Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch;
The opening words mark everything that follows as a message from the LORD, the God of Israel, addressed personally to Baruch and given through Jeremiah. The chapter stands chronologically among Jeremiah's later prophecies, coming before the account of Jerusalem's fall. More closely, it belongs to the section covering the history of the two years before Jerusalem fell. It falls within the account of the Jews left after Zedekiah's captivity and their flight into Egypt, alongside Jeremiah's faithful work among them. In the account of the people's refusal to heed Jeremiah, Baruch was accused of influencing the prophet to deliver a message against their wishes.
The opening words mark everything that follows as a message from the LORD, the God of Israel, addressed personally to Baruch and given through Jeremiah. The chapter stands chronologically among Jeremiah's later prophecies, coming before the account of Jerusalem's fall. More closely, it belongs to the section covering the history of the two years before Jerusalem fell. It falls within the account of the Jews left after Zedekiah's captivity and their flight into Egypt, alongside Jeremiah's faithful work among them. In the account of the people's refusal to heed Jeremiah, Baruch was accused of influencing the prophet to deliver a message against their wishes.