Baruch is a disciple, follower, and trusted friend of Jeremiah. He is also the scribe who wrote down Jeremiah’s words as dictated to him (Jeremiah 36:4).
Baruch is the author of the book of Baruch (or at least the first part of it), which serves as a follow-up to the book of Jeremiah since it was written after the people are exiled.
After the introduction, Baruch contains a confession of the nation of Israel‘s guilt and prayer for deliverance (similar to a prayer by Daniel in Daniel 9). This is followed by a section of poetry.
In Baruch 6, the book concludes with a letter, which is comparable to, but different then Jeremiah’s letter recorded in Jeremiah 29. Also, Jeremiah 10:2-15 contains some similar language to Baruch 6.
Some versions of the Bible pull out Baruch 6 and include it as a separate one-chapter book, called the Letter of Jeremiah or the Epistle of Jeremiah.
Baruch is an Apocrypha book and not included in all versions of the Bible.
The New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version (RSV), New American Bible (NABRE), Wycliffe Bible (WYC), Common English Bible (CEB), Good News Translation (GNT), and Douay-Rheims (DRA) all include Baruch.
Interestingly, the original Authorized King James Version (KJV) contains Baruch, but the text was removed almost two centuries later. The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, which was widely used in Jesus’s day, also includes the book of Baruch.
For more information, see why “Christians Should Consider the Entire Bible.”
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
