The Book of Baruch
⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑
- Chapter 6 -
The epistle of Jeremias to the captives, as a preservative against idolatry.
This is a copy of the letter that Jeremiah sent to those who would be taken captive into Babylon by the king of Babylon, so as to prophesy to them according to the warning he had received about them from God.
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Footnotes
(a)6:1 Some versions of Scripture omit the explanatory sentence stating that this last chapter is a copy of the letter of the prophet Jeremiah. Thus, the verse is awkwardly long. But renumbering the verses of this chapter to 73 would be more awkward.(Conte)
(b)6:2
Seven generations: That is, seventy years.(Challoner)
(c)6:8 A virgin who loves to decorate herself and put herself on display will not remain a virgin for long. Likewise, those who decorate and put idols on display will not remain pure of heart.(Conte)
(d)6:9 The priests certify the amount and purity of the gold, but they certify falsely, taking some of the precious metals for themselves. The effect of this is seen in verses 11 and 23 below, where the gold rusts. Pure gold never rusts, so the rusting reveals the impurities. The gold is impure because the priests, in taking some of the gold for themselves, added other metals to the mix. Those who follow idols are not pure like gold; like impure metals they will rust.(Conte)
(e)6:10 Here meretrices is contrasted with prostitutis. Thus, the translation indicates two types of these women, the ordinary prostitute and the kept woman or mistress.(Conte)
(f)6:17 Their guilty consciences make them like a pursued criminal who has offended the king (God). And again, they are like a dead man about to be taken to the grave, because they cannot escape death when they will be judged by God.(Conte)
(g)6:21 The word cattae is rather obscure, but it probably means cats (or, less probably, some type of bird).(Conte)
(h)6:28 At the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, only pre-menarcheal girls or post menopausal women were allowed to give service to God at the Temple buildings. The foolish priests of Babylon permit fertile and menstruous women to have (inappropriate) roles related to the service of God, unlike the devout Jews of Jerusalem.(Conte)
(i)6:30 The devout Jewish men prayed with their heads covered, but the priest of Babylon do not understand this.(Conte)
(j)6:42 The reason for burning olive-stones may have been for the scent, similar to a perfume, or perhaps they were using the potash from the burnt olive stones as an ingredient in soap.(Conte)
(k)6:56
They that are stronger than them: That is, robbers and thieves are stronger than these idols, being things without life or motion.(Challoner)
(l)6:58 It is not good to be a vain king, or a vessel, or a door, but it is better than being a false god.(Conte)
(m)6:66 This verse contains an obscure reference to the time of the Antichrist, when false gods will show false signs in the heavens, and the light of the sun and the moon will be altered.(Conte)
(n)6:69 A scarecrow scares away birds, but birds to not eat cucumbers. Other pests, such as insects and worms destroy cucumbers, but these are not affected by a scarecrow.(Conte)
(o)6:70 The white thorn is apparently ineffective at keeping birds out of the garden.(Conte)
(p)6:71 Royal purple is Tyrian purple, which is harvested from certain types of shellfish was an ancient, highly-prized, and difficult to process natural pigment. Murex is one of the shellfish from which the dye’s precursor is obtained. Whether ordinary purple, or the much more expensive Tyrian purple, the garments are moth-eaten all the same. (It may be the case that purpura indicates a type of purple dye harvested from one type of shellfish and murice indicates a different type of purple dye harvested from a different shellfish. There are various species of shellfish which are sources of purple dye; one of these is called Purpura and another is called Murex.)(Conte)