Hebrew word · H1263

בָּרוּךְ

barukh

Baruch

A personal name meaning "blessed" (a short form of Berekhyahu, "blessed by YH"), with his father's name Neriah ("my lamp is YH").

Appears 26 times in 24 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.32.12;

son of: Neriah (H5374);

brother of: Seraiah (H8304N)

§ Baruch = "blessed"

1) friend, amanuensis, and faithful attendant of Jeremiah

2) a priest, the son of Zabbai who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem

3) a priest, or family of priests, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah

4) son of Col-hozeh, a descendant of Perez or Pharez, the son of Judah

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Jeremiah 43:3

Range of meaning

A personal name meaning "blessed" (a short form of Berekhyahu, "blessed by YH"), with his father's name Neriah ("my lamp is YH").

Against the English

No difference between translations.

Used elsewhere in the period

Baruch writes and reads Jeremiah's scroll (Jer 36), witnesses the land purchase (32:12–16), and receives a personal oracle (Jer 45). His brother Seraiah served Zedekiah (51:59). A clay seal impression reading "Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe" was published by N. Avigad, but it has no known find-spot and many now doubt that it is genuine. A whole literature was later attached to his name (1–4 Baruch).

From the study of Jeremiah 32:13

Range of meaning

A personal name, the passive participle of barakh, "to bless," so it means "blessed." Here it refers to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, Jeremiah's scribe (Jer 36:4, 32; 43:3; 45:1). His brother Seraiah was a royal quartermaster (51:59), which suggests a family with standing at court.

Against the English

All versions transliterate the name. None conveys the meaning "blessed," which the text does not play on here in any case.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 1975–78 N. Avigad published a clay seal impression reading "belonging to Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe," which many linked to this Baruch (Baruch is a short form of Berekhyahu). It came from the antiquities market rather than an excavation, and some scholars (e.g., Y. Goren) have argued it is a forgery. It cannot be relied on. Later Jewish tradition gave Baruch a large literature of his own (the book of Baruch, 2–4 Baruch).

Where it appears

Nehemiah · 3

  1. Nehemiah 3:20 בָּר֥וּךְ Baruch

    Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai diligently repaired another section, from the angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

  2. Nehemiah 10:6 בָּרֽוּךְ׃ Baruch

    Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

  3. Nehemiah 11:5 בָּר֣וּךְ Baruch

    and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.

Jeremiah · 23

  1. Jeremiah 32:12 בָּר֣וּךְ Baruch

    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.

  2. Jeremiah 32:13 בָּר֔וּךְ Baruch

    In their sight I instructed Baruch,

    Here: Baruch son of Neriah, already introduced in v. 12. He is Jeremiah's scribe and agent, and here the trusted custodian of the legal documents. His name means "blessed."

  3. Jeremiah 32:16 בָּר֥וּךְ Baruch

    After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:

  4. Jeremiah 36:4 בָּר֖וּךְ בָּר֜וּךְ Baruch

    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.

  5. Jeremiah 36:5 בָּר֖וּךְ Baruch

    Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD;

  6. Jeremiah 36:8 בָּרוּךְ֙ Baruch

    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.

  7. Jeremiah 36:10 בָר֥וּךְ Baruch

    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.

  8. Jeremiah 36:13 בָר֛וּךְ Baruch

    And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.

  9. Jeremiah 36:14 בָּר֗וּךְ בָּר֨וּךְ Baruch

    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.

  10. Jeremiah 36:15 בָר֖וּךְ Baruch

    “Please sit down,” they said, “and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.

  11. Jeremiah 36:16 בָּר֔וּךְ Baruch

    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.”

  12. Jeremiah 36:17 בָּר֔וּךְ Baruch

    “Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”

  13. Jeremiah 36:18 בָּר֔וּךְ Baruch

    “It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

  14. Jeremiah 36:19 בָּר֔וּךְ Baruch

    Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one where you are.”

  15. Jeremiah 36:26 בָּר֣וּךְ Baruch

    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.

    Here: 'Blessed.' Baruch son of Neriah, who wrote the scroll as Jeremiah dictated it and read it aloud in the temple (36:4–10). He is named before Jeremiah here, probably because he did the writing and the public reading.

  16. Jeremiah 36:27 בָּר֛וּךְ Baruch

    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:

  17. Jeremiah 36:32 בָּר֣וּךְ Baruch

    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.

  18. Jeremiah 43:3 בָּרוּךְ֙ Baruch

    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!”

    Here: Jeremiah's scribe and companion (Jer 32:12–16; 36; 45). He is named first and made the subject of the sentence, so the blame moves from the prophet to his assistant.

  19. Jeremiah 43:6 בָּר֖וּךְ Baruch

    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.

    Here: 'Blessed.' Jeremiah's scribe (ch. 36), whom the leaders had just accused of turning Jeremiah against them (43:3).

  20. Jeremiah 45:1 בָּר֖וּךְ Baruch

    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:

  21. Jeremiah 45:2 בָּרֽוּךְ׃ O Baruch

    “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.