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Jeremiah 45

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God's Word to Baruch the Scribe 1–5

1
The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, ​
2
Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch;
3
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. ​
4
Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. ​
5
And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 45

Verse 1

the fourth year of Jehoiakim — The year of the scroll. In it the word came to Jeremiah (36:1), Baruch wrote ‘all the words of the LORD’ from his mouth (36:4), and it was also ‘the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon’ (25:1). This word to Baruch is set here, out of order, after the long record of Judah’s fall.

Verse 3

Woe is me now! — The cry of Zion in 4:31, ‘Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied’. ‘Sorrow’ (mak’ob) is pain, the word of ‘a man of sorrows’ (Isa 53:3); ‘grief’ is yagon; ‘fainted’ is yaga, to be wearied. ‘Rest’ (menuchah) is the word of ‘the still waters’ of Ps 23:2.

Verse 4

that which I have built will I break down — The verbs recall Jeremiah’s own commission, ‘to root out, and to pull down… to build, and to plant’ (1:10); ‘pluck up’ is nathash, the ‘root out’ of that verse. Here they fall on what the LORD himself made. The same pair is a promise in 42:10, ‘then will I build you… and I will plant you’.

Verse 5

thy life will I give unto thee for a prey — ‘Prey’ is shalal, plunder carried off from a battle: his life is the one thing he will take away. The same promise is made to those who go out to the Chaldeans (21:9; 38:2) and to Ebedmelech (39:18). Baruch was among those taken to Egypt (43:6).