "This is our God, and there shall no other be accounted of in comparison of him. He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved. Afterwards he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men" (3:36–38).

Augustine counts this among the prophecies of Christ. Challoner's note explains: "by the mystery of the incarnation, by means of which the son of God came visibly amongst us, and conversed with men". The prophets often speak of what is to come as if it were already past, to show how certain it is. The verse points straight to "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). We treat the doctrine in The Incarnation.

The Law is a light to walk by. "All they that keep it, shall come to life: but they that have forsaken it, to death" (4:1). Wisdom is no secret for the learned but God's revealed commandments: "We are happy, O Israel: because the things that are pleasing to God, are made known to us" (4:4). See the Ten Commandments.

Jerusalem waits for her children. The widowed mother who waits for her scattered children, and the city told to "arise ... and stand on high", look beyond the return from Babylon. St Irenaeus read these chapters as a promise of the resurrection of the just, and the Church sings them in Advent, applying them to the coming of her Lord.

Idols are nothing. The Epistle of Jeremias is a sustained satire on idolatry, a living commentary on the First Commandment. The exile in its letter is told to say inwardly, as the crowds bow to the idols: "Thou oughtest to be adored, O Lord" (6:5).

Famous verses and chapters of Baruch

The chapters most often read are Baruch 1, the book sent from Babylon, and Baruch 3. In chapter 3, verse 9, "Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life", opens the hymn to Wisdom. Its verse 26 speaks of the giants: "There were the giants, those renowned men that were from the beginning, of great stature, expert in war"; God did not choose them, and for want of wisdom they perished (3:27–28). Its verse 38 is the prophecy of the Incarnation. Baruch 5 gives Advent its cry, "Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high", and Baruch 6, the Epistle of Jeremias, is the chapter read against idols old and new.

Baruch in the canon of Scripture

In the Catholic Bible, Baruch comes among the prophets, right after Jeremias and Lamentations and before Ezechiel. This follows the Greek Septuagint, the Old Testament most often quoted by the Apostles, where Baruch stands with Jeremias. St Cyril of Jerusalem counts "of Jeremiah one, including Baruch and Lamentations and the Epistle" in his list of the books (Catechetical Lectures IV.35). The Council of Florence (1442) named Baruch among the inspired books. On 8 April 1546 the Council of Trent, Session IV, defined the canon, listing "Isaias, Jeremias, with Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel" and anathematising anyone who does not receive these books "entire with all their parts" as sacred and canonical.

Baruch and the Protestant Bible

Baruch is one of the seven deuterocanonical books, with Tobias (Tobit), Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) and 1 and 2 Machabees. The Reformers kept only the books of the Hebrew canon of later Judaism, which does not include Baruch, and called the rest "apocrypha". The full story is in The Deuterocanonical Books. The book is complete, in its place, in the Douay-Rheims Bible.

Baruch in the liturgy

In the 1962 Roman Missal, the Communion of the Second Sunday of Advent is taken from Baruch: "Jerusalem, surge, et sta in excelso" (Baruch 5:5 and 4:36). It is sung as the Church waits for the Lord; see our pages on Advent and the liturgical calendar. Before the Holy Week reform of 1955, the great prophecy "Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life" (Baruch 3:9–38) was also sung among the twelve prophecies of Holy Saturday, and again at the Vigil of Pentecost, for those about to be baptised. The 1962 books no longer have it.

How to read the Book of Baruch

Baruch can be read in one sitting. Read Jeremias 36 and Jeremias 45 first, so that you know the man. Then pray chapters 1–3 slowly, as an examination of conscience for a whole people. Read chapters 4–5 as Advent hope. Keep chapter 6 for a day when the idols of our own age seem strong. With the Vulgate beside the English, you can follow the very words the Church sings: "Jerusalem, surge" and "Audi, Israel, mandata vitae".

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Book of Baruch?

The Book of Baruch is a short prophetic book of the Old Testament, six chapters long, ascribed to Baruch, the secretary of the prophet Jeremias. It was written for the Jews exiled in Babylon. It holds a confession of sin, a hymn to Wisdom, a promise of return, and the Epistle of Jeremias against idols, and it stands in the Catholic Bible after Lamentations.

Who wrote the Book of Baruch?

Tradition and the book itself name Baruch the son of Nerias, disciple and scribe of Jeremias (Baruch 1:1). Chapter 6, the Epistle, is ascribed to Jeremias himself. The early Fathers, such as St Irenaeus, often quoted Baruch under Jeremias' name, because the two books were read together.

Who was Baruch in the Book of Jeremiah?

Baruch was Jeremias' faithful secretary. He wrote the prophet's oracles at his dictation and read them in the Temple, then rewrote them after King Joakim burnt the scroll (Jeremias 36). He received a personal word from the Lord in Jeremias 45 and went down with his master into Egypt after Jerusalem fell.

When was the Book of Baruch written?

The book says it was written in Babylon "in the fifth year" after the Chaldeans took and burnt Jerusalem (Baruch 1:2). That means the early sixth century before Christ, during the Babylonian captivity. Many modern scholars propose a later compilation; tradition holds to the date the book gives.

What is the main message of the Book of Baruch?

Baruch teaches that the exile came from Israel's sins, and that the way home is humble confession and a return to God's Law, which is true Wisdom. It promises that God will gather His scattered children to Jerusalem with joy. It also foretells that God would be "seen upon earth, and conversed with men" (3:38), which the Church reads of the Incarnation.

Where is the Book of Baruch in the Bible?

In the Catholic Bible, Baruch is among the prophets, after Jeremias and Lamentations and before Ezechiel, as in the Greek Septuagint. In the Douay-Rheims it has six chapters, the sixth being the Epistle of Jeremias. Protestant editions that keep it at all print it among the Apocrypha between the Testaments.

How many books of Baruch are there?

There is one canonical Book of Baruch, the one in the Bible. Several other ancient writings borrowed his name. They are the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (called "2 Baruch"), a Greek Apocalypse ("3 Baruch") and the Paralipomena of Jeremias (sometimes "4 Baruch"). The gnostic "Book of Baruch" of Justin, known from St Hippolytus, is heretical. None of these is Scripture.

Is the Book of Baruch in the Bible?

Yes. Baruch is in the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. The Council of Trent defined it as canonical in 1546, listing "Jeremias, with Baruch". The Hebrew Bible and most Protestant Bibles do not include it.

Is the Book of Baruch in the King James Bible?

The original King James Version of 1611 printed Baruch, with the Epistle of Jeremiah as chapter 6, in its Apocrypha section between the Old and New Testaments. Most KJV editions printed today leave the Apocrypha out. The Douay-Rheims carries Baruch in its proper place among the prophets.

Why is the Book of Baruch not in Protestant Bibles?

The Reformers adopted the shorter Hebrew canon, and Baruch survives only in Greek and the versions made from it. So they set it aside with the other deuterocanonical books. The Church has always read it as Scripture, and Trent confirmed this. See The Deuterocanonical Books.

Read the whole Book of Baruch verse by verse, in Latin and English side by side, in the Iter Fidei Catholic Bible app.

Sources. The Book of Baruch and the Book of Jeremias (Douay-Rheims, Challoner revision, with Challoner's notes; Clementine Vulgate); St Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.35; St Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures IV.35; St Jerome, Preface to Jeremias; St Augustine, City of God XVIII.33; Council of Florence, Bull of Union with the Copts (1442); Council of Trent, Session IV, Decree on the Canonical Scriptures (1546); Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), "Baruch"; Roman Missal (1962), Second Sunday of Advent.