1. The son of Neriah, of a distinguished family in the tribe of Judah. He was the faithful friend of Jeremiah. About 605 B. C. he wrote down, from the lips of Jeremiah, all the divine messages to that prophet, and subsequently read them to the people, and again to certain princes. These last took the book, and soon made known its contents to king Jehoiakim, who impiously destroyed it. Baruch wrote it down a second time as before, with some additions, Jeremiah 36:1 - 32 .
He is supposed by some to have accompanied his brother Seraiah to Babylon, with the predictions of Jeremiah respecting that city, Jeremiah 51:59-64 . He afterwards shared the persecution of the prophet, was imprisoned with him, and forced to go to Egypt with the rebellious Jews, Jeremiah 43:1-13 . After the death of Jeremiah, the rabbins say, he returned to Babylon. An apocryphal book is ascribed to him.
2. Another Baruch is mentioned among the friends of Nehemiah, Nehemiah 3:20 10:6 11:5 .