Baruch

Also known as: Baruch the son of Neriah / the scribe · Family: Judah · Role: scribe · First appears: Jeremiah 32

Baruch, the son of Neriah and Maaseiah, served as a scribe in Judah. In Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah delivered the sealed and open purchase documents to him before Hanameel and the witnesses, and God commanded him to preserve them in an earthen vessel.

In Jeremiah 36, Jeremiah dictated the words of the LORD, and Baruch wrote them onto a scroll. He read it publicly in the LORD’s house during a fast, then read it before the princes when summoned by Jehudi, Delaiah, Elnathan, Gemariah, and Zedekiah. After Jehoiakim ordered Baruch and Jeremiah seized, God hid them; later, after the king burned the scroll, Baruch rewrote its contents from Jeremiah’s dictation, with additional words.

In Jeremiah 43, Johanan led the remnant of Judah, Jeremiah, and Baruch into Egypt, and they reached Tahpanhes. In Jeremiah 45, Jeremiah delivered God’s promise to Baruch: “but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.”