1tn Or “established” or “confirmed.”

2tn Grk “man.” The singular used here in a collective sense (“people”) probably reflects the idiom of a Hebrew text upon which the Greek text is presumably based.

3sn One of the emphases of the book of Baruch is that of the Lord’s sovereignty over the historical events that had recently devastated his people. According to the theology of this book the catastrophe of the exile was due to judgmental actions taken by the Lord himself. Far from being a disaster that Yahweh was unable to prevent through divine intervention, the captivity of Judah was the result of the Lord’s just displeasure with the sins and failures of Israel.

4tn Or “according to.”

5tn The grammar of the Greek text is a bit difficult here. In the translation v. 3 is presented as a separate sentence, although in the Greek text it is subordinate to v. 2. The infinitival construction tou phagein hemas anthropon seems to indicate a result attached to the preceding verb epoiesen (“he did”), setting forth a desperate consequence of the divine judgments executed upon the people of Judah.

6tn Or “ate.”

7sn Cannibalism of one’s own offspring is almost unimaginable. But it is mentioned here as an indication of the utter desperation of this oppressed and persecuted people. Such barbaric actions were not unheard of in the ancient world. For a fairly detailed account of an instance of cannibalism during the famine that accompanied the Roman siege of Jerusalem by Titus, see Josephus’ account of the actions of a Jewish woman named Mary, who is said to have roasted and eaten her infant son in order to prevent her own starvation. Josephus records the total shock that such actions produced not only among Jews but even among the Romans. See Josephus, Jewish War, 6.3.3-5.

8tn Grk “he.”

9tn Or “gave.”

10tn Grk “where the Lord scattered them there.” The wording shows the influence of Hebrew.

11tn Grk “below and not above.” That is to say, instead of ruling over others and prospering they were instead subjugated by other nations and reduced to poverty. See Deut 28:13, upon which the statement in Bar 2:5 is predicated.

12tn Or “spoke.”

13tn Grk “face.”

14tn Or “supervised.”

15tn Grk “the Lord.”

16tn Grk “that he commanded us.”

17tn Grk “to go in.”

18tn Grk “gave.”

19tn Or “made.”

20tn Or “our prayer of petition” (cf. TEV, NAB), if the expression is to be understood as a hendiadys.

21tn Grk “is called over.”

22tn Grk “inward parts.” Here the word is used in tandem with “spirit” to refer to the body.

23sn It is noteworthy that this verse does not seem to indicate awareness of a theology of resurrection. See O. Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction, 593. In general Baruch has a very limited eschatology. As Harrison observes, “The eschatology of the work shows no interest whatever in immortality or the personage of a Messiah, but is distinctly terrestrial, and envisages the restored fortunes of a chastened, though still material, nation in a renewed homeland.” See R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, 1240-41.

24tn Grk “soul.”

25tn Grk “but the soul that grieves upon the greatness.” Presumably the prepositional phrase epi to megethos (“upon the greatness”) is used adverbially (i.e., “extremely”), but this is not certain. The meaning of the phrase is somewhat elusive, although Moore’s evaluation may be a bit hyperbolic: “None of the ancient versions and no modern scholar has translated this particular clause to anyone’s satisfaction other than his own.” He suspects that the problem is due to textual corruption. See C. A. Moore, The Additions, AB 44, 288.

26tn Or “making our humble supplication.” See J. Lust et al., Lexicon of the Septuagint, 2:231.

27sn The basis of appeal to God for help is predicated here not on any human goodness or intrinsic worth, but entirely on the gracious mercy of Yahweh extended in behalf of his suffering people. As O. C. Whitehouse points out, “This verse exhibits a reaction against the prevalent Jewish doctrine of merit.” See APOT 1:586.

28tn Grk “your anger and your wrath.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.

29tn Grk “just as you spoke.”

30tn Grk “by the hand of.”

31tn Grk “incline your shoulder.”

32tn Or “serve.” So also in vv. 22, 24.

33tn Moore (and NAB) renders here the Greek word exothen as “in the streets,” regarding it as a mistranslation of the Hebrew word mehusot (“from the streets”). See C. A. Moore, The Additions, AB 44, 289.

34tn Grk “voice.”

35sn Verse 23 is a quotation from Jer 7:34.

36tn Or “established” or “confirmed.”

37tn Grk “by the hand of.”

38tn Grk “out of their place.”

39tn Grk “they.”

40tn Or “pestilence.”

41tn Grk “placed.”

42tn Grk “spoke.”

43tn Grk “by the hand of.”

44tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

45sn What follows in vv. 29-35 is a string of Old Testament allusions taken from Deut 28:58, 62; Deut 9:6; 1 Kgs 8:47; Jer 24:7; Lev 26:42; Deut 6:10; Jer 32:37, 38-40; Ezek 36:26-29; Amos 9:15.

46tn Grk “hear.”

47tn The Greek word bombesis (“buzzing crowd”) is found only here in the Septuagint.

48tn Grk “return upon their heart.”

49tn The word “responsive” is not in the Greek text but has been added in the translation for clarity.

50tn Or “hear.”

51tn Grk “the backside of their stiffness.”

52tn Or “become master.”