Baruch / Chapter 2

Baruch 2

35 verses • Latin Vulgate (Jerome)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The confession deepens as Israel acknowledges that God's warnings through Moses and the prophets have been fulfilled precisely. The horrors of siege -- including cannibalism -- are cited as proof that the covenant curses of Deuteronomy came to pass. The prayer shifts from confession to petition: despite their unfaithfulness, they appeal to God's own promises to restore them if they return with their whole heart.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The chapter contains one of the most unflinching acknowledgments of Deuteronomy 28:53 in all of biblical literature: the admission that parents ate their own children during the siege. This is not softened or allegorized but presented as the factual fulfillment of covenant curse. The chapter also preserves the theological insight that Israel's exile was not divine caprice but the predictable consequence of a violated contract.

Translation Friction

The heavy dependence on Jeremiah and Daniel raises questions about literary originality versus liturgical compilation. Some scholars view the prayer as a mosaic of earlier biblical texts rather than an independent composition. The reference to God promising the land 'through Moses' conflates Mosaic and Abrahamic covenant traditions.

Connections

Deuteronomy 28:53 (siege cannibalism); Jeremiah 7:34, 16:9 (end of joy); Daniel 9:4-19 (communal confession); Leviticus 26:33-45 (exile and return); Jeremiah 32:37-41 (new covenant promises).

Baruch 2:1

Et statuit Dominus verbum suum quod locutus est ad nos et ad iudices nostros qui iudicaverunt Israhel et ad reges nostros et ad principes nostros et ad omnem Israhel et Iudam.

And the Lord carried out his word that he spoke against us, and against our judges who governed Israel, and against our kings and our princes, and against all Israel and Judah.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

statuit ... verbum suum

"carried out his word"

The verb statuere conveys the idea of God 'establishing' or 'confirming' what he had said -- his word stands and is enacted, not merely spoken.

Baruch 2:2

Ut adduceret super nos mala magna quae non sunt facta sub omni caelo sicut facta sunt in Hierusalem secundum quae scripta sunt in lege Moysi.

He brought upon us great calamities, such as have not been done under all of heaven -- as was done in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the law of Moses.

Baruch 2:3

Ut manducaret homo carnes filii sui et carnes filiae suae.

So that a person would eat the flesh of his own son and the flesh of his own daughter.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This verse directly cites the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:53, presenting the siege cannibalism not as an exaggeration but as the literal fulfillment of the warned penalty.

Baruch 2:4

Et dedit eos sub manu regum omnium qui sunt in circuitu nostro in inproperium et in desolationem in omnibus populis in quibus nos dispersit Dominus.

And he gave them over to the power of all the surrounding kingdoms, as an object of reproach and desolation among all the peoples to whom the Lord had scattered us.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

inproperium

"reproach"

Public shame and mockery from neighboring nations; exile was understood not only as punishment but as humiliation before the watching world.

Baruch 2:5

Et facti sumus sub pedibus et non supra quia peccavimus Domino Deo nostro non obaudiendo voci illius.

And we were brought low rather than raised high, because we sinned against the Lord our God by not obeying his voice.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The 'under feet, not above' imagery recalls Deuteronomy 28:13 where obedience makes Israel 'the head and not the tail.'

Baruch 2:6

Domino Deo nostro iustitia nobis autem et patribus nostris confusio faciei sicut est dies haec.

Righteousness belongs to the Lord our God, but to us and to our ancestors belongs the shame of our faces, as is the case this day.

Baruch 2:7

Quia locutus est Dominus super nos omnia mala haec quae venerunt super nos.

For all these evils that have come upon us are what the Lord declared against us.

Baruch 2:8

Et non deprecati sumus faciem Domini Dei nostri ut reverteremur unusquisque nostrum a viis nostris pessimis.

And we did not entreat the face of the Lord our God, that each of us might turn from our most wicked ways.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

deprecati sumus faciem Domini

"entreat the face of the Lord"

An anthropomorphic idiom for earnest, personal prayer -- seeking audience with God as one would approach a ruler face to face.

Baruch 2:9

Et vigilavit Dominus in malis et adduxit ea super nos quia iustus est Dominus in omnibus operibus suis quae mandavit nobis.

And the Lord kept watch over these evils and brought them upon us, for the Lord is righteous in all his works that he commanded us to do.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

vigilavit

"kept watch"

The same verb used of watchful care is here applied to the execution of judgment, creating an unsettling symmetry: God watches over both his promises and his punishments.

Translator Notes

The striking image of God 'keeping watch' over the appointed punishments conveys divine vigilance: God does not forget his covenant terms, whether blessings or curses.

Baruch 2:10

Et non audivimus vocem ipsius ut iremus in praeceptis Domini quae dedit ante faciem nostram.

And we did not listen to his voice, so as to walk in the Lord's commandments that he set before us.

Baruch 2:11

Et nunc Domine Deus Israhel qui eduxisti populum tuum de terra Aegypti in manu valida et in signis et in prodigiis et in virtute tua magna et in brachio excelso et fecisti tibi nomen sicut est dies haec.

And now, O Lord God of Israel, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, with signs and wonders, with your great power and outstretched arm, and made yourself a name as it is this day --

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

brachio excelso

"outstretched arm"

A fixed formula from Deuteronomy for God's delivering power, rooted in the imagery of a warrior extending his arm in battle.

Baruch 2:12

Peccavimus impie egimus inique gessimus Domine Deus noster adversus omnia iustificationes tuas.

We have sinned, we have acted impiously, we have dealt unjustly, O Lord our God, against all your righteous decrees.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

iustificationes

"righteous decrees"

God's covenant stipulations understood as inherently just; disobedience to them is therefore inherently unjust.

Baruch 2:13

Avertatur ira tua a nobis quia derelicti sumus pauci inter gentes ubi dispersisti nos.

Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left few in number among the nations where you have scattered us.

Baruch 2:14

Exaudi Domine orationem nostram et deprecationem nostram et eripe nos propter te et da nobis gratiam in conspectu eorum qui nos abduxerunt.

Hear, O Lord, our prayer and our plea, and deliver us for your own sake, and grant us favor in the sight of those who led us into exile.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The appeal 'for your own sake' (propter te) is theologically significant: the petition rests not on Israel's merit but on God's own reputation and covenant commitment.

Baruch 2:15

Ut sciat omnis terra quia tu es Dominus Deus noster et quia nomen tuum invocatum est super Israhel et super genus ipsius.

So that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, and that your name has been invoked over Israel and over his descendants.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

nomen tuum invocatum est super

"your name has been invoked over"

The formula of God's name being 'called over' a people indicates ownership and covenantal identity -- Israel bears God's name.

Baruch 2:16

Domine prospice de domo sancta tua et cogita de nobis et inclina Domine aurem tuam et exaudi.

O Lord, look down from your holy dwelling and consider us. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear.

Baruch 2:17

Aperi Domine oculos tuos et vide quia non mortui qui sunt in inferno quorum spiritus acceptus est a visceribus suis dabunt honorem et iustificationem Domino.

Open your eyes, O Lord, and see. For it is not the dead in the underworld, whose spirit has been taken from their bodies, who will give honor and vindication to the Lord.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

inferno

"underworld"

The Latin infernus translates the Hebrew Sheol -- the shadowy realm of the dead, not the later Christian concept of hell as a place of punishment.

Translator Notes

This verse reflects the pre-resurrection theology common in the Wisdom literature: the dead cannot praise God, so deliverance must come while the people are still alive.

Baruch 2:18

Sed anima quae tristis est super magnitudinem mali et incedit curva et infirma et oculi deficientes et anima esuriens dabunt tibi gloriam et iustitiam Domino.

But the soul that is grieved over the greatness of its evil, that walks bowed down and feeble, with failing eyes and a hungry soul -- this one will give you glory and righteousness, O Lord.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The portrait of the penitent here -- bowed, weak-eyed, starving -- is both physical (the reality of exile) and spiritual (the posture of true repentance).

Baruch 2:19

Quia non secundum iustitias patrum nostrorum nos fundimus preces et petimus misericordiam ante conspectum tuum Domine Deus noster.

For it is not on the basis of the righteous deeds of our ancestors that we pour out our prayer and beg for mercy before you, O Lord our God.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

misericordiam

"mercy"

Corresponds to the Hebrew rachamim -- a deep, visceral compassion rooted in God's covenant love, not mere leniency.

Baruch 2:20

Sed quia misisti iram tuam et furorem tuum in nos sicut locutus es in manu puerorum tuorum prophetarum dicens.

But because you sent your wrath and fury upon us, just as you declared through your servants the prophets, saying:

Baruch 2:21

Sic dicit Dominus inclinate umeros vestros et cervices vestras et opera facite regi Babylonis et sedete in terra quam dedi patribus vestris.

'Thus says the Lord: Bend your shoulders and your necks, and serve the king of Babylon, and you will remain in the land that I gave to your ancestors.'

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This quotation closely follows Jeremiah 27:11-12, establishing that submission to Babylon was understood as a divine command, not merely political pragmatism.

Baruch 2:22

Quod si non audieritis vocem Domini Dei vestri operari regi Babyloniae defectionem vestram faciam de civitatibus Iuda et a foris Hierusalem.

'But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord your God and serve the king of Babylon, I will remove you from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem.'

Baruch 2:23

Et auferam a vobis vocem iucunditatis et vocem gaudii et vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae et erit omnis terra sine vestigio ab inhabitantibus eam.

'And I will take from you the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the whole land will be without a trace of its inhabitants.'

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This fourfold formula of silenced joy (joy, gladness, bridegroom, bride) is drawn directly from Jeremiah 7:34 and 16:9, one of the most haunting prophetic images of desolation.

Baruch 2:24

Et non audierunt vocem tuam ut operarentur regi Babyloniae et statuisti verba tua quae locutus es in manibus puerorum tuorum prophetarum ut transferrentur ossa regum nostrorum et ossa patrum nostrorum de loco suo.

But they did not listen to your voice, to serve the king of Babylon. And so you carried out your words that you spoke through your servants the prophets: that the bones of our kings and the bones of our ancestors would be removed from their resting places.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The desecration of royal tombs was considered the ultimate dishonor in the ancient Near East; Jeremiah 8:1-2 prophesied exactly this.

Baruch 2:25

Et ecce eiecta sunt in calore solis et in gelu noctis et mortui sunt in doloribus pessimis in fame et in gladio et in emissione.

And indeed, they were cast out to the heat of the sun and the frost of the night. And the people died in terrible agonies -- by famine, by the sword, and by pestilence.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

emissione

"pestilence"

The triad of famine, sword, and pestilence is Jeremiah's signature formula for divine judgment (Jeremiah 14:12, 21:7, etc.).

Baruch 2:26

Et posuisti templum in quo invocatum est nomen tuum in ipso sicut est dies haec propter iniquitatem domus Israhel et domus Iuda.

And you made the temple, in which your name was invoked, as it is this day -- because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The incomplete sentence ('you made the temple ... as it is this day') implies: 'you made it a ruin.' The ellipsis forces the reader to supply the devastating conclusion.

Baruch 2:27

Et fecisti in nobis Domine Deus noster secundum omnem bonitatem tuam et secundum omnem miserationem tuam illam magnam.

And yet, O Lord our God, you have dealt with us according to all your goodness and according to all your great compassion.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

miserationem

"compassion"

Deeper than mercy alone; this term corresponds to the Hebrew rachamim, rooted in the word for 'womb,' suggesting God's maternal, visceral tenderness.

Translator Notes

The pivot from judgment to grace: despite deserved punishment, the community recognizes that God's treatment still contains goodness and compassion -- the exile itself is moderated by mercy.

Baruch 2:28

Sicut locutus es in manu pueri tui Moysi in die qua praecepisti ei scribere legem tuam coram filiis Israhel.

Just as you spoke through your servant Moses, on the day you commanded him to write your law before the children of Israel.

Baruch 2:29

Dicens si non audieritis vocem meam multitudo haec magna convertetur in modicum inter gentes ubi eos dispersam.

Saying: 'If you do not listen to my voice, surely this great multitude will be reduced to a small number among the nations where I will scatter them.'

Baruch 2:30

Quia scio quod me non audiet populus est enim populus dura cervice et convertentur ad cor suum in terra captivitatis suae.

'For I know that they will not listen to me, for they are a stiff-necked people. But they will come to their senses in the land of their captivity.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

dura cervice

"stiff-necked"

A metaphor from ox-driving: an animal that stiffens its neck against the yoke refuses direction. Applied to Israel from Exodus 32:9 onward.

Translator Notes

The phrase 'come to their senses' (convertentur ad cor suum, literally 'return to their heart') is the Vulgate's rendering of the Hebrew concept of teshuvah -- turning, repentance -- happening within the heart itself.

Baruch 2:31

Et scient quia ego sum Dominus Deus eorum et dabo eis cor et intelligent aures.

'And they will know that I am the Lord their God. And I will give them a heart to understand and ears to hear.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

cor

"heart"

In biblical anthropology, the heart is the center of understanding, will, and moral decision -- not merely the seat of emotion.

Translator Notes

This promise of a 'heart to understand' anticipates the new covenant theology of Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26 -- God himself provides the capacity for obedience that Israel could not generate on its own.

Baruch 2:32

Et laudabunt me in terra captivitatis suae et memores erunt nominis mei.

'And they will praise me in the land of their captivity, and they will remember my name.'

Baruch 2:33

Et avertent se a dorso suo duro et a malitiis suis quia reminiscentur viam patrum suorum qui peccaverunt ante Dominum.

'And they will turn away from their stubbornness and from their wickedness, because they will remember the way of their ancestors who sinned before the Lord.'

Baruch 2:34

Et convertam illos in terram quam iuravi patribus eorum Abraham Isaac et Iacob et dominabuntur eius et multiplicabo eos et non minorabuntur.

'And I will bring them back into the land that I swore to their ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will possess it. And I will multiply them, and they will not be diminished.'

Baruch 2:35

Et statuam illis testamentum alterum sempiternum ut sim illis in Deum et ipsi erunt mihi in populum et non movebo amplius populum meum filios Israhel a terra quam dedi illis.

'And I will establish with them another covenant, an everlasting one: that I will be their God and they will be my people. And I will never again remove my people, the children of Israel, from the land that I have given them.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

testamentum alterum sempiternum

"another covenant, an everlasting one"

Testamentum translates the Hebrew berith (covenant). The 'other' covenant is explicitly distinguished from the Sinai covenant and is qualified as permanent.

Translator Notes

This verse is a condensed version of Jeremiah 31:31-34 and 32:40, combining the new covenant promise with the covenant formula ('I will be their God, they will be my people') and the promise of permanent restoration.

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