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These are the words of the book which Baruch the son of Nerias, the son of Maaseas, the son of Sedekias, the son of Asadias, the son of Helkias, wrote in Babylon,
Verse 1. Babylonia. Septuagint “Babylon,” where Jechonias was in prison, ( Bible.) now the 5th year. verse 2. Baruch accompanied his brother Saraias. Jeremiah 51:59. Calmet.—Capel. supposes that the author confounded them together, which is not probable. Houb.
in the fifth year, in the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and burned it with fire.
Verse 2. Month, in which the king was taken. Calmet.—This was the fifth anniversary. Bible.—Fire: but soon extinguished. Usher—The taking of the city was effected at intervals, ( Bible.) during eleven years, in the fifth of which this book was written. Jerusalem was at last reduced to ashes. As yet there were priests, a temple, and so forth verse 7, 14. Worthington. Calmet.
Baruch read the words of this book in the hearing of Jechonias the son of Joakim king of Judah, and in the hearing of all the people who came to hear the book,
Verse 3. Jechonias. He was in prison, where the Jews met to hear the words of Jeremias; (51:59. and so forth Calmet.) or the king might hear the letter in private. Houbig.
and in the hearing of the mighty men, and of the kings’ sons, and in the hearing of the elders, and in the hearing of all the people, from the least to the greatest, even of all those who lived at Babylon by the river Sud.
Verse 4. Sodi. Hebrew zud, ( Bible.) means “pride,” and probably denotes the great river Euphrates. Calmet.—Bochart reads Sur, (Houb.) or Sori. The city Sura was there. Calmet.
Then they wept, fasted, and prayed before the Lord.
Another reading is, and vowed vows.
They also made a collection of money according to every man’s ability;
and they sent it to Jerusalem to Joakim the high priest, the son of Helkias, the son of Salom, and to the priests and to all the people who were found with him at Jerusalem,
Verse 7. Joakim, or Eliacim, high priest under Manasses, and so forth Isaiah 22:20. Calmet.—The text only says that he was priest, and Capellus asserts there was no pontiff then. Houbigant.
at the same time when he took the vessels of the house of the Lord, that had been carried out of the temple, to return them into the land of Judah, the tenth day of Sivan—silver vessels which Sedekias the son of Josias king of Judah had made,
Verse 8. Siven; a Syriac month, corresponding with our May. Menochius.—Vessels; or, “the vessels were of silver.” Bible.—By retrenching a, which, it would seem that they asked for the golden vessels. Sedecias had made silver ones to supply their place. These also might have been taken away. Calmet.—Baltassar had still those of gold, (Daniel 5:2. Menochius.) or at least some of them. Bible.—Sedecias, now in favour, only asked for what he had made while a private man. Houbig.
after Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away Jechonias, the princes, the captives, the mighty men, and the people of the land from Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon.
Verse 9. All. Cunctos should be vinclos, according to the Greek “prisoners.” Calmet.
And they said: Behold, we have sent you money; therefore buy with the money burnt offerings, sin offerings, and incense, and prepare an oblation, and offer upon the altar of the Lord our God;
Verse 10. Meat. Lit. “manna,” as Septuagint express Hebrew monée; ( Bible.) or as it is pointed, mincha; which properly means an “oblation” (Jeremiah 17:26. Menochius.) of bread, wine, and so forth Calmet.—And offerings. Lit. “offer.”—Greek “has for sin before frankincense. Bible.
and pray for the life of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and for the life of Baltasar his son, that their days may be as the days of heaven above the earth.
Verse 11. King. Gratitude and duty prompted them. Jeremiah 29:7 and 1 Timothy 2:2.—Baltassar. Evilmerodac, his elder brother, was in disgrace. Lyran. Jeremiah 52:31. Calmet.—Heaven, as long and prosperous as possible. Bible.—It was a customary salutation to say, O king, live for ever. Daniel 2:4. Psalms 88:30. Calmet.—Cappel. says Baltassar was not yet born. But how does he know this? It might be the title of the heir apparent, ( Bible.) or of the king’s sons. We need not decide in a point of such antiquity. Houbig.
See Deuteronomy 11:21.
The Lord will give us strength and light to our eyes. We will live under the shadow of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon and under the shadow of Baltasar his son, and we shall serve them many days, and find favor in their sight.
Verse 12. Eyes, putting an end to our captivity, (Badwell) or causing us to detest our sins. Calmet.—Days. This they knew was God’s decree, and they submit. Bible.—They prefer serving the Chaldees before other foreign nations. Worthington.
Pray for us also to the Lord our God, for we have sinned against the Lord our God. To this day the wrath of the Lord and his indignation is not turned from us.
You shall read this book which we have sent to you, to make confession in the house of the Lord upon the day of the feast and on the days of the solemn assembly.
Verse 14. Proper festival days. Calmet.—Hebrew mohed, or muád. They were still observed ( Bible.) in the temple.
You shall say: To the Lord our God belongs righteousness, but to us confusion of face, as at this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
to our kings, to our princes, to our priests, to our prophets, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned before the Lord.
We have disobeyed him and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the commandments of the Lord that he has set before us.
Since the day that the Lord brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt to this present day, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and we have been negligent in not listening to his voice.
Therefore the plagues have clung to us, along with the curse which the Lord declared through Moses his servant in the day that he brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt to give us a land that flows with milk and honey, as at this day.
Verse 20. Curses against transgressors. Leviticus 26. Daniel 9:11. Calmet.—Day. We feel the effects of sin. The land of Juda was not flourishing, though not yet laid waste. Bible.
Nevertheless we didn’t listen to the voice of the Lord our God, according to all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us,
but we each walked in the imagination of his own wicked heart, to serve strange gods and to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God.
Verse 22. Serve, or sacrifice unto: (Sanct.) operata Deo: (Tibul.) or to worship. Calmet. 2:21. Calmet.