Jeremiah 32:12 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Jeremiah 32:12
And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular
evidence
הַסֵּ֣פֶרha.Se.fer
H5612
properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
purchase
הַמִּקְנָ֗הha.mik.Nah
H4736
properly · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Baruch
בָּר֣וּךְba.Rukh
H1263
Baruk · proper noun, a man's name
son
בֶּןben-
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Neriah
נֵרִיָּה֮ne.ri.Yah
H5374
Nerijah · proper noun, a man's name
son
בֶּןben-
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Maaseiah
מַחְסֵיָה֒mach.se.Yah
H4271
Machsejah · proper noun, a man's name
sight
לְעֵינֵי֙le.'ei.Nei
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
Hanameel
חֲנַמְאֵ֣לcha.nam.'El
H2601
Chanamel · proper noun, a man's name
uncle’s
דֹּדִ֔יdo.Di
H1730
(figuratively) to love · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
presence
וּלְעֵינֵי֙u.le.'ei.Nei
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
witnesses
הָֽעֵדִ֔יםha.'e.Dim
H5707
concretely · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
subscribed
הַכֹּתְבִ֖יםha.ko.te.Vim
H3789
to grave · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
book
בְּסֵ֣פֶרbe.Se.fer
H5612
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
purchase
הַמִּקְנָ֑הha.mik.Nah
H4736
properly · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
before
לְעֵינֵי֙le.'ei.Nei
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
Jews
הַיְּהוּדִ֔יםhai.ye.hu.Dim
H3064
a Jehudite (i.e. Judaite or Jew) · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
sat
הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖יםhai.yo.she.Vim
H3427
properly · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
court
בַּחֲצַ֥רba.cha.Tzar
H2691
a yard (as inclosed by a fence) · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
prison
הַמַּטָּרָֽהha.ma.ta.Rah
H4307
a jail (as a guard-house) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Jeremiah 32:16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah 51:59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah i…
Jeremiah 36:4-5 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken un…
Jeremiah 36:26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the sc…
Jeremiah 36:16-19 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the k…
Jeremiah 36:32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the w…
Jeremiah 43:3-6 But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death,…
Jeremiah 45:1-5 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah,…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 32:1-15
It appears by the date of this chapter that we are now coming very nigh to that fatal year which completed the desolations of Judah and Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. God's judgments came gradually upon them, but, they not meeting him by repentance in the way of his judgments, he proceeded in his controversy till all was laid waste, which was in the eleventh year of Zedekiah; now what is here recorded happened in the tenth. The king of Babylon's army had now invested Jerusalem and was carrying on the siege with vigour, not doubting but in a little time to make themselves masters of it, while the besieged had taken up a desperate resolution not to surrender, but to hold out to the last extremity…
Baruch--Jeremiah's amanuensis and agent (Jer 36:4, &c.).
before all--In sales everything clandestine was avoided; publicity was required. So here, in the court of prison, where Jeremiah was confined, there were soldiers and others, who had free access to him, present (Jer 38:1).
John Gill on Jeremiah 32:12
And I gave the evidence of the purchase,.... Both that which was sealed and that which was open; both the original and the copy; or the whole, as signed, sealed, and witnessed:
unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah; this Baruch, as appears from other places in this book, was one that attended on Jeremiah, was his scribe or amanuensis, and did business for him of one kind or another, and is described here by his pedigree; and it was the more necessary now to make use of him in this affair, because the prophet was confined, and could not go out of the court of the prison; to him he gave the above deed:
in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son; of whom the purchase was made: the…
Jeremiah 32:6-15
6. And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
6. Et dixit Jeremias, Fuit sermo Jehovae ad me dicendo,
7. Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum, thine uncle, shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it
7. Ecce Chanameel filius Sellum patrui tui yenit ad to (aut, venturus est ad to) qui dicet, Eme tibi agrum meum qui est in Anathoth; quia tibi jus affinitatis (vertunt, jus redemptionis, sed redemptio illa refertur ad affinitatem, vel cognationem, jus ignitur cognationis) ad emendum.
8. So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 12.) And I gave the book of possession to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Anameel my cousin, and in the sight of the witnesses who were written in the book of purchase; in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the prison courtyard. Although the possession was to be immediately given up, indeed to be bought back by later generations, and to be bought back by one who did not have children (for he had not taken a wife), nevertheless, obeying the command of the Lord, he duly carried out everything: and Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, gave the sealed book of possession. Baruch is called blessed in our language; he was the son of Neri, which means 'my light', as the Prophet says: 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path' (Psalm 119:105). Neri was also the father of Baruch, the son of Maasiah, meaning 'the work and the operation of the Lord'. Let us now consider the great privileges of virtue that the disciple Baruch rendered to Jeremiah, as David says: 'He who walks in the way of integrity, he shall minister to me' (Psalm 101:6). And so, Elisha, the servant of Elijah, pleased God so much that after the translation of his master, he also merited to receive a double spirit (2 Kings 2). I say this as a warning to those who abuse the ministries of evil men and do not dare to reject those whom they know are bound to them by a guilty conscience. And it is handed down that the book of Baruch was sold to such a man, Anemeel, with witnesses who signed, and their names were kept in the book of purchase. And, in the sight, he said, of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the prison: those who had come either to console the Prophet, or out of a desire to hear the words of the Lord in fear and reverence of God.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Baruch — Blessed. (1.) The secretary of the prophet Jeremiah (32:12; 36:4). He was of the tribe of Judah (51:59). To him Jeremiah dictated his prophecies regarding the invasion of the Babylonians and the…
Hanameel — Whom God has graciously given, the cousin of Jeremiah, to whom he sold the field he possessed in Anathoth, before the siege of Jerusalem (Jer. 32:6-12).
Jew — The name derived from the patriarch Judah, at first given to one belonging to the tribe of Judah or to the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 16:6; 25:25; Jer. 32:12; 38:19; 40:11; 41:3), in…
Maaseiah — The work of Jehovah. (1.) One of the Levites whom David appointed as porter for the ark (1 Chr. 15:18, 20). (2.) One of the “captains of hundreds” associated with Jehoiada in restoring king Jehoash…
Witness — More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57, 58).…
Anathoth · .Birthplace of — .Birthplace of
Baruch · 1. An ama — 1. An ama
Contracts · Written instrument — Written instrument
Covenant · Written and sealed — Written and sealed
The purchase was concluded in full legal form. "I wrote it (the necessary terms) in the letter (the usual letter of purchase), and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed out the money on the balance" (it was then and still is the custom in the East to weigh money). חתם means here, not to append a seal instead of subscribing the name, or for attestation (cf. Kg1 21:8; Neh 10:1; 2), but to seal up, make sure by sealing (Isa 29:11, etc.). For, from Jer 32:11, Jer 32:12, we perceive that two copies of the bill of purchase were prepared, one sealed up, and the other open; so that, in case the open one were lost, or were accidentally or designedly injured or defaced, a perfect original might s…
According to custom, a copy of the deed was made. The two documents were entrusted to the care of Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch. This was done publicly, in the courtyard of the guardhouse.
Rashi on Jeremiah 32:12
in the presence of Hanamel my uncle And until now, he calls him “my uncle’s son.” Perhaps there were two. Otherwise, I do not know what it means. Some are inclined to say that Hanamel was both Jeremiah’s uncle and his uncle’s son; e.g. Reuben married the daughter of his brother Simon, and she bore him Jemuel, and Simon had already begotten Jamin. Hence, Jamin is Jemuel’s uncle, since he is his mother’s brother, and also his uncle’s son, since he is the son of Simon, Jemuel’s father’s brother. This is, however, not the method of expression, for we do not find anywhere in the Bible, that the mother’s brother is called an uncle.
Scribes · Acted as: Notaries in courts of justice — Acted as: Notaries in courts of justice
Seals · Impressions of: Attached to lease and transfers of property — Impressions of: Attached to lease and transfers of property
Witness · 4:1-9; — 4:1-9;
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
