Jeremiah 45:3

45:1-5 An encouragement sent to Baruch. - Baruch was employed in writing Jeremiah's prophecies, and reading them, see ch. Jer 36, and was threatened for it by the king. Young beginners in religion are apt to be discouraged with little difficulties, which they commonly meet with at first in the service of God. These complaints and fears came from his corruptions. Baruch had raised his expectations too high in this world, and that made the distress and trouble he was in harder to be borne. The frowns of the world would not disquiet us, if we did not foolishly flatter ourselves with the hopes of its smiles, and court and covet them. What a folly is it then to seek great things for ourselves here, where every thing is little, and nothing certain! The Lord knows the real cause of our fretfulness and despondency better than we do, and we should beg of him to examine our hearts, and to repress every wrong desire in us.

I am ruined and undone; this he said in his heart, if not with his lips, perhaps both ways; and when the king gave orders for the apprehending of him and the prophet, being provoked at the roll which he had wrote and read, Jeremiah 36:26 ; for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; caused him grief upon grief, sorrow upon sorrow, an abundance of it; for there was a variety of things which occasioned grief and sorrow; the trouble of his office, as secretary to the prophet; the reproach east upon him by the people for it; the grievous things contained in the prophecies he transcribed, concerning the ruin of his people and nation; the king's displeasure at the roll, and his burning it; to which was added the danger he was exposed unto for writing it; and especially, as he might apprehend, for writing it over again, after it was burnt; to which were annexed new threatenings, and such as personally concerned the king; I fainted in my sighing; or "with" it; he sighed and groaned at what he saw coming upon his country, and particularly upon himself; it quite overcame his spirits; he sunk and swooned away: or "I laboured in my sighing" (n); amidst his sighs and groans, he prayed to the Lord, and laboured in prayer, that he might be delivered from the evils he feared were coming upon him: and I find no rest; from his grief, sorrow, and sighing; no cessation of that; no serenity and composure of mind; no answer of prayer from God.

Jeremiah 45:3-5 . Thou didst say, Wo is me now, &c. — “The sorrows which I felt for the threatenings denounced against my country and religion are increased by my own troubles, being sought after by the king’s command in order to be put to death:” see Jeremiah 36:26 . The Lord saith, That which I have built will I break down, &c. — The land and people which have so long flourished under the peculiar care of my providence I resolve now to give up to utter destruction: see Jeremiah 31:28 . And seekest thou great things for thyself? — Dost thou aspire to honour, dignity, and prosperity, or expect to be exempted from adversity and trouble in a time of great and common calamity? Seek them not — Never think of any thing of the kind; for, behold, I bring evil on all flesh — Upon the whole country where thou livest, and upon all orders and degrees of men therein. But thy life will I give unto thee for a prey — Thy life shall be preserved, but under such circumstances that thou shalt have reason to look on thyself as peculiarly indebted to the divine providence for so singular and extraordinary a favour. See note on Jeremiah 21:9 , where the same proverbial expression occurs, and is further explained.

Verse 3. - Hath added grief to my sorrow. Baruch felt "sorrow" or "pain" at the sinfulness of the people; "grief" or "anxiety" was added by Jeremiah's announcement of the judgment. I fainted in my sighing; rather, I am weary with my sighing ; comp. Psalm 6:7 (Authorized Version, 6). Jeremiah 45:3

Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I {c} fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. (c) Baruch moved with an inconsiderate zeal for Jeremiah's imprisonment, but chiefly for the destruction of the people and the temple makes this lamentation, as in Ps 6:6.

Upon Baruch’s reading the prophecies after he had wrote them from the mouth of Jeremiah, both he and Jeremiah were sent for before the princes, and advised to hide themselves, as we read, Jeremiah 36:15,19 . This probably disturbed Baruch, and made him lament his condition in such-like expressions, of which the prophet had heard, probably by revelation from God.

3. Thou didst say, &c.—Jeremiah does not spare his disciple, but unveils his fault, namely, fear for his life by reason of the suspicions which he incurred in the eyes of his countrymen (compare Jer 36:17), as if he was in sympathy with the Chaldeans (Jer 43:3), and instigator of Jeremiah; also ingratitude in speaking of his "grief," &c., whereas he ought to deem himself highly blessed in being employed by God to record Jeremiah's prophecies. added—rescued from the peril of my first writing (Jer 36:26). I am again involved in a similar peril. He upbraids God as dealing harshly with him. I fainted—rather, "I am weary." no rest—no quiet resting-place.

"The word which Jeremiah the prophet spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jeremiah 45:2 . Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, to thee, O Baruch: V. 3. Thou saidst, Woe to me now! for Jahveh hath added sorrow to my pain: I am weary with sighing, and no rest do I find. V. 4. Thus shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, what I have built I will destroy, and what I have planted I will pluck up, and that is the whole earth. V. 5. And thou seekest great things for thyself: seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, saith Jahveh; but I will give thy life unto thee for booty in all places whither thou shalt go." From the superscription in Jeremiah 45:1, it appears that this word of God came to Baruch through Jeremiah the prophet, in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Baruch was writing out, or had written out, in a book-roll the prophecies that had been uttered by Jeremiah up till that time.